C. Paul Schroeder's Blog

Synergism: The Magic of Leaning Into Conflict and Tension

Welcome to Practice Makes PURPOSE, where we explore the frontiers of human potential. I’m C. Paul Schroeder, and today, we’re exploring synergism, the magic of leaning into conflict and tension. The year is 1985, and a group of engineers are trying to solve a mysterious problem with a new type of solid-fuel booster rocket. Unlike other rockets built on well-known existing technology, this engine is of an entirely new design, without any previous track record, and the engineers are still...

Synergism: The Magic of Leaning Into Conflict and Tension

Welcome to Practice Makes PURPOSE, where we explore the frontiers of human potential. I’m C. Paul Schroeder, and today, we’re exploring synergism, the magic of leaning into conflict and tension. The year is 1985, and a group of engineers are trying to solve a mysterious problem with a new type of solid-fuel booster rocket. Unlike other rockets built on well-known existing technology, this engine is of an entirely new design, without any previous track record, and the engineers are still getti...

Compassion 1.0 and 2.0

[Listen to the podcast episode here] Welcome to the first episode of Practice Makes PURPOSE, where we explore the frontiers of human potential. I’m C. Paul Schroeder, and today, we’ll be exploring Compassion 1.0 and 2.0. Donte Greene is a professional basketball player who formerly played for the Sacramento Kings. He’s just under 7 feet tall, a powerful athlete known mostly for his exploits on the court. But on Memorial Day 2009, Greene became known for something else, when he jumped into the...

The Great Convergence

[Listen to the podcast episode here] Welcome to Practice Makes PURPOSE, where we explore the frontiers of human potential. I’m C. Paul Schroeder, and today, we’re exploring the Great Convergence of profit-driven and mission-driven organizations. [start “A Sea Shanty” by Chad Andersong] It is 1595, and four ships set sail from the Dutch port of Antwerp, bound for Banten, the main spice port of West Java. They are following a “secret” route they have learned through espionage from the Portugues...

Will You Try Out the Beta Six Practices Quiz?

When I give presentations and workshops, people sometimes ask if there's a way they can jump straight into the Six Spiritual Practices. Some folks read the descriptions of the practices in the front of my book, pick the one that jumps out at them, and start there. All good; there's no one right way to do this. But I began to wonder: is there a more effective way for people who are just getting started with the Six Practices to self-identify their strengths and key growth points, so they can f...

Practice Makes PURPOSE Wins Nautilus Book Award

I'm so happy and proud to announce that Practice Makes PURPOSE is a Nautilus Book Award 2017 Silver Winner in the category "personal growth." Over twenty years ago, the Nautilus Book Award was created to "celebrate and honor books that support conscious living and green values, high-level wellness, positive social change, and spiritual growth." Among this year's awardees are two authors who have influenced me greatly: Brené Brown (Gold Winner in the "personal growth" category) and Thich Nhat...

Having Fun as a Spiritual Practice

There is only one ruleOn this Wild Playground,For every sign Hafiz has ever seenReads the same.They all say,“Have fun, my dear; my dear, have fun,In the Beloved’s DivineGame.”--Hafiz, 14th century Sufi poet and mystic(rendering by Daniel Ladinsky)Not long ago, I was thumbing through the Practice Makes PURPOSE Workbook, the companion volume to my book, when this question suddenly leaped out at me:“Are there any areas in your life where you feel stuck right now? If you let go of success-or-fail...

New Cover Design Featured in Publishers Weekly

For the second time this year, Practice Makes PURPOSE was featured in Publishers Weekly! The March 23, 2018 edition contained a writeup on the cover redesign. Below is the page as it appeared in the print edition, with comments from the designer on the elements of the new cover. Thanks so much to Michelle Argyle at MWDesign!

And the new cover is...

A couple of weeks ago, I asked for your input on two new cover concepts for my book. So many of you responded with incredibly thoughtful feedback! By a significant margin, people preferred concept #2, the golden sunflare cover. Those who liked this cover described it as warm, bright, energetic, and dynamic. They thought it was the kind of cover that would make someone want to pick up the book in a bookstore or click on it online. One person described it as a cover that would catch their eye i...

I'd like your feedback on these new cover designs

Recently, Publishers Weekly offered me a free cover redesign for Practice Makes PURPOSE. The designer has offered two concepts for the new cover, and I'd love to get your input. If you could take just a few minutes to look at them and give me your thoughts, I'd be so grateful. To make this a simple as can be, I'm looking for the following feedback, in descending order of priority (if you just want to answer the first question, fine. If you answer #1 and #2, great. If you answer all three, you...