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

Five Minutes on Mondays is a gold mine of enrichment…It is an easy read with a deep and profound impact.”

Martin Rutte, Chair of the Board, The Centre for Spirituality and the Workplace, Saint Mary’s University, co-author of New York Times business best-seller, Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work

 

“Lurie’s wise and wonderful book should grace every karmic capitalist’s bookshelf. He reminds us that finding a sense of meaning and purpose in what we do may align us with unimagined success and a profound awakening to who we are.”

Chip Conley, CEO, Joie de Vivre Hotels

 

“Read Lurie’s suggestions to elevate your spirit–then bring that spirit to your work. The promise is; both you and your client will be more fulfilled, more satisfied, and more engaged in your business relationship.”

John King, Senior Partner, CultureSync, and coauthor of Tribal Leadership

 

“Five Minutes on Mondays is a book of savvy and surprises. Lurie offers a tasting menu of wisdom, counsel, insight, psychology, and wonderful stories. But be warned, these little servings will last on your palate far longer than the five minutes it takes to consume them.”

Peter Pitzele, Ph.D., author of Our Fathers’ Wells: A Personal Encounter with the Myths of Genesis and Scripture Windows: Toward a Practice of Bibliodrama

 

“Lurie’s book is a gem–a must-read for anyone who works at their faith and believes in their work. Business professionals of all kinds and from all religious traditions will find Lurie’s light touch and real-world applications helpful as they strive to succeed without selling their soul.” 

David W. Miller, Ph.D., Director, Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative, and President, The Avodah Institute 

 

     Imagine the leaders of one of New York 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…coming to eagerly anticipate those five minutes as a moment of uncommon peace in the world’s most brutally competitive environment.  

     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–at work, and in life.

     Lurie draws on millennia of philosophy, theology, and science to help us answer our deepest questions, comfort our deepest yearnings, and become better people–more connected to each other, and to the Greater Purpose.

 

• Prosper while keeping your integrity

• Balance faith, honor, and ambition

• Use your workplace as your moral and spiritual “gymnasium”

• Find deeper meaning and purpose in your work

• Face your fears and failures, and keep going

• Gain real respect–and give it

• Live one authentic life–at work, and everywhere else

 

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