Yesterday, I detailed the top 6 posts for 2012 from Genuine Thriving. Since 5 of the top 6 posts in 2012 were from 2011, I thought it’d be good to look at those posts that were published in 2012. So, today, I’ll look at the top posts that were published in 2012 from Genuine Thriving that received the most views. Here are the top 6 posts with an excerpt for each:
If You Can’t Explain It Simply, You Don’t Understand It Well Enough
Don’t get me wrong, I like jargon. I enjoy expanding my understanding of language and the different words we have to describe things. (Today, I just learned what eleemosynary means: charitable or philanthropic.) Although, I think it is important to take note of one’s company. If you’re working on a project and not everyone is of the same understanding of the topic, it is ofparamount importance that the language used be accessible to all (or most) parties involved.
John Green’s Crash Course in World History
Back to Crash Course World History: Similar to my thoughts on ethics, I really think that people should have a basic understanding of world history. If that’s too much to ask, I think that I would like to have a basic understanding of world history. Especially because of my inclination to take a ‘systems perspective to things,’ (look for a post on this soon!) I think that having an understanding of the macrolevel events that led to today can help us (me?) gain a better understanding of where we might be headed in the future. If nothing else, it serves as ‘trial and error’ of what’s happened in the past, so as to avoid (or at least attempt to avoid) doing in the future.
You Are Exactly Where You’re Supposed To Be
After I continually repeat some iteration of these two phrases (the title and the one in the previous sentence), the advice-seeker’s demeanor begins to soften in a way that lets me know that they’ve taken ‘it’ in. It’s one of my favorite pieces of advice (along with “We’ll See…“) Why? Because it gives the advice-seeker the permission to stop second-guessing themselves, something that our culture is rife with. It lets the person be okay with where they are and in another way, gives them permission to stop wishing they were somewhere else.
Operation Cat Drop: A Lesson in Externalities or Unintended Consequences
That’s not to say that those folks who were involved in Operation Cat Drop (if there was one) didn’t think about the unintended consequences or (externalities) of what they were doing, but just to illustrate the importance of these concepts. A perspective that takes into account the “whole system” would — at a minimum — consider the possibility of externalities and unintended consequences. I think that as the world grows closer together (read: globalization) it is vital that decisions take into account even disparate connections.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Wisdom for Today from the Past
There isn’t a lot I want to say today, but I do want to point to a speech by Dr. King. I couldn’t find this speech on YouTube, but there is some audio of the speech (but it’s only the final paragraph). Nonetheless, I thought the speech, especially in its context (Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, etc.), is quite powerful. Moreover, I think the words that Dr. King spoke are applicable to some of the issues that are facing the world today. I’m speaking particularly to the all-time lows in US Congressional approval and the continued unrest in the EU.
It’s Amazing How Quickly Things Change
I wouldn’t be surprised if you stopped to reflect on your life and found a similar thread of unanticipated changes in your life. And those changes, (by their very nature [and definition, in this regard]) could not have been predicted prior to their occurrence. They took you by surprise. They’ve certainly taken me by surprise. Sometimes, we fall into the trap of beingcritical of these changes (or sometimes, lack of changes). I would implore you not to do so. It’s impossible to know how pursuing scenario X, being presented with scenario Y, or being surprised by scenario Z, will eventually lead you to ultimate fulfillment.
Jeremiah Stanghini 
Leave a comment