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The Path of Least Resistance: Learning to Become the Creative Force in Your Own Life
A revolutionary program for creating anything, from a functional kitchen to a computer program, to a work of art, Robert Fritz demonstrates that any of us has the innate power to create. Discover the steps of creating; the importance of creating what you truly love, how to focus on the creative process to move from where you are to where you want to be, and much more.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
November 17, 2017
What I liked:
1. A very simple and most overlooked quality of nature. She will flow where there is least resistance. Good or bad is another story. In the path that offers least resistance she will flow. How liberating!
2. Mr. Fritz argues that everything that we do conventionally to resolve a problem is nothing but band-aid to a bullet wound. It will work temporarily but since the basic foundation is not cognizant of or aligned towards your goal, natural energy will revert to what is easy and that "easy" is dictated by the "structure". So, with that in mind, the author says, wouldn't it be sensible to first build a carefully planned structure wherein the energy flow will be dictated by it? Build the structure first is the author's resounding message in this book.
What I did not like:
1. The book did not do enough to equip the reader to put this into practice which makes me think this book was more of a bait for their workshops than a genuine attempt at educating the reader to embrace this idea and do better.
2. Nothing disappoints me like a self-help book that advertises its workshops and that Mr. Fritz does it tirelessly in this book in almost every other chapter. Not cool.
Verdict:
Two positives and two negatives makes it a 2.5/ 5 but since GR does not allow that and 2 stars would be injustice to a beautiful idea, I am rounding it off to an honorable but average 3.
1. A very simple and most overlooked quality of nature. She will flow where there is least resistance. Good or bad is another story. In the path that offers least resistance she will flow. How liberating!
2. Mr. Fritz argues that everything that we do conventionally to resolve a problem is nothing but band-aid to a bullet wound. It will work temporarily but since the basic foundation is not cognizant of or aligned towards your goal, natural energy will revert to what is easy and that "easy" is dictated by the "structure". So, with that in mind, the author says, wouldn't it be sensible to first build a carefully planned structure wherein the energy flow will be dictated by it? Build the structure first is the author's resounding message in this book.
What I did not like:
1. The book did not do enough to equip the reader to put this into practice which makes me think this book was more of a bait for their workshops than a genuine attempt at educating the reader to embrace this idea and do better.
2. Nothing disappoints me like a self-help book that advertises its workshops and that Mr. Fritz does it tirelessly in this book in almost every other chapter. Not cool.
Verdict:
Two positives and two negatives makes it a 2.5/ 5 but since GR does not allow that and 2 stars would be injustice to a beautiful idea, I am rounding it off to an honorable but average 3.
February 28, 2008
This is a tricky challenging read, no doubt about it. The author started out wondering how artists could bring such joy, thought and originality to their arts, but often struggled so much with routine life. One of his discoveries is that more of life should be approached as creation, rather than as problem-solving. The author notes that problem-solving is futile because the focus is put on reducing the effects of a problem rather than creating a new method that may solve the problem. My summary is very high-level and does not do the book justice. As I wrote earlier, this is a complex book, but fascinating, and it may open your eyes -- it certainly did open mine.
May 23, 2016
I've read more than my fair share of book in the genres of self-help, psychology, personal growth, spiritual insight, etc. This one is absolutely on my short list of one of the absolute best ever. I just finished and I never, ever read books twice. This one I've already decided is so dense and full of useful, practical, applicable, insightful wisdom - I'm going to read it again.
October 12, 2017
I think it is possible that he has some good ideas in here about creativity, and changing your environment in order to change your behaviors, but his thinking process seems to be a bit naïve and illogical to me. He seems to blame certain changes in society on how we prioritize our choices, but these changes have existed in history without those effects, and a lot of things he correlates don't really seem related to me. Also, I agree that we often have counter-forces that push against us when we try to make a change in our life, but to imply that no one can ever make a change by working toward a goal is preposterous. Habits get easier over time, and just because forces are opposite do not mean they are equal!
A lot of exposition and bluster, not enough practical, substantiated advice.
A lot of exposition and bluster, not enough practical, substantiated advice.
September 20, 2019
This is one of my favorite books of the year. It feels very empowering to read this book as Robert puts the power back in our hands. We are able to create our own reality and we can transcend our past and any circumstances in life. I've been uplifted and inspired by this read. Definitely worth a revisit.
August 4, 2009
I couldn't stick with it. It might be worth giving a second shot. Definitely worth a second shot.
Good focus on structure as opposed to intentionality.
Quotes:
"Rather than asking, "How do I get this unwanted situation to go away?" you might ask, "What structures should I adopt to create the results I want to create?"
"A view of the world, followed by actions consistent with that view."
"The problem leads to action to solve the problem, leads to less intensity of the problem, leads to less action to solve the problem, leads to problem remaining."
"Ironically, problem solving can give you a false sense of security. You know just what you are supposed to do: find and solve problems. If you didn't have problems, what would you think about? How would you spend your time?"
"It is not fortitude, willpower, or determination that enables you to continue the creative process, but learning as you go."
"A person in the reactive-responsive orientation is in a kind of maze. The circumstances are the walls. The person's life consists of negotiating through the maze. Some people have found safety in traveling the same route, and some are consistently surprised when confronted with a new dead end, but either way there is always a limitation of choice, often between the lesser of two evils. When you are in the orientation of the creative, life is often interesting, exciting, and special. This is not because creators try to be interested in whatever they are doing, but because they are involved in life on a level where there is always the possibility of something new and wonderful happening that has never existed before."
"What is the problem? Too little self-control, not enough self-discipline, emotional complexes, self-hate, self-destructive tendencies, lack of willpower, lack of determination, an unfulfilled sex life, the economy? The structure in play leads to oscillation. This is all it can do."
"Life, to these people, can seem like the food you may sometimes have in your refrigerator - not old enough yet to throw out, but not good enough to eat."
"There are two assumptions, generally unexpressed and unexamined, at the roots of both schools of positive thinking. The first is that you need to control yourself by overpowering your habitual negativity. The second is that the objective truth about reality is somehow dangerous to you and that you must therefore impose upon the truth a beneficent interpretation."
"The path of least resistance, determined by the structure, cannot lead in any other direction than away from your desired result, no matter how hard you try to "keep the faith.""
"The human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise."
Good focus on structure as opposed to intentionality.
Quotes:
"Rather than asking, "How do I get this unwanted situation to go away?" you might ask, "What structures should I adopt to create the results I want to create?"
"A view of the world, followed by actions consistent with that view."
"The problem leads to action to solve the problem, leads to less intensity of the problem, leads to less action to solve the problem, leads to problem remaining."
"Ironically, problem solving can give you a false sense of security. You know just what you are supposed to do: find and solve problems. If you didn't have problems, what would you think about? How would you spend your time?"
"It is not fortitude, willpower, or determination that enables you to continue the creative process, but learning as you go."
"A person in the reactive-responsive orientation is in a kind of maze. The circumstances are the walls. The person's life consists of negotiating through the maze. Some people have found safety in traveling the same route, and some are consistently surprised when confronted with a new dead end, but either way there is always a limitation of choice, often between the lesser of two evils. When you are in the orientation of the creative, life is often interesting, exciting, and special. This is not because creators try to be interested in whatever they are doing, but because they are involved in life on a level where there is always the possibility of something new and wonderful happening that has never existed before."
"What is the problem? Too little self-control, not enough self-discipline, emotional complexes, self-hate, self-destructive tendencies, lack of willpower, lack of determination, an unfulfilled sex life, the economy? The structure in play leads to oscillation. This is all it can do."
"Life, to these people, can seem like the food you may sometimes have in your refrigerator - not old enough yet to throw out, but not good enough to eat."
"There are two assumptions, generally unexpressed and unexamined, at the roots of both schools of positive thinking. The first is that you need to control yourself by overpowering your habitual negativity. The second is that the objective truth about reality is somehow dangerous to you and that you must therefore impose upon the truth a beneficent interpretation."
"The path of least resistance, determined by the structure, cannot lead in any other direction than away from your desired result, no matter how hard you try to "keep the faith.""
"The human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2008
There’s nothing I love more than a great self-help book, but this is self-help with a twist that gives the book greater significance. It’s the closest look at creativity, what blocks it and what feeds it, that you may ever read. Although it’s great for creative types or people who just want more out of life, it’s also a practical study for managers and leaders who want to create change in their organizations. Fritz carefully describes the space in which creative people live (read: effective people) and how to set yourself up to create whatever you truly want. He also autopsies a trait that undermines true creativity in far too many people and organizations—the reactive-responsive orientation—one where internal and external circumstances overwhelm personal power. Read it once to recognize yourself. Read it a second time and you’ll have a better grasp of how to make favorable changes in your life and work, or at least a better grasp of what’s been holding you back.
November 30, 2008
Bumps off the whole notion of problem solving as a degenerative spiral and energy suck. Solve a problem and what you GET is 'no more problem.' What about what you WANT? Integrates appreciative inquiry into the business of creating what you want in life and work.. Good stuff
July 14, 2015
Одна из лучших книг по саморазвитию - must read! Книга о том, как стать творцом своей собственной жизни. Подробная рецензия-конспект в моем блоге: http://s-kalinin.blogspot.ru/2015/07/...
June 17, 2019
With both books and people, I like when they come to the point already. If you can get your point across simply, quickly and accurately, that would be a worthwhile skill to have. Unfortunately this book is missing that skill.
This book is about creativity, and how it can be develop by using natural laws similar to that of physics. Bodies always take the path of least resistance in achieving a task. And supposedly the author has a magic key to finding this path. I was taken in by the very interesting opening paragraph of the book when I was browsing it. And I decided to give it a try.
But there are a couple of reasons why I don't recommend reading this book
The long, winding path to nowhere - It started off well. But within a few chapters it was evident that the author did not seem to be in any hurry to make his point. I am a staunch believer in that the main point of the book, the juicy content should be presented within the first third of the book. At this point I often decide whether it is worth going ahead with the rest of the book or to let it go. I'm well beyond that deciding point in this book and except for a few insights (in the first 80 pages), the author doesn't seem present much in his theory of creativity.
Sell me some love - Another red flag is when an author constantly refers to other content - be it another book, a course or seminar that promises to give more helpful content to those who are truly seeking. I mean if you have written a book, let it contribute independently of any of the other creations that you have in your repertoire. Coming across the ©, ®, or the ™ symbol in a book is downright jarring. To me, it feels like someone scratching nails on a blackboard. This author drops references to his institute and courses quite a few times. According to the author these courses have helped creative people... well... create. I thought that is what this book would have helped me do as well.
After these first eighty pages, I started to simply browse the book, hoping to find something engrossing and salvage whatever I could find from the rest of the book. But I realized that the rest of the book was filled with jargon that I could not bring myself to spend time on. And for that reason this book goes in my Abandoned pile for now.
I'm sure there are better books out there on creativity. Years ago I recall I read another book on the same topic, The War of Art. And although I don't remember how well I liked that book, I definitely know it had much more to give than the Path of Least Resistance.
---
Read this and more of our reviews at Few Pages More
This book is about creativity, and how it can be develop by using natural laws similar to that of physics. Bodies always take the path of least resistance in achieving a task. And supposedly the author has a magic key to finding this path. I was taken in by the very interesting opening paragraph of the book when I was browsing it. And I decided to give it a try.
But there are a couple of reasons why I don't recommend reading this book
The long, winding path to nowhere - It started off well. But within a few chapters it was evident that the author did not seem to be in any hurry to make his point. I am a staunch believer in that the main point of the book, the juicy content should be presented within the first third of the book. At this point I often decide whether it is worth going ahead with the rest of the book or to let it go. I'm well beyond that deciding point in this book and except for a few insights (in the first 80 pages), the author doesn't seem present much in his theory of creativity.
Sell me some love - Another red flag is when an author constantly refers to other content - be it another book, a course or seminar that promises to give more helpful content to those who are truly seeking. I mean if you have written a book, let it contribute independently of any of the other creations that you have in your repertoire. Coming across the ©, ®, or the ™ symbol in a book is downright jarring. To me, it feels like someone scratching nails on a blackboard. This author drops references to his institute and courses quite a few times. According to the author these courses have helped creative people... well... create. I thought that is what this book would have helped me do as well.
After these first eighty pages, I started to simply browse the book, hoping to find something engrossing and salvage whatever I could find from the rest of the book. But I realized that the rest of the book was filled with jargon that I could not bring myself to spend time on. And for that reason this book goes in my Abandoned pile for now.
I'm sure there are better books out there on creativity. Years ago I recall I read another book on the same topic, The War of Art. And although I don't remember how well I liked that book, I definitely know it had much more to give than the Path of Least Resistance.
---
Read this and more of our reviews at Few Pages More
January 15, 2016
“The greatest leaders and statesmen in history have not been problem solvers. They have been builders. They have been creators.”
“When you create, power is not situational. That is to say, your power to create does not come from the circumstances, but from yourself.”
“There’s nothing capricious in nature, and the implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feels it.”
~ Robert Fritz from The Path of Least Resistance
The theme of Robert Fritz’ brilliant book, The Path of Least Resistance can be summed up in three words: “Structure determines behavior.”
Like you, before reading the book I had no idea what the heck that meant. Nor did I have any idea what “structural conflict” vs. “structural tension” was all about—let alone why creating structural tension is the core attribute of creative genius.
As you gain an understanding of how structure determines behavior, you’ll also gain a sense for why Fritz believes affirmations and willpower and all that other “positive thinking” stuff will never give you sustainable creative powers.
For that? We need a whole new structure.
Here are some of my favorite Big Ideas:
1. Structure --> Behavior - What does that mean?!?
2. Structural Conflict - & Rubber bands on a wall.
3. Structural Tension - Quit oscillating!
4. Creative Force - Go for it.
5. Create your destiny. - Choices, choices, choices.
In unflinching integrity to the creation of our highest selves.
-----
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-V1W...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian
“When you create, power is not situational. That is to say, your power to create does not come from the circumstances, but from yourself.”
“There’s nothing capricious in nature, and the implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feels it.”
~ Robert Fritz from The Path of Least Resistance
The theme of Robert Fritz’ brilliant book, The Path of Least Resistance can be summed up in three words: “Structure determines behavior.”
Like you, before reading the book I had no idea what the heck that meant. Nor did I have any idea what “structural conflict” vs. “structural tension” was all about—let alone why creating structural tension is the core attribute of creative genius.
As you gain an understanding of how structure determines behavior, you’ll also gain a sense for why Fritz believes affirmations and willpower and all that other “positive thinking” stuff will never give you sustainable creative powers.
For that? We need a whole new structure.
Here are some of my favorite Big Ideas:
1. Structure --> Behavior - What does that mean?!?
2. Structural Conflict - & Rubber bands on a wall.
3. Structural Tension - Quit oscillating!
4. Creative Force - Go for it.
5. Create your destiny. - Choices, choices, choices.
In unflinching integrity to the creation of our highest selves.
-----
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-V1W...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian
January 7, 2013
I enjoyed this book on several levels. Firstly, author Fritz writes as a "creative" who thinks that the creative process is a skill that can be learned, and sets about teaching it in (to me) a novel way. The emphasis of the writing is on a change in mindset in how to approach just about anything to which one wants to apply the creative process, including things like determining one's career path, solving a relationship conundrum, or addressing a business problem - or, for that matter, creating a piece of art. Fritz goes to lengths to show that artists develop a different approach to looking at everything, and argues convincingly that the "reactive-responsive" approach learned conventionally in school and through society at large leads to more problems, not solutions. Amazingly, this is done without an "artists are special" attitude; instead, Fritz works to help those of us who may not have become gifted creators that there's hope for us to learn and adopt this mindset.
Also, the book is fascinating as a picture of how to address the current events of the time in which it was written (1984, revised in 1989). The Cold War is still on with the Soviet Union, and nuclear annihilation is still a pervasive threat in our national psyche, as is our growing awareness of AIDS and (much more positively) the power and possibility of creativity coming with the new and more affordable personal computers. Many of our problems and conflicts are the same, and this may lend some credence to Fritz's concern about the persistence of "reactive-responsive" thought - and to the inexhaustible potential of the creative process to shape our times and the future.
Also, the book is fascinating as a picture of how to address the current events of the time in which it was written (1984, revised in 1989). The Cold War is still on with the Soviet Union, and nuclear annihilation is still a pervasive threat in our national psyche, as is our growing awareness of AIDS and (much more positively) the power and possibility of creativity coming with the new and more affordable personal computers. Many of our problems and conflicts are the same, and this may lend some credence to Fritz's concern about the persistence of "reactive-responsive" thought - and to the inexhaustible potential of the creative process to shape our times and the future.
December 31, 2017
The concept of this book is quite simple, yet profoundly challenging in that most of us just don't realize how much power and control we have in the creation of our own lives. Fortunately, the author describes in great detail how to acknowledge, address and transcend the perpetual everyday roadblocks that humans experience in trying to become our best selves. This book is a very deep read, but so necessary to experience. It is one that I will find myself revisiting again and again. Highly recommend.
August 18, 2018
The most profound book I have read till now.
I have read so many other books on psychology and all but was never able to get a hold of them as all were reactive-responsive approach. I have this book opens up a new vision in me that I choose to be the predominant creative force in my life.
I have read so many other books on psychology and all but was never able to get a hold of them as all were reactive-responsive approach. I have this book opens up a new vision in me that I choose to be the predominant creative force in my life.
August 29, 2018
Top 5 reads ever
August 30, 2019
System theory and evolution
The idea put forward in this book is very good, that is, the idea of solving the problem is transformed into the idea of creation. Taking this as the core, the author begins to explain why this should be done, how to do it, and other extensions. On dry goods, this book is not as good as "Change: Principles of Forming and Solving Problems". However, although the latter is logically clear and concise, the problem is that there is no clear action plan after seeing it, and the Road of Least Resistance gives a feasible solution.
Change the mind: from problem to creation
The first 1/3 of the book basically tells why you should do this. If you are interested, you can read the detailed explanation in the original text.
From the perspective of system theory, "solving the problem" is essentially the problem of dealing with the system within the group theory. Then, by Gödel's incompleteness theorem, we can know that this is impossible to solve completely. "Change" requires us to look at the problem at a higher level and resolve the conflict of the system itself, but how? It is difficult to treat the problem as an objective third party when it is in the middle of the problem. Even if a simple example is given in the book, it can only help to understand, and it is difficult to apply it to real and complicated life easily.
The creative thinking in this book is a viable solution. In other words, instead of focusing on conflicts within the system, we focus on real needs and use the gap between the demand vision and the real reality as a driving force to avoid reverse forces. Take everyone's most commonly mentioned weight loss as an example. The solution to the problem within the system is the conflict between positive and negative forces (the dieting exercise <-> eating and resting). Both of them are justified and the system enters the turbulent hyperstable state. The creation of the jump out system is the driving force of the gap between (health <-> unhealthy), there is only one direction of driving force, and the system enters a spiral rising steady state migration process.
In short, focus on the vision, not just the problem.
How to do it: the enlightenment of evolution
About 1/3 of the content in the middle will be done in three stages: germination, assimilation, and completion. I don't want to repeat the contents of the book in detail, just explore the implementation from the perspective of my own understanding.
First of all, I don't agree with the method of memorizing each stage and then applying it in life. That is, we have to grasp the ideas behind the program, not the content. Further, to grasp the core of various ideas, I realize that various ideas are only about the understanding and expression of different core authors.
I will give my own understanding in the following book.
The first step is to choose a vision and image it. On the one hand, choosing the most important among the many needs; on the other hand, clearly expressing the demand as a vision. The role of imaging is to provide incentives.
The second step is to verify the current state. On the one hand, choose the real factors related to the vision; on the other hand, to realize these factors, and realization is a very big difficulty.
The third step is to establish a system to respond to events. Based on the above two aspects, especially the vision part, rules are created to give decisions during the event change.
The core ideas behind it can be elaborated from the perspective of natural selection (evolution), that is, two key points: the cumulative change, the diversity of choice. When decisions are needed, the vision provides selection criteria to eliminate unsuitable options in diversity. The selected options are retained and become the basis for the next phase, which gradually accumulates. The core of the entire system is in the current decision, not the future goal; in the satisfaction option, not the best option.
From an evolutionary perspective, iteration never ends: we need to choose a phase as the end marker; the future is unknowable: we need to choose one of the right choices at the moment, even if it is not the best choice in the future; fine-tuning can save: we Small changes are needed to ensure survival, that is, mistakes are not fatal; stagnation is extinction: we need to choose trial and error as soon as possible, improper choice gives us the opportunity, and no choice is nothing. (For more on the evolution of the system, check out other related books.)
In short, approach the goal by creating a system.
Extract
The following is an excerpt from some interesting content in the article.
"I choose to have ... p175
The author said that it is a matter of opinion to formally declare your choice. The advantage is that the self suggests abandoning other options, and if written down, it can further track self-decision; however, the more formal the decision, the greater the resistance, and the smaller informal decision is easier to determine.
One powerful way to assimilate your present step is to move on to your next step, even if you feel inadequately prepared for it. When you move to your next step, you are somehow able to incorporate more than you now know about your present step. P202
I agree very much that fast and small decisions (even improper decisions) are far better than no decisions or slow and big decisions (even good decisions).
There are moments in the creative process when it seems that you are farther away from your result than when you began, but in fact you are closer to it. p228
There are two reasons for this. One is the feedback delay in cybernetics, and the other is that we are unable to give the correct positioning in our system. The example in the latter book is very good. If you want to go from one roof to another, you can only go to the ground first. From the outside of the system, this is undoubtedly the fastest option, but in terms of system content, it seems to be far from the target.
If you find yourself repeatedly reviewing how you got to be where you are in your life, you are obscuring a clear view of current reality. p232
In other words, you need to focus on the present, not the future. Many books say that we should pay attention to the power of the moment, such as "simple meditation: activate your potential creativity" and so on (meditation is really useful, recommend attention). So can we recognize the true present? It is very important to say that it is a matter of throwing away the existing concepts (recommended reading "Five Days Learning Painting" to understand the existing concepts that we never realized). However, the real world has already involved the philosophical worldview content (recommended "system philosophy", "worldview", etc.), without having to delve into it, as long as our concepts conform to external experience.
Socially accepted misrepresentation is designed primarily to protect people from feeling bad. p233
The truth is not dangerous, it sets you free to create. It is only through your recognition of the facts of reality that you can engage the senior force of structural tension and move towards creating what really matters to you. p234
In fact, it is still a matter of reality and concept. Borrowing a message from Mr. Lu Xun: "The real warrior dares to face the bleak life and dare to face the dripping blood."
The last broken thought
Having said so many advantages, I also want to vomit the author's writing. There are too many cases and the substance has been overwhelmed by the case. A good book, and finally began to discuss China's democratic issues, I can't keep up with this brain.
In short, the author's point of view is very inspiring and recommended to the partners who are struggling in life and work to read.
The idea put forward in this book is very good, that is, the idea of solving the problem is transformed into the idea of creation. Taking this as the core, the author begins to explain why this should be done, how to do it, and other extensions. On dry goods, this book is not as good as "Change: Principles of Forming and Solving Problems". However, although the latter is logically clear and concise, the problem is that there is no clear action plan after seeing it, and the Road of Least Resistance gives a feasible solution.
Change the mind: from problem to creation
The first 1/3 of the book basically tells why you should do this. If you are interested, you can read the detailed explanation in the original text.
From the perspective of system theory, "solving the problem" is essentially the problem of dealing with the system within the group theory. Then, by Gödel's incompleteness theorem, we can know that this is impossible to solve completely. "Change" requires us to look at the problem at a higher level and resolve the conflict of the system itself, but how? It is difficult to treat the problem as an objective third party when it is in the middle of the problem. Even if a simple example is given in the book, it can only help to understand, and it is difficult to apply it to real and complicated life easily.
The creative thinking in this book is a viable solution. In other words, instead of focusing on conflicts within the system, we focus on real needs and use the gap between the demand vision and the real reality as a driving force to avoid reverse forces. Take everyone's most commonly mentioned weight loss as an example. The solution to the problem within the system is the conflict between positive and negative forces (the dieting exercise <-> eating and resting). Both of them are justified and the system enters the turbulent hyperstable state. The creation of the jump out system is the driving force of the gap between (health <-> unhealthy), there is only one direction of driving force, and the system enters a spiral rising steady state migration process.
In short, focus on the vision, not just the problem.
How to do it: the enlightenment of evolution
About 1/3 of the content in the middle will be done in three stages: germination, assimilation, and completion. I don't want to repeat the contents of the book in detail, just explore the implementation from the perspective of my own understanding.
First of all, I don't agree with the method of memorizing each stage and then applying it in life. That is, we have to grasp the ideas behind the program, not the content. Further, to grasp the core of various ideas, I realize that various ideas are only about the understanding and expression of different core authors.
I will give my own understanding in the following book.
The first step is to choose a vision and image it. On the one hand, choosing the most important among the many needs; on the other hand, clearly expressing the demand as a vision. The role of imaging is to provide incentives.
The second step is to verify the current state. On the one hand, choose the real factors related to the vision; on the other hand, to realize these factors, and realization is a very big difficulty.
The third step is to establish a system to respond to events. Based on the above two aspects, especially the vision part, rules are created to give decisions during the event change.
The core ideas behind it can be elaborated from the perspective of natural selection (evolution), that is, two key points: the cumulative change, the diversity of choice. When decisions are needed, the vision provides selection criteria to eliminate unsuitable options in diversity. The selected options are retained and become the basis for the next phase, which gradually accumulates. The core of the entire system is in the current decision, not the future goal; in the satisfaction option, not the best option.
From an evolutionary perspective, iteration never ends: we need to choose a phase as the end marker; the future is unknowable: we need to choose one of the right choices at the moment, even if it is not the best choice in the future; fine-tuning can save: we Small changes are needed to ensure survival, that is, mistakes are not fatal; stagnation is extinction: we need to choose trial and error as soon as possible, improper choice gives us the opportunity, and no choice is nothing. (For more on the evolution of the system, check out other related books.)
In short, approach the goal by creating a system.
Extract
The following is an excerpt from some interesting content in the article.
"I choose to have ... p175
The author said that it is a matter of opinion to formally declare your choice. The advantage is that the self suggests abandoning other options, and if written down, it can further track self-decision; however, the more formal the decision, the greater the resistance, and the smaller informal decision is easier to determine.
One powerful way to assimilate your present step is to move on to your next step, even if you feel inadequately prepared for it. When you move to your next step, you are somehow able to incorporate more than you now know about your present step. P202
I agree very much that fast and small decisions (even improper decisions) are far better than no decisions or slow and big decisions (even good decisions).
There are moments in the creative process when it seems that you are farther away from your result than when you began, but in fact you are closer to it. p228
There are two reasons for this. One is the feedback delay in cybernetics, and the other is that we are unable to give the correct positioning in our system. The example in the latter book is very good. If you want to go from one roof to another, you can only go to the ground first. From the outside of the system, this is undoubtedly the fastest option, but in terms of system content, it seems to be far from the target.
If you find yourself repeatedly reviewing how you got to be where you are in your life, you are obscuring a clear view of current reality. p232
In other words, you need to focus on the present, not the future. Many books say that we should pay attention to the power of the moment, such as "simple meditation: activate your potential creativity" and so on (meditation is really useful, recommend attention). So can we recognize the true present? It is very important to say that it is a matter of throwing away the existing concepts (recommended reading "Five Days Learning Painting" to understand the existing concepts that we never realized). However, the real world has already involved the philosophical worldview content (recommended "system philosophy", "worldview", etc.), without having to delve into it, as long as our concepts conform to external experience.
Socially accepted misrepresentation is designed primarily to protect people from feeling bad. p233
The truth is not dangerous, it sets you free to create. It is only through your recognition of the facts of reality that you can engage the senior force of structural tension and move towards creating what really matters to you. p234
In fact, it is still a matter of reality and concept. Borrowing a message from Mr. Lu Xun: "The real warrior dares to face the bleak life and dare to face the dripping blood."
The last broken thought
Having said so many advantages, I also want to vomit the author's writing. There are too many cases and the substance has been overwhelmed by the case. A good book, and finally began to discuss China's democratic issues, I can't keep up with this brain.
In short, the author's point of view is very inspiring and recommended to the partners who are struggling in life and work to read.
July 12, 2019
"The structures that have the most influence on your life are composed of your desires, beliefs, assumptions, aspirations, and objective reality itself. Humans act in accordance with the structures in their lives."
"Creators have a higher ability to tolerate discrepancy than most others. This is because discrepancy is the stock in trade of the creator. When you create, you become a player of forces such as contrasts, opposites, similarities, differences, time, balance, and so on. When you create, one of the important forces you can use is discrepancy. Those who do not understand discrepancy often feel discouraged when there is more discrepancy between what they want and what they have encouraged when there is less. But to the creator, all of the forces in play are useful. If there is more discrepancy, there is more force to work with. If there is less, there is more momentum as you move toward the final creation of the result."
"Your life can be a creation. Most people don’t think like this but it’s true. What a difference that is from reacting or responding to the circumstances. Your own life can become a separate entity, and when it does, you can form it, mold it, and change it the way you want. When you are able to do this, you are free to develop your life as independent of your identity. You can succeed or fail without the added burden of an identity crisis."
"The way people choose reveals where they see the power in a situation residing and how that power is activated and used. Nothing forces you to make the choice to create what you want to create, and nothing can take this power from you."
"Creators have a higher ability to tolerate discrepancy than most others. This is because discrepancy is the stock in trade of the creator. When you create, you become a player of forces such as contrasts, opposites, similarities, differences, time, balance, and so on. When you create, one of the important forces you can use is discrepancy. Those who do not understand discrepancy often feel discouraged when there is more discrepancy between what they want and what they have encouraged when there is less. But to the creator, all of the forces in play are useful. If there is more discrepancy, there is more force to work with. If there is less, there is more momentum as you move toward the final creation of the result."
"Your life can be a creation. Most people don’t think like this but it’s true. What a difference that is from reacting or responding to the circumstances. Your own life can become a separate entity, and when it does, you can form it, mold it, and change it the way you want. When you are able to do this, you are free to develop your life as independent of your identity. You can succeed or fail without the added burden of an identity crisis."
"The way people choose reveals where they see the power in a situation residing and how that power is activated and used. Nothing forces you to make the choice to create what you want to create, and nothing can take this power from you."
November 15, 2023
I’m reading for work assignment and it’s torture. The author cites no research to back up his ideas, yet takes a declarative stance with an air of condescension throughout. He opens the book with an old wives tale yet presents it as truth. It’s unnecessarily repetitive and tedious. He uses two quotes from Virginia Woolf to validate his point that sometimes people are pleased when they have finished their creation, and sometimes people fight it and are unhappy. Virginia Woolf had bipolar disorder, so it is totally inappropriate to use this example. To know that this work has inspired people leaves me stunned and dismayed.
October 2, 2021
Golden !
January 7, 2021
I liked this one a lot.
The book doesn't really promise to be anything about Systems Thinking, but on my quest to read 5 books about Systems Thinking, this one somehow made it into my list.
I think it helped me greatly to have read three other books about the topic, first.
The book itself is a strange beast. On the one hand, the language is very clear and simple. The examples are tangible. There are some very very simplistic systems diagrams here and there to underline a point. Nothing fancy. But on the other hand the book sometimes also seems to be very dense. I found myself several times losing the train of thought and going back to the chapter beginning, refocusing and beginning again. I'd say this is a good thing: I cared enough to want to understand this.
The whole thesis of the books makes a lot of sense to me, especially because I have been a creator myself basically my whole life (music, graphics, text, code). The chapters all nicely build on top of each other and lead to the whole picture step by step. This is great! However: It's also VERY repetitive. I feel like the basic idea could be summed up on just one or two pages. Strangely enough, I still don't think that the book wasted my time. Like I said, this book is weird.
My guess is: If you would read this summed up on two pages, you would be like "eh yeah, pretty obvious, common sense" and move on with life and ignore this. But if you read the whole thing, it can really be quite the motivating experience.
Why only three stars? Firstly: Some parts of the book feel like the author just wants to pump his own self-help courses. It's not overwhelming, but it is there. I hate books like this. The incentives are simply not aligned well. I want my books to be teachers, not gateway drugs.
Secondly: This book is so fantastically vague, it's like one of those "if you found a hammer, everything looks like a nail" situations. The author manages to apply his world view to everything that is wrong with the world, but when describing possible solutions, it's all very very vague. I do believe that the mindset that this book tries to teach does indeed work, but man, you need to already be a highly functional human to apply this.
This is not a self-help book that turns lazy bums into high performers. This is a self-help book that turns high-performers into superstars, and only some of them.
My takeaway is: I do need to be much clearer about my "fundamental choices" and about the desired end result of my entire life. This book (like so many others) reminded me that having a clear goal in life is utterly important. Of course, the daily hustle and bustle makes it very very easy to simply forget about the goal, or worse, never even take the time to think about one.
For guilt-tripping me into taking that all important me-time and getting more clarity about my life-vision, I recommend this book to everyone!
It's weird. But it's good!
The book doesn't really promise to be anything about Systems Thinking, but on my quest to read 5 books about Systems Thinking, this one somehow made it into my list.
I think it helped me greatly to have read three other books about the topic, first.
The book itself is a strange beast. On the one hand, the language is very clear and simple. The examples are tangible. There are some very very simplistic systems diagrams here and there to underline a point. Nothing fancy. But on the other hand the book sometimes also seems to be very dense. I found myself several times losing the train of thought and going back to the chapter beginning, refocusing and beginning again. I'd say this is a good thing: I cared enough to want to understand this.
The whole thesis of the books makes a lot of sense to me, especially because I have been a creator myself basically my whole life (music, graphics, text, code). The chapters all nicely build on top of each other and lead to the whole picture step by step. This is great! However: It's also VERY repetitive. I feel like the basic idea could be summed up on just one or two pages. Strangely enough, I still don't think that the book wasted my time. Like I said, this book is weird.
My guess is: If you would read this summed up on two pages, you would be like "eh yeah, pretty obvious, common sense" and move on with life and ignore this. But if you read the whole thing, it can really be quite the motivating experience.
Why only three stars? Firstly: Some parts of the book feel like the author just wants to pump his own self-help courses. It's not overwhelming, but it is there. I hate books like this. The incentives are simply not aligned well. I want my books to be teachers, not gateway drugs.
Secondly: This book is so fantastically vague, it's like one of those "if you found a hammer, everything looks like a nail" situations. The author manages to apply his world view to everything that is wrong with the world, but when describing possible solutions, it's all very very vague. I do believe that the mindset that this book tries to teach does indeed work, but man, you need to already be a highly functional human to apply this.
This is not a self-help book that turns lazy bums into high performers. This is a self-help book that turns high-performers into superstars, and only some of them.
My takeaway is: I do need to be much clearer about my "fundamental choices" and about the desired end result of my entire life. This book (like so many others) reminded me that having a clear goal in life is utterly important. Of course, the daily hustle and bustle makes it very very easy to simply forget about the goal, or worse, never even take the time to think about one.
For guilt-tripping me into taking that all important me-time and getting more clarity about my life-vision, I recommend this book to everyone!
It's weird. But it's good!
February 5, 2022
Disclaimer: I only made it one third through the book.
I don‘t understand why this book has so many good reviews. The author throws around some concepts that are his anecdotal stories and claims to have found the truth for creative work. We ordinary people are merely reactive-responsive people and we have no clue about the creative process, because the creative process must be learned. This is just a false dichotomy, he tries to manipulate the reader into stuffing people into two categories. The author doesn‘t provide actionable insights (at least in the in the first 30 percent of the book). It contains numerous references to his real world course which might be the goal of the book. Would not recommend at all. If you want actionable insights read atomic habits. Forming habits is not a difficult concept, but this books sounds like voodoo science for people who already think they are creative.
I don‘t understand why this book has so many good reviews. The author throws around some concepts that are his anecdotal stories and claims to have found the truth for creative work. We ordinary people are merely reactive-responsive people and we have no clue about the creative process, because the creative process must be learned. This is just a false dichotomy, he tries to manipulate the reader into stuffing people into two categories. The author doesn‘t provide actionable insights (at least in the in the first 30 percent of the book). It contains numerous references to his real world course which might be the goal of the book. Would not recommend at all. If you want actionable insights read atomic habits. Forming habits is not a difficult concept, but this books sounds like voodoo science for people who already think they are creative.
December 10, 2019
The book has really really good ideas and introduces an inspirational approach to living your life.
I thought, however, that the the fundamental idea is awfully diluted in lengthy reflections on unimportant and unrelated concepts. On several occasions I felt the author is losing direction and I had to skip forward. Some parts are contradictory, too simplified and confusing.
All in all, a good book, I enjoyed and would recommend it for the sake of jumping out of your default setup and look at things differently. It is worth reading even for the mere exercise of thinking on your vision and deep yearnings
I thought, however, that the the fundamental idea is awfully diluted in lengthy reflections on unimportant and unrelated concepts. On several occasions I felt the author is losing direction and I had to skip forward. Some parts are contradictory, too simplified and confusing.
All in all, a good book, I enjoyed and would recommend it for the sake of jumping out of your default setup and look at things differently. It is worth reading even for the mere exercise of thinking on your vision and deep yearnings
August 9, 2021
Excellent clarifying book
I was introduced to Robert and his work through Chris Duncan, Andre Chaperon and Shawn Twing, people who I've learnt a lot from and have considered as mentors.
Roberts book clarifies how to move into the creative orientation and live a life that is true to yourself.
Unlike the 'self-help' industry's way of telling us to 'fix' ourselves, this book reveals how the greatest 'creators' in history like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Leonardo DaVinci among others, were able to create inspite of their supposed 'shortcomings'.
A must read for anyone who's struggled with creating the results that you really desire in your life.
I was introduced to Robert and his work through Chris Duncan, Andre Chaperon and Shawn Twing, people who I've learnt a lot from and have considered as mentors.
Roberts book clarifies how to move into the creative orientation and live a life that is true to yourself.
Unlike the 'self-help' industry's way of telling us to 'fix' ourselves, this book reveals how the greatest 'creators' in history like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Leonardo DaVinci among others, were able to create inspite of their supposed 'shortcomings'.
A must read for anyone who's struggled with creating the results that you really desire in your life.
October 17, 2021
This is a hidden gem from the 80s that breaks down the creative process in a way I’ve never seen before. There’s some very clear overlap with design thinking but he weaves in psychological and spiritual aspects that make this unique. It wraps rather poorly with a strange definition of “transcendence” but up until that portion I think this is really strong.
It’s greatest strength is expanding the concept of creativity beyond what is often considered creative (art, music). And for this reason, I think anyone seeking guidance on bringing ideas to life in any profession or vocation will find this book profoundly useful.
It’s greatest strength is expanding the concept of creativity beyond what is often considered creative (art, music). And for this reason, I think anyone seeking guidance on bringing ideas to life in any profession or vocation will find this book profoundly useful.
August 8, 2015
Книга хорошая хотя хотелось бы немного больше от неё.
Автор слишком много страниц уделил самой проблеме, и не так уж много решениям. От самих последних и хотелось бы побольше и побольше.
Но всё таки тем кто решает свою жизнь сам и своими руками, то думаю им стоит эту книгу прочесть дабы не сожалеть о том что она вам не досталась намного ранее, не остановиться на пути достижения целей, не наткнутся на непроходимые места, тупики и прочие сложности. И самое главное конечно же выбрать путь наименьшего сопротивления!
Автор слишком много страниц уделил самой проблеме, и не так уж много решениям. От самих последних и хотелось бы побольше и побольше.
Но всё таки тем кто решает свою жизнь сам и своими руками, то думаю им стоит эту книгу прочесть дабы не сожалеть о том что она вам не досталась намного ранее, не остановиться на пути достижения целей, не наткнутся на непроходимые места, тупики и прочие сложности. И самое главное конечно же выбрать путь наименьшего сопротивления!
January 8, 2008
A guiding light illuminating some of the deeper questions for my unconventional mindset.
January 22, 2019
I have mixed feeling about this book after reading it. Some really deep and thoughtful ideas are combined with some esoteric bullshit. A worthy read if you can filter the crap.
August 10, 2021
I rarely give reviews or star ratings. I find that who I am know does not accurately depict the views of who I am on my way to become. Thus, my reviews more often than not seem to be unripened. Still, I will make an exception. I surmise that my opinion will not change on this book.
This is an overwhelmighly bloated book. This could have been stripped down to nothing more than a blog post. Furthermore, I postulate that this would have brought forth the salient points of the book better. Here the signal in the noise is likely to get lost in constantly divergent thoughts and needlesly bloated language.
I believe Richard Feynman said something [1] of which the gist is: "If you cannot explain something in simple terms, you don't understand it." This seems fitting as this book does the opposite. By bloating and overdressing what seems to be a pretty basic idea he makes it more inaccessible.
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1: Richard Feynman, the late Nobel Laureate in physics, was once asked by a Caltech faculty member to explain why spin one-half particles obey Fermi Dirac statistics. Rising to the challenge, he said, "I'll prepare a freshman lecture on it." But a few days later he told the faculty member, "You know, I couldn't do it. I couldn't reduce it to the freshman level. That means we really don't understand it." 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/yh99mo3e
This is an overwhelmighly bloated book. This could have been stripped down to nothing more than a blog post. Furthermore, I postulate that this would have brought forth the salient points of the book better. Here the signal in the noise is likely to get lost in constantly divergent thoughts and needlesly bloated language.
I believe Richard Feynman said something [1] of which the gist is: "If you cannot explain something in simple terms, you don't understand it." This seems fitting as this book does the opposite. By bloating and overdressing what seems to be a pretty basic idea he makes it more inaccessible.
.
.
.
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1: Richard Feynman, the late Nobel Laureate in physics, was once asked by a Caltech faculty member to explain why spin one-half particles obey Fermi Dirac statistics. Rising to the challenge, he said, "I'll prepare a freshman lecture on it." But a few days later he told the faculty member, "You know, I couldn't do it. I couldn't reduce it to the freshman level. That means we really don't understand it." 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/yh99mo3e
January 2, 2024
This book is a must read for anyone who has struggled to bring about lasting change in their lives. It explains in detail the deeper meaning of the path and how it impacts decision making. Human beings are creatures of habits. Marketers know this and use the principles herein to sell us things and continually badger us for attention. While I dislike the constant bombardment, I appreciate why they do what they do and can see how it worked on me. That is a discussion for another time.
The most important thing to glean from this book is how to identify your own patterns. I can see where I have run into difficulty making changes. The approach is not new given how long ago this book was written. But the idea of shifting how I view what changes I want to make (or even if the changes are really what I want deep down) makes perfect sense.
There are reviews you will read that talk about the marketing tone and self-promotion feel that ids present in the book. Hate the game, not the player! If you get bogged down on that and close the book, or dismiss its premise, you will short change yourself. read around the promo copy and try your best to grasp the underlying message being presented here. Some readers will look to join the program offered. Isn't that part of what an author is trying to do?
The most important thing to glean from this book is how to identify your own patterns. I can see where I have run into difficulty making changes. The approach is not new given how long ago this book was written. But the idea of shifting how I view what changes I want to make (or even if the changes are really what I want deep down) makes perfect sense.
There are reviews you will read that talk about the marketing tone and self-promotion feel that ids present in the book. Hate the game, not the player! If you get bogged down on that and close the book, or dismiss its premise, you will short change yourself. read around the promo copy and try your best to grasp the underlying message being presented here. Some readers will look to join the program offered. Isn't that part of what an author is trying to do?
August 26, 2023
Fritz argues that people tend to make reactive-responsive decisions rather than creative, present, choices which align most with current reality and what we objectively want. I related to the theory, it felt really applicable to my life at a really high level. Yet, the book left much to interpretation in terms of applying Fritz' formulas to day-to-day decision making. I did feel inspired to distil my wants into concrete, definitive desires, instead of aimlessly moving towards what feels good. I also felt motivated to pursue my wants with confidence, instead of deviating towards what is most comfortable for myself, or comfortable for other people. The book itself is a clunky read, Fritz over explains himself with lists of detailed examples that can sum up an entire paragraph. I found this for free on a porch walking through my city and I am not mad about it. I did have an opportunity to look at self-help from another perspective that is not natural to me.
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