Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work, CourseSmart eTextbook

Imagine one of the world's most brutal business environments: the high-stakes, fast-paced world of New York City real estate. Now, imagine the leadership of one of the city's top real estate firms coming together every Monday morning to hear... the moral and spiritual thoughts of a Rabbi. Imagine them returning, week after week, more than 100 strong, coming to anticipate those five minutes on Monday as a moment of uncommon peace amidst Manhattan's skyscrapers. Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall? To hear the paths Alan Lurie traced for his listeners, how he helped them bring together their spiritual and business lives, the sacred and the profane? Five Minutes on Mondays compiles these talks for the first time, sharing Lurie's deep and profound inspiration on the challenges we all face: How can I understand others, and be understood by them? How can I prosper while keeping my integrity? When should I say what's on my mind, and when should I let it go? How can I keep going in the face of setbacks? Can I possibly balance all the demands on me? Can I find meaning and purpose at work? Lurie draws on millennia of philosophy, theology, and science to answer these questions, eloquently revealing how our best traditions all point in the same direction: to become better people, more connected to each other, and to the Divine. Above all, Lurie's words help us bring unity to the many lives we lead and function to our fullest, healthiest, highest potential.

Introduction     xv

Donkey for Sale: Ethical Wealth     1

Justice on the Train: Offering Criticism     9

Try Them, Try Them: Developing Persistence     17

Door Openers: Spiritual Leadership     25

Who Needs You?: Working Together     33

Listen Up: Effective Listening     41

I Don’t Know: Respectful Conversation     49

In the Beginning: Keeping Resolutions     59

Prelude to Disaster: Building Confidence     65

Eureka!: Using Intuition     73

Something Creative: Accessing Creativity     81

Do You Mean It?: Discovering Meaning     91

You’re Finished!: Embracing Change     99

Alone on the Sofa: Finding Truth     107

The Superior Object: Resolving Conflicts of Interest     115

Hey, You Screwed Up Again!: Transforming Mistakes     121

Making Stuff Up: Reacting Objectively     129

Waiting for Nobel: Overcoming Feelings of Inadequacy     137

Self, Actually: Being Authentic     145

Return That Call: Enlightened Self-Interest     153

So, a Horse Walks into a Bar... Taking Time for Laughter     161

What If?: Facing Fear     169

The Aim of Existence: Cultivating Happiness     177

The No Negativity Event: Living with Optimism     185

A Thankfully Short Message: Living with Gratitude     195

The Power of Three: Living with Balance     201

Take a Breath: Directed Meditation     209

Go Forth: Starting on the Spiritual Journey     217

The Lonely Man: Balancing Faith and Ambition     223

What’s in Your Pocket: Integrating Opposites     233

Index     243