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"It is so powerful to read these words and have someone else articulate my feelings exactly." — Mar 10, 2026 04:19PM
"It is so powerful to read these words and have someone else articulate my feelings exactly." — Mar 10, 2026 04:19PM
“When downsides coexist with upsides, as they often do, people are reluctant to explore what’s bugging them, for fear of being labeled complainers.”
― Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar
― Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
― Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
― Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
“Making the process better, easier, and cheaper is an important aspiration, something we continually work on—but it is not the goal. Making something great is the goal.”
― Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar
― Creativity, Inc.: an inspiring look at how creativity can - and should - be harnessed for business success by the founder of Pixar
“One of the first people I interviewed was Alvy Ray Smith, a charismatic Texan with a Ph.D. in computer science and a sparkling resume that included teaching stints at New York University and UC Berkeley and a gig at Xerox PARC, the distinguished R&D lab in Palo Alto. I had conflicting feelings when I met Alvy because, frankly, he seemed more qualified to lead the lab than I was. I can still remember the uneasiness in my gut, that instinctual twinge spurred by a potential threat: This, I thought, could be the guy who takes my job one day. I hired him anyway.”
― Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
― Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
“We waste so much energy trying to cover up who we are when beneath every attitude is the want to be loved, and beneath every anger is a wound to be healed and beneath every sadness is the fear that there will not be enough time.
When we hesitate in being direct, we unknowingly slip something on, some added layer of protection that keeps us from feeling the world, and often that thin covering is the beginning of a loneliness which, if not put down, diminishes our chances of joy.
It’s like wearing gloves every time we touch something, and then, forgetting we chose to put them on, we complain that nothing feels quite real. Our challenge each day is not to get dressed to face the world but to unglove ourselves so that the doorknob feels cold and the car handle feels wet and the kiss goodbye feels like the lips of another being, soft and unrepeatable.”
― The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have
When we hesitate in being direct, we unknowingly slip something on, some added layer of protection that keeps us from feeling the world, and often that thin covering is the beginning of a loneliness which, if not put down, diminishes our chances of joy.
It’s like wearing gloves every time we touch something, and then, forgetting we chose to put them on, we complain that nothing feels quite real. Our challenge each day is not to get dressed to face the world but to unglove ourselves so that the doorknob feels cold and the car handle feels wet and the kiss goodbye feels like the lips of another being, soft and unrepeatable.”
― The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have
Joel’s 2025 Year in Books
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