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We are all works in progress. Each day presents an opportunity to learn more, do more, be more, and grow more.
Ask yourself, “In which ways am I better and different from other people who do similar work?”
you should be identifying how your combination of assets (skills, strengths, contacts) and aspirations (dreams, values, interests) can create a unique offering in the career marketplace.
You need to find your trifecta: the intersection of your interests, skills, and opportunities (ISO).
A Get Better mind-set, on the other hand, leads instead to self-comparison and a concern with making progress: How well am I doing today, compared with how I did yesterday, last month, or last year? Are my talents and abilities developing over time? Am I moving closer to becoming the creative professional I want to be?
rest is a critical component of achieving sustainable excellence over time.
Next, set aside one uninterrupted period of, say, sixty minutes each working day to build
the skill you’ve chosen, preferably first thing in the morning. As your capacity for focus grows stronger over time, add fifteen minutes, and then another fifteen minutes, until you reach ninety.
it makes the most sense to invest heavily in the early phase of building a new habit so that, later, it will run automatically without calling on your resources of self-discipline.
By keeping a daily diary, you will reduce the chance that some later event will transform your memory of the day’s experiences.
This is one of the most important reasons to keep a diary: it can make you more aware of your own progress,
On the days when these professionals saw themselves moving forward on something they cared about—even if the progress was a seemingly incremental “small win”—they were more likely to be happy and deeply engaged in their work.
particularly useful to reflect and write on any of the following: Progress, even a small step forward, in work you care about Anyone or anything that helped or hindered your progress Goals and plans, especially a plan for making progress tomorrow Issues or “to-dos” that may be causing you stress as they swirl through your mind Anything that brought you joy or pleasure, even if it lasted only a moment
When things go wrong—as they inevitably will—how shall we manage that?
regrets of inaction outnumber those of action by nearly two to one.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
The more times you try, the more likely that you will create successful designs, start-ups, or pieces of art.
