Comments

Right on!

Posted by Halley at February 28, 2005 11:02 AM

Over here (UK) we have been told for years that retirement is the promised land. Government under (i.e. no!) funding, poor investment performance, excessive charges, etc., etc., etc has stopped this happening.

What better way to cope than with Tom's cry to arms? As Halley says "Right on".

Posted by Stuart Jones at February 28, 2005 1:01 PM

Gosh Tom! There seems to be so much anger in you these days... What good is there being so angry? You are already doing what you can to change the world because you live by what you preach. You do as the Mahatma Gandhi said: "you must be the change you wish to see in the world".

Having read a lot of what you wrote, I have hard time understanding why you need to be angry to achieve that.

Do you need to be angry to refuse to retire? Can't you quietly refuse to retire and be at peace staying active and making a damn' difference?

Posted by alex at February 28, 2005 2:46 PM

Tom:

I won't give in but I don't need to stay angry to motivate me not to give up. My goal is arrive at the end of the race bruised, battered, worn-out and on my last leg, without an ounce of reserve and with a big grin on my face, laughing my ass off and saying, "WOW - what a ride!"

Posted by walter white at February 28, 2005 3:17 PM

For me, a better word is "determination." I have felt the anger which has fueled decisive action but I like turning it into a win for somebody. I always want to keep this fire of determination burning within because the moment it dies out is the moment my leg has stepped into the coffin.

I cannot, CANNOT look at life with a "whatever" attitude! Act! Do! Be! Become! I am a passionate woman of action! If something doesn't strike me as fair or right, I ask myself: "What can I do about this? How will it make a difference in my life? Can I help someone else by changing it?"

Then I go running off the cliff, yelling "Geronimo!"

Posted by M.R. Maguire at February 28, 2005 4:18 PM

This is one of Dr. Peters' best posts. It's brief, yes, yet essentially it's brief like good Asian poetry. And he's right.

Posted by Jay Gillette/Center for Information and Communication Sciences at March 2, 2005 3:49 AM

My point is not Deep Psychology. It's me. I honor a thousand ways to be motivated. But for me it's annoyance (anger?). I am angry about the small share of Women CEOs, angry about the small fraction of people who bring flowers to work, etc. In an interview my pal & In Search of Excellence co-author, Bob Waterman said, "Tom's not really happy unless he's pissed off about something." Bob often seems to know me better than I do--and for better or worse, I think he got this one right.

Posted by tom peters at March 3, 2005 2:55 AM

Tom,

I respectfully disagree.

My quote would be "Stay happy & Change the world" and to quote Sir Winston "Never, never, never, never give up."

You are an influencer not because you are an angry loose cannon but because you are consumed by love for your fellow man and happiness with your ability to influence other thinkers. What could be more PRODUCTIVE?

Anger has its' place but can be corrosive if left unchecked.

Posted by Melissa Clouthier at March 3, 2005 5:47 PM

I agree with my namesake above.

Stay happy and with a smile - that is a more poweful than the full force of anger that seems to alienate rather than motivate.

Stay chilled and cool!

Melissa @ Boris Johnson's Office

Posted by Melissa at March 5, 2005 2:04 PM

Why stay angry,it will only make you bitter! Why bare grudges when you should move on and make the most of today. Granted one should never give up but why prolong the inevitable. If you have paid your dues don't look at it as giving up but as moving on to another chapter in your life.I firmly believe if you have reached your goal enjoy it don't destroy it, by being overlly ambitious. You will only find yourself stepping on others, who have not yet made it that far. Change the world by being someone worth getting to know! Smile, I have been told it is contagious.

Posted by shelley at March 15, 2005 9:39 AM