- 00:00 Introduction
- 6:15 Meditation: image you’re a teenager
- 17:45 The problem with complete answers
- 28:53 What is the human operating system?
- 43:00 Know yourself - the first journey
- 51:55 The law of the tree
- 59:46 Why stay tethered to yourself?
- 1:18:48 How do I make money?
- 1:38:53 Building a bridge to tomorrow
Now imagine you are given the chance today to speak to a group of bright, forward-looking teenagers, searching for insights on how to successfully engage with a sometimes bewildering, complex and changing world.
What do you tell them?
This Portals conversation recounts just such a special circumstance, when Aviv Shahar was invited to give a mini-workshop on starting a business to a global group of young thinkers and doers 14 to 17 years old. Aviv expanded what could have been a simple business lesson into a kaleidoscopic big picture of how to thrive in today’s world and the world of tomorrow.
At the heart of the “business” lesson is the understanding that every human brings to their life’s journey the operating system and innate intelligence to unlock the core and succeed at any endeavor they may embrace. To thrive in business and in life is to see the essence of the journey as continual discovery and learning – always being a work in progress.
The workshop with the young searchers revealed a variety of new attitudes and insights:
- Starting a business is actually the final of six journeys that begin with the first, knowing yourself.
- We are more effective with people when we offer a direction, a trailhead, or a pathway that allows discovery…rather than complete answers.
- The job of elders is to offer young people service, support, and encouragement so they know they are not alone in the world.
- Realize the world is governed by polarities and learn to manage and play them, instead of them playing or influencing you.
- Instead of envying someone else’s success, remember the tree analogy: a tree grows by its own roots, not by staring with envy at another tree.
- A challenge is an opportunity to discover your own unique talents and gifts for addressing that need.
- There are unfortunate and distorted elements in economic systems. The challenge is to stay tethered to yourself in finding the alignment between what you bring to the table and the world’s needs.
- Succeeding in the world is a journey of loving the never-ending learning, discovery, and development.
This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
The journey of succeeding in the world is a journey of a never-ending learning loop, a love of a never-ending learning cycle of discovery and development, and rediscovery and redevelopment, of what you already thought you had developed. That is the way to succeed in the world: to decide that you are forever on a development journey. Being 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 never means you have arrived.
Alison Doyle
I'm beginning to love all that I have yet to know about, to discover... from the moment we're born we've been pushing back space for ourselves: our thoughts, feelings, God, Creation, the Universe. We're in a crowded world, living crowded lives, and we're making space for moments.
Peter Barry
I don't think I can remember a time when I wasn't asking, Why am I here? Or wondering, What is the purpose of life? Seeking not so much to simply solve the mystery, but rather to find the settlement that comes from knowing one's place, and finding one's home, in this great unfolding.
Perhaps, then, one can become part of the living process, which sets one free to go out into the world and discover what is new, what is needed, and ask the question: How can I help?
Sofia Papanastasatou
As a mother, archaeologist, and educator I have always had a curiosity for learning and discovery, and a special love for language and philosophy. These are some of the passions that I try to pass on to younger generations, along with the encouragement to be themselves and live their lives with enthusiasm and trust in the human intelligence and instinct. I believe that if a person’s destiny joins a collective destiny of a higher purpose, then miracles start to happen.
Aviv Shahar
Aviv is the Founder of Aviv Consulting, helping leaders unleash strategic innovation, and is the author of Create New Futures: How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World Through Conversation.
