2
" As most of us know, the proper attitude toward ourselves is called “good self-esteem.” But self-esteem is
an art. An art of balance. A balance between thinking too little of ourselves, and thinking too much of
ourselves.
The name for thinking too much of ourselves is “egotism.”
So, how do we adopt the proper attitude toward our gifts—speaking of them honestly, humbly,
gratefully—without sounding egotistical? Just this: the more you see your own gifts clearly, the more you
must pay attention to the gifts that others have. The more sensitive you become to how unusual you are, the
more you must become sensitive to how unusual those around you are. The more you pay attention to
yourself, the more you must pay attention to others. The more you ponder the mystery of You, the more you
must ponder the mystery of all those you encounter, every loved one, every friend, every acquaintance,
every stranger.
Self-esteem is an art. It is the art of balance. A balance between thinking too little of ourselves, and
thinking too much of ourselves. But we can only think too much of ourselves if we lose sight of others.
Look at yourself, but equally look at them—with wonder.
That is the proper attitude we all should set as our goal. "
― , What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
5
" ..it is helpful to think of your
life not in terms of work but in terms of music—particularly a symphony. A symphony, traditionally, has
four parts to it—four movements, as they’re called. So does Life. There is the first movement, infancy;
then the second movement, the time of learning; the long third movement follows, the time of working; and
finally, this fourth movement, traditionally called “retirement,” though now that is an increasingly
complex concept. It is much better to think of it as the Fourth Movement, a triumphant, powerful ending to
the symphony of our life here on earth. "
― , What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
7
" For many of us, the job-hunt offers a chance to make some fundamental changes in our whole life. It marks
a turning point in how we live our life.
It gives us a chance to ponder and reflect, to extend our mental horizons, to go deeper into the subsoil
of our soul.
It gives us a chance to wrestle with the question, “Why am I here on Earth?” We don’t want to feel that
we are just another grain of sand lying on the beach called humanity, unnumbered and lost in the billions
of other human beings.
We want to do more than plod through life, going to work, coming home from work. We want to find
that special joy, “that no one can take from us,” which comes from having a sense of Mission in our life.
We want to feel we were put here on Earth for some special purpose, to do some unique work that only
we can accomplish.
We want to know what our Mission is. "
― Richard N. Bolles, , What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers
