“Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.”
― Rumi

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! May God bless you now and always!

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

If you want to stay positive, practice daily gratitude. Try looking at this list and see if any of these apply to your life. I don’t expect everything will apply, but maybe it can be a starting place for your own version.

Things to be grateful for:

• Your mother
• Pizza
• Sleep
• Books
• Weather
• Exercise
• The Internet
• Indoor plumbing
• The opportunity to face today’s challenges

“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, “The Prince”

Successful people have successful habits. There’s no one size fits all list, but some seem almost universal. Here are five.

Meditate and pray
Get your mind in the right place. If you struggle to start, try spending five minutes in gratitude for the blessings and opportunities in your life.

Exercise
If your body is off, your work will be off. Get your heart pumping and your blood flowing. If you’re stressed or unfocused, exercise can push you back on track. If you had a bad day, channel your frustration into a good day in the workout room.

Batch tasks
Multitasking leads to multi-headaches. Constant task switching destroys focus and momentum. Batching your tasks is an instant level-up in life.

Ask questions
Good questions lead to good answers, and good answers lead to knowledge and understanding.

Take ownership
When you understand there are no excuses, you get up and get going. You plan for contingencies, mitigate risks, and execute. You keep moving forward.

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.”
― Red Adair

There’s no talent shortage for companies that pay well. (NVIDIA, Twitter)

There’s no talent shortage for companies that solve interesting problems. (SpaceX, Undress)

There’s no talent shortage for companies that have good brand reputations. (Coca-Cola, Berkshire Hathaway)

If you see a talent shortage, maybe you need to fix your company.

“I want you to be afraid of failure.”
― Jocko Willink

Fear boredom more than hard work.

Fear stagnation more than making mistakes.

Fear loneliness more than heartbreak.

Fear infamy more than obscurity.

Fear panic more than preparation.

Fear ignorance more than the truth.

Fear doing nothing more than doing battle.

Fear regret more than taking risks.

“Everybody’s a work in progress. I’m a work in progress. I mean, I’ve never arrived. I’m still learning all the time.”
― Renée Fleming

Don’t follow me for health advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for business advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for fitness advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for nutrition advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for spiritual advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for family advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for money advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for sales advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for relationship advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for marketing advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for self-improvement advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for political advice. I’m a work in progress.
Don’t follow me for job advice. I’m a work in progress.

Follow me if you want to watch the work in progress.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
― Albert Einstein

When I face an out-of-control to-do list, I find it helpful to break it down into what I call a “Do-Delegate-Don’t” list.

Do

These are your “mission-critical” tasks. If it isn’t critical to your goals and vision, it doesn’t go here.

Delegate

If you can hand it off to someone else, put it here. Find someone willing to help and get back to more important responsibilities. Don’t micromanage the process.

Don’t

This list might be more important than the “Do” list. Why even have this list if you’re not going to do any of these tasks? Because it keeps you focused by reminding you what’s important. This list is for all the “shiny objects” that pull you off course and away from your goals.

“It’s better to shoot and miss than to let time run out and wonder what if.”
― Michael Jordan

What if I smile more?

What if I lose 10 pounds?

What if I turn off the news?

What if I stop multitasking?

What if I focus intensely for one week?

What if I work on my passion project every day?

What if I move to a new city?

What if I lose all my money?

What if I win one million dollars?

What if I quit my job?

What if I quit worrying?

What if I leave town for one month?

What if I say no?

What if I say yes?

“Complaining isn’t a strategy.”
― Jeff Bezos

How to fail at anything in 3 easy steps:

1. Complain about your situation.

2. Blame others for your mistakes.

3. Don’t take any action to improve.

“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.”
― Aristotle

1. Can you stay confident amid the chaos?

2. Do you listen when someone disagrees with you?

3. Are you willing to abandon a project if it’s no longer the best path forward?

4. Will you risk your position to help the team?

5. Do you give other people all the credit for success? Really?

6. Are you developing new leaders?