Reading Archives (Author)
Hopium
Margaret Wheatley
The problem with hope is that it’s bipolar. Every time we rely on hope, we always bring in fear. Wisdom teaches that hope and fear are two sides of the same dynamic. You already know ...
Uncomfortable Place Of Uncertainty
Margaret Wheatley
We weren’t trained to admit we don’t know. Most of us were taught to sound certain and confident, to state our opinion as if it were true. We haven’t been rewarded for being confused...
Who Do We Choose To Be?
Margaret Wheatley
The powerful always defend the status quo because it is the source of their power and privilege. Any change that benefits others would destroy their position. And their position is all they care about...
Big Enough to Take It All In
Margaret Wheatley
To want to see clearly is a true act of fearlessness. To open our heart and mind, to be open to what life is offering us in this moment, requires tremendous courage and steadfastness. In the openne...
Absurd Heroism
Margaret Wheatley
Consider Sisyphus. As described in both Greek and Roman mythology, Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to an eternity of futile and hopeless labor. He had to roll a rock to the top of the mountain, onl...
Love is the Source of Fearlessness
Margaret Wheatley
Some of the prison bars that we have constructed for ourselves are our fear of losing our jobs. Our fear of not being liked. Our need for approval. Our desire to make important changes but not have to...
The Order on the Other Side of Chaos
Margaret Wheatley
I use the word "chaos" to describe those times in an organization when people are confused, don't know what to do, and feel overwhelmed by information that they can't make sense of. ...
Disturb Me, Please!
Margaret Wheatley
In graduate school, I had one professor who encouraged us to notice what surprised or disturbed us. If we were surprised by some statement, it indicate...
Element of Surprise
Margaret Wheatley
Very little about the emerging nature of life supports who we have tried to be. Life invites us to play along, discovering as we go. Life wants to work with us in surprising ways. We could make our...
Evolving From Hope to Hopelessness
Margaret Wheatley
[Rudolf Bahro said,] "When the forms of an old culture are dying, the new culture is created by a few people who are not afraid to be insecure." Could insecurity, self-doubt, be a good trait? I find i...
Between Yes and No
Margaret Wheatley
Root of happiness is knowing that everything changes. That's all there is to happiness. It's nothing you pursue. It's living in the constant continual paradox of life. The Vedas say that the yes an...
Disturb the System
Margaret Wheatley
Think about how we generally have treated information. We've known it was important, but we've handled it in ways that have destroyed many of its life-giving properties. For one thing, we haven't bee...