2011: Reaffirmation of "Grand Aim"

Posted on January 1, 2011 by pdncoach

I am that man. My primary aim is not for fame but to be very remarkable, measured by the value of my influence in the lives of others. 

For the past two years I have posted the same article here as an appropriate reminder to start to the new year.  I cannot conceive any better way to begin 2011, so here it is again. I hope these words come to mean as much to you as they do to me.

“The man I am writing about is not famous. It may be that he never will be. It may be that when his life at last comes to an end he will leave no more trace of his sojourn on earth than a stone thrown into a river leaves on the surface of the water. But it may be that the way of life that he has chosen for himself and the peculiar strength and sweetness of his character may have an ever-growing influence over his fellow men so that, long after his death perhaps, it may be realized that there lived in this age a very remarkable creature.”

– W. Somerset Maugham, introduction to The Razor’s Edge (1944)

The Razor’s Edge is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Its epigraph reads, “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. —Katha-Upanishad”

Perhaps you are more familiar with the movie, The Razor’s Edge, than the book. The Razor’s Edge tells the story of an American, Larry Darrell, who returns to Chicago after his experience in World War I disinclined to assume a conventional role in American society. He then travels the world from Tibet to Paris in an attempt to find some meaning in his life. In the 1984 movie version starring Bill Murray as Larry Darrell, the book’s epigraph is dramatized, in much more practical English, as advice given to Darrell by a Tibetan monk:

“The path to salvation is narrow and is difficult to walk as a razor’s edge.”

I am that man. My primary aim is not for fame but to be very remarkable, measured by the value of my influence in the lives of others. I borrow my Grand Affirmation (you might call it my Vision for Being, an existential aspiration or even a potential epitaph as well as primary aim), from the author Maugham because he has written what I would aspire to say about my life, about my living. Meditate upon and understand Maugham’s quote and you will understand me and, I pray, you will understand more of yourself, too.

My primary aim is not for fame but to be very remarkable, measured by the value of my influence in the lives of others.

The trace of my sojourn need not be fame or really even fortune, in common terms. I seek to be a remarkable creature whose “strength and sweetness” of character might have a valuable influence in the lives of others. I do so, not by telling people how to live, but by living and asking others how to live, how they want to live and, most importantly, what they want to live and why.

I believe there is a minute demarcation between significance and insignificance – narrow as a razor’s edge. I have chosen to walk on the edge. I seek daily salvation in authentic self-expression that adds value through relationships, which somehow glorifies God and edifies my fellow men and women. It provides the foundation for my Purpose:


to help people with dreams become leaders with vision. I do this by asking questions that open up new possibilities and new ways of being in a manner that develops people who will improve the quality of life for the world around them.

What if I put my Purpose into numbers? What if I had Purpose-full and profound relationships with 100 people this year, and each of those people had a direct effect on the quality of life for at least 10 people around them? I would have a positive influence over the lives of at least 1,000 people. What if I had that direct effect on 150 people…? 250…? More…?

What if I sent invitations to my Manifest Birthday Party? This would be a celebration indeed, not so much for another year in my life but for the Birth Date of what is to come, the influence that is yet to be. What if 100 people, carefully chosen, joined me to celebrate my re-birth and pledged to hold me accountable and join in my sojourn, to see that I walked this razor’s edge? They would accept my invitation because they support the way of life I have chosen and want to assure I have the strength and sweetness of character to have an every-growing influence over the people I meet on my sojourn. They would choose to attend or correspond because they want me to be a very remarkable creature. They want to hold me accountable to my Grand Affirmation. They want to join me on the razor’s edge.

The Razor’s Edge – The Intersection of Purpose and Now. You are welcome here. Would you join me?

Join me at the Intersection of Purpose & Now.
Posted in possibility, Purpose, razor's edge, W. Somerset Maugham | Leave a comment

Leadership on the Front Line

Posted on December 6, 2010 by pdncoach
Managers are the linchpins connecting the daily actions of a workforce with corporate vision.  Yet the gap remains.  Why?
Most companies complain about the gap that exists between corporate strategy and the daily work performed on the front lines. In response, company vision, values and goals are hung on the walls; HR beefs up training and everyone hopes for the best. Yet the gap remains. Why?


The Successful Organization seeks growth by developing a culture of leadership that:
  • creates and pursues a compelling vision
  • attracts and maintains loyal customers and employees
  • ensures continued growth and profitability (financial viability in non-profits)
  • optimizes performance among individuals, work teams, divisions and the organization as a whole.
  • improves processes that interfere with performance and  loyalty
  • measures leadership by results produced when the maximum number of employees are energized and exert discretionary behavior to pursue the mission, vision and values of the organization in the most effective way
Read more by requesting the free White Paper “Leadership on the Front Line”. Send your request to askthecoach@pdncoach.com. 
Join me at the Intersection of Purpose & Now.
Posted in culture, front line, leadership, vision, white paper | Leave a comment

Feeling Dis-Integrated?

Posted on November 24, 2010 by pdncoach

I continue to meet people who are tired of their compartmentalized lives.  Constantly interrupted, with inconsistent direction, and wearing many different hats: spouse, employee, parent, volunteer, friend, leader… People so caught up in busyness that they forget who they are, where they are going, what they mean – people who are becoming totally dis-integrated.

Integrated = To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify.

 How does this happen? What can one do about it?

Unless you have something BIG, something greater than you that you focus on consistently, purposeful work which transcends the tedium, routine, ambiguity and chaos of your day-to-day life, you will likely remain overwhelmed.

Some authors insist that you must know your Purpose before anything else makes sense.  I disagree and find plenty of evidence to the contrary in my coaching.  Once you begin to continually identify and achieve your own goals, stabilize them with balance and purify them with belief, you will begin to recognize patterns – divine patterns, in fact – that create direction and give way to a keen sense of Purpose.

If you are lost, overwhelmed, out of balance, fed up, and de-energized with your dis-integrated and compartmentalized life, maybe you are ready for some help.  Let’s talk about it.  Contact me direct at no charge and with no obligation on your part – or any expectation on my part.  Coaching can help you get back to The Intersection of Purpose and Now.

Join me at the Intersection of Purpose & Now.
Posted in coaching, free coaching, integrity, Purpose | Leave a comment