My paternal grandmother, Clara Dean Oliver, died ten years ago this month. Among the many legacies she left her grandchildren was a book for each – a binder, really – containing all the knowledge she had ever learned that changed her life. The book was aptly entitled “The Preparation for Life Book”. In memory of her life, I pulled that book back off the shelf and re-read a significant portion of it.
The week prior, I finished reading “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton Christensen (no relation). The purpose of Clay’s book is to take the most powerful business theories he teaches at Harvard Business School and aim them at the individual, shedding light on career, family and friends, and integrity.
These two books, so different yet so similar, sparked the question “What theories do I believe?” As I wander through life, what theories have I embraced and how do they affect the lens through which I see the world?
I am writing a series of posts which explores the theories I have found valuable. Of course the list will change through the years – I will adopt new theories and abandon others. Treat this series as a snapshot in time, the early efforts of a curious person to understand the world.