As Seth Godin writes: “Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up.”
In preparation for the new year(s), and his new book launch no doubt, Seth brought together more than seventy great thinkers to create an e-book called “What Matters Now.” In classic Godin fashion, he uses short ‘chapters’ to jam-pack quality into every page. In this case, every page is authored by a different person and provides their answer the questions:“What word matters most to you of all? Can you explain what and why?” You can download a copy for yourself here, or flip through the pages on the embedded version below.
I thought I’d save you some time and pick out a sampling of some of the tidbits I jotted down from my favourite ‘chapters.’ I also realized that my favourite chapters all dealt with topics revolving around gratitude, leadership, education, and health. (No surprise there, eh?) Below are some inspiring quotes from the e-book. Feel free to share your favourite excerpts as well in the comments section.
Gratitude:
Seth Godin – Generosity
“If you make a difference, people will gravitate to you. They want to engage, to interact and to get you more involved. If you make a difference, you also make a connection. You interact with people who want to be interacted with and you make changes that people respect and yearn for.”
Rajesh Setty – Enrichment
“If you are truly enriching someone’s life, theywill typically miss you in their past. They think their lives would have been even better if they had met you earlier.” “You are only as rich as the enrichment you bring to the world around you.”
Joichi Ito – Neoteny (retention of childlike attributes in adulthood)
“The future of the planet is becoming less about being efficient, producing more stuff and protecting our turf and more about working together, embracing change, and being creative.”
Penelope Trunk – Social Skills
“Getting or giving anything is about social skills. The world is about being comfortable where you are and making people feel comfortable…”
Leadership:
Michael Hyatt – Vision
“Leadership is more than influence. It is about reminding people of what it is we are trying to build – and why it matters. It is about painting a picture of a better future. It comes down to painting the way and saying ‘C’mon. We can do this!’”
Dave Ramsey – Momentum
“Slow and steady wins the race. … Whether it is branding or wealth building, I call it The Momentum Theorum: (Fi/T)(G)=M
FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME multiplied by GOD equals UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM”
Chip and Dan Heath – Change
“You’re probably trying to change things at home or at work. Stop agonizing about what’s not working. Instead, ask yourself, ‘What’s working well, right now, and how can I do more of it?’”
Gina Trapani – Productivity
“Don’t worry too much about getting things done. Make things happen.”
J.C. Hutchins – Gumption
“Disbelief is now the enemy, as is the notion of settling. … Get fired up. Find your backbone, and your wings. Flap ‘em. It’s the only way you’ll be able to fly.”
Education:
John Wood – Ripple (loved attending his event)
“Education has a ripple effect. … Yet for hundreds of millions of kids in the developing world, the ripple never begins. … ‘We are too poor to afford education. But until we have education, we will always be poor.’”
Dale Dougherty – .eDO
“The 21st Century challenge for education is to integrate learning into the growing richness of digital life where students are active and engaged every day. … As students realize that the tools for living are the same for learning, they will naturally expand the range of things they can do.”
Dan Roam – Knowing
“There is no such thing as boring knowledge.
There is only boring presentation.”
Health:
Jay Parkinson, MD – DIY (Do-It-Yourself)
“Your health is up to you. Start small. Eat well. Eat less. Move your body. Love your lover. Be a good friend. Let others care about you. Say you’re sorry. Laugh a ton. Drink one (sometimes two) for me. Simplify. Buy more experiences than things. Create your own health. Do-it-yourself.”
Arianna Huffington – Sleep
“There is nothing that negatively affects our mood, our productivity, or our effectiveness more than lack of sleep.”
Pick of the post: Dave Matthews Band – You & Me
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Matt Corker » Playing on your strengths says:
April 22, 2010 at 8:12 am (UTC 1)
[...] Playing on your strengths Posted by Matt Corker on April 22, 2010; This entry is filed under Great Ideas, Great People, Leadership, Literature. “I’ve worked on my weaknesses for 40 years to little avail. Still “needs improvement” as they say. Why? Easy. We hate doing things we’re not good at, so we avoid them. … But my strengths – ah, I love my strengths. I’ll work on them til the purple cows come home. When we love what we do, we do more and more, and pretty soon we’re pretty good at it.” – Marti Barletta, in What Matters Now [...]