Crossing the Unknown Sea

Description

Crossing the Unknown Sea is about reuniting the imagination with our day to day lives. It shows how poetry and practicality, far from being mutually exclusive, reinforce each other to give every aspect of our lives meaning and direction. For anyone who wants to deepen their connection to their life’s work—or find out what their life’s work is—this book can help navigate the way.

Whyte encourages readers to take risks at work that will enhance their personal growth, and shows how burnout can actually be beneficial and used to renew professional interest. He asserts that too many people blindly trudge through a mediocre work life because so many “busy” tasks prevent significant reflection and analysis of job satisfaction. People often turn to spiritual practice or religion to nurture their souls, but overlook how work can actually be our greatest opportunity for discovery and growth. Crossing the Unknown Sea combines poetry, gifted storytelling and Whyte’s personal experience to reveal work’s potential to fulfill us and bring us closer to ultimate freedom and happiness.

Beginnings
I. Courage and Conversation: Setting Out with a Firm Persuasion
II. The Mountain Farm: A Stranger at the Door

Mid Ocean
III. At the Cliff Edge of Life: From Powerlessness to Participation
IV. A Star for Navigation: Ambition, Horizon, and Arrival
V. Out of Ireland: A Short Sea Crossing

Arrivals
VI. The Awkward Way the Swan Walks: From Exhaustion to Wholeheartedness
VII. The Fatal Shore: Arrival and Authenticity

Perspectives
VIII. Outlaw Imaginings: When the Real You Wants Out
IX. A Marriage with Silence: Escaping the Prison of Time and Work
X. Crossing the Unknown Sea: A Voyage Through the Hours of the Day

Pilgrimage
XI. Keats and Conversation: The New and Newly Youthful World of Work

Bibliography
Permissions
Index

“Readers who accept poet and Fortune 500 consultant Whyte’s invitation to enter into ‘an imaginative conversation about life and work’ are likely to be challenged as well as delighted by the beauty of his writing and the expansiveness of his views. Gracefully using the metaphor of a sea voyage to depict the journey through the world of work, Whyte views work not only as a means of support, but as a means for interacting with the world and developing self-expression and identity… An abundance of provocative ideas…thoughtful readers will wholeheartedly savor this book.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Crossing the Unknown Sea is like a grail that reconfers dignity to what has been demeaned by our preoccupation with monetary wealth.”—Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce

“Managers might do well to ditch wishy-washy motivational speakers and instead hire the fiery David Whyte to stir creativity and imagination in their employees.”—USA Today

“Keep this beautiful book with you and you will discover, as I have, a still point amid our slightly mad world.”—Peter Senge, author of the The Fifth Discipline and coauthor of Schools That Learn

Poet David Whyte grew up among the hills and valleys of Yorkshire, England. The author of four books of poetry, he is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, where he works with many American and international companies. He holds a degree in Marine Zoology, and has traveled extensively, including working as a naturalist guide and leading anthropological and natural history expeditions. He lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest.US

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