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.
Crossing the Unknown Sea : Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
Description
Table of Contents
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
Author Description
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.