Status Updates From It's Not About You: A Brief...

From Chapter 5

(Re: Tom's story of seeing hospice nurse reading to unresponsive Don, Tom eased back unobserved to listen from hallway)

"I have never witnessed such a pure example of someone fully engaged in a meaningful contribution to another human being. It was a lasting reminder of how the most important things we do in a lifetime start small and are almost always directed at others. ...start today."

From Chapter 5

"In any role or place in life you can take time today to focus on a contribution that will continue to grow. This contribution can be to a person, a project, or a work of art. What matters is that you see how your effort can benefit other lives now & into the future. Plant a few seeds today that could grow for years to come."

From Chapter 5

"...he spotted a talent no one had noticed, gave me a specific challenge, & helped me to see why it mattered."

"There are things we all have the opportunity to do for others every single day."

From Chapter 5

"Don was able to have an outsized influence because he was always playing the long game of contribution. Every day he invested in the growth of other people & worked on projects that could have a wider reach & influence. It was not about him. Don's actions showed me how helping other people to thrive was a much better strategy."

From Chapter 5

Grandfather diagnosed terminal cancer - Tom & Don co-wrote 'How Full Is Your Bucket?" furiously for 2 months racing diagnosis clock, read full draft to grandfather days before he died.
Subject: Dipping from or filling others' buckets in each interaction. Making each moment count while you can.

"Tell someone how they have contributed to your life while they are still around to hear it."

From Chapter 5

"...odd that we essentially wait until people die to praise & celebrate all their contributions in life & 'fill their bucket'"
Wanted grandfather to know "how much he had contributed to my life in great detail while he was alive. I wrote Don a letter about all he had done for me & his profoundly positive influence on my life...It turned out to be one of the most meaningful things I've done in my life.

From Chapter 5

"When you see a rare opportunity, take it. Life is too brief for living with regrets."

'Strengths Finder' - assemble best questions to measure a complete range of human talent

Strengths Finder Assessment shared in books Don (grandfather) worked on, used especially schools/businesses

Daily analytics email of use (printed reviews/messages as tangible motivators)

Always - How to scale to help more

From Chapter 5

Grandfather's Company - Selection Research Inc (SRI) grew rapidly. In 1988 purchased Gallup (of Gallup Polls) and assumed Gallup name.

Early days of internet - wanted to develop a more comprehensive, web-based assessment of human talent to help work on strengths reach beyond 1-on-1 interviews for specific jobs (Riana NOTE - think ZipRecruiter).
Author: psychology & tech background post-college

From Chapter 5

"I yearned for new experiences, perspectives, and independence." Left Lincoln, Nebraska to attend University of Michigan - graduated 1998

"You do not need to be defined by a family background or chronic condition."

Grandfather's job: match the right personal talents with the right careers via in depth interviews (Riana NOTE - this ties in to Grit's passion & perseverance timeline)

From Chapter 5

"Our greatest contribution" - students learning

We don't often appreciate which type of contributions we are best suited to make or the ones we'll find most rewarding.
Too many take road "what does the company want" when applying talents & tailor ourselves to suit work rather than tailor our work to suit how we are.

"The greatest strength is helping another person to uncover a hidden talent."

From Chapter 4

"When you plan & choose time to spend with a friend, make it count."

"Invest your time & attention wisely. They are your most precious resources."

From Chapter 4

'The iPhone Effect' examined cell phone inert visible presence on conversation
● degrades everyone's quality of conversation
● lower levels empathetic concern
● conversations less fulfilling (implied "This device comes before you & this conversation.")

"Intently listening, even to people you have just met, is a remarkable way to create new relationships & deepen existing ones."

"...even fifteen minutes of time spent listening to another person is one of the most valuable things you can do today. In this era of hype-distraction, asking great questions and listening are two of the qualities we look for most in friends, partners, and colleagues."

From Chapter 4
"...people who have great interactions throughout the day are five times as likely to have a very high sense of wellbeing."

"You may not get to control how another person initiates your next interaction but you always get to choose your response...with that choice you will likely set off a cascading process that will make your day progressively better or progressively worse."

From Chapter 4

"What you put back into the world is built one interaction at a time."

"When researchers study the importance of brief interactions, they generally find that a single bad exchange can counteract several positive ones. If you are able to have at least five positive conversations for every negative one in a given day it should carry forward and energize the networks around you."

From Chapter 3
"It is not in anyone's best interest to live like they have forever. When you view your time as finite, you build more life into each day."

"Look through the lens of what will outlive you and you'll quickly see past self."

someone stop me from buying the kindle daily deals, this is getting out of hand