“One must know oneself. Even if it does not help in finding truth, at least it helps in running one’s life, and nothing is more proper.”
― Blaise Pascal

Don’t be…

• Don’t be arrogant.
• Don’t be impulsive.
• Don’t be passive.
• Don’t be lazy.
• Don’t be soft.
• Don’t be impatient.
• Don’t be indecisive.
• Don’t be unfeeling.

Instead be…

• Be prepared.
• Be observant.
• Be logical.
• Be calm.
• Be confident.
• Be brave.
• Be humble.
• Be kind.
• Be strong.
• Be adventurous.

There are hundreds of “be this” and “don’t be that” goals. Create a personal list and try to live up to it. Don’t make it about who you are. Make it about who you strive to be.

“People who have expertise just love to share it. That’s human nature.”
― David Baldacci

Everyone is an expert at something, and that means you can learn something from anyone. It also means you need to be willing to ask for help from anyone.

It can be difficult and humbling to admit that someone else is better than you at something. At the same time, if everyone is an expert at something, that means you’re an expert at something too.

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
― Scott Hamilton

A positive attitude can mean the difference between success and failure. The right attitude can transform a miserable situation into a story-producing adventure.

Here are a couple of ideas that will help train your mind to always have a positive attitude.

1. Start every day with gratitude. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. In a world that makes it easy to focus on the negative, actively choose to focus on the positive.
2. Reframe problems as challenges. A problem is an obstacle that holds you back and leads to failure. A challenge is an opportunity to grow, a chance to improve, and a moment to be great.
3. Embrace change. Change means stress for most people. But without change, you can’t grow. Change is inevitable, so instead of fearing change, embrace it and learn to use it to your advantage.

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”
― Stephen Covey

Management without leadership is just like anything else without leadership. It’s inferior.

We need managers. Mangers help us do what we need to do a little bit better, a little bit faster, and a little bit cheaper. Good managers take care of their people and help the team operate efficiently and effectively. All managers should also be leaders. Without that leadership piece, the team won’t have a clear path to follow. They’ll struggle to find the “what” and “why” of the tasks they perform.

But leadership isn’t reserved for managers or people with “leader” in their title. Leadership isn’t limited to certain positions of authority.

Everyone needs to lead. You need to lead yourself, your team, your subordinates, and your boss. No matter where you are in the chain of command, you need to show others the way and put the success of the team first. Every position is a leadership position.

“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
― Peter Drucker

Efficient means getting things done. Efficient means shedding the extra weight that’s slowing you down. Efficient means staying focused. Efficient means no procrastination, batching tasks, and aggressively moving forward.

Effective means getting things done that matter. Effective means staying focused on the target. Effective means taking an indirect path when the direct path is blocked. Effective means task prioritization, contingency planning, and letting other people help.

Efficient is a tool. Effective is a superpower.

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
― J. P. Morgan

The first step is scary. It means going somewhere we haven’t been before. But that also makes it exciting. After all, we get to go somewhere we’ve never been before.

The unknown is scary; discoveries are exciting.

We’ve all heard that the hardest part is taking the first step. But it’s usually the hard things that are worth doing. That’s where we can make the biggest difference, have the greatest impact, and make the most progress.

So get excited with every first step. Let it fuel you to do more and push harder. Celebrate that win and anticipate the next challenge with enthusiasm about the new opportunities.

I am so busy doing nothing … that the idea of doing anything ― which as you know, always leads to something ― cuts into the nothing and then forces me to have to drop everything.
― Jerry Seinfeld

Being busy is easy. It’s safe and comfortable. But it’s the reason we don’t get the important things done. After all, we’re busy.

After a full day of running around like a crazy person, jumping from task to task, never able to catch our breath, we feel like we’ve accomplished a lot. But have we? Did we get anything done or did we just stay busy?

Being efficient and effective is hard. Prioritization challenges us. Solving difficult problems opens us up to criticism.

Stop making excuses and do the work that matters.

“People who work sitting down get paid more than people who work standing up.”
― Ogden Nash

How do you get paid what you deserve? You don’t. It doesn’t work that way. You get paid what other people think you’re worth.

On the other hand, if you want to be paid more, you need to work on your reputation. Become so obviously valuable that other people know you’re worth more.

If you’re an employee, bring more value to your boss and your team. Work on the hard problems, become a better teammate and be a leader.

If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or owner, bring more value to your customer. Build a great team, solve problems that matter and foster long-term trust.

And one more thing: never stop improving.

“Taking complete ownership of your outcomes by holding no one but yourself responsible for them is the most powerful thing you can do to drive your success.”
— Gary W. Keller

It’s not my fault that we lost. I played a great game.
It’s not my fault that I got a “C” on the test. The teacher is bad at creating tests.
It’s not my fault that I didn’t get that job I wanted. They’re looking for superman.
It’s not my fault that the customer was confused. They didn’t read the instructions.
It’s not my fault that I was late. Traffic was crazy today.
It’s not my fault that we didn’t finish the project on time. I got my part done.
It’s not my fault that I did it wrong. Nobody showed me how to do it correctly.
It’s not my fault that the demo didn’t work. Things always work until you start a demo.
It’s not my fault that I didn’t get promoted. My boss hates me.
It’s not my fault that the product didn’t sell. That’s the sales team’s job.
It’s not my fault that I’m behind. I have too much on my plate.
It’s not my fault that I don’t have any money. I work hard.
It’s not my fault that I’m overweight. I have a bad knee.
It’s not my fault that my kids don’t like me. They’re teenagers.

Will you be defined by your excuses, or will you be defined by how you overcome the challenges?

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”
— Napolean Hill

If you’re on the team, you need to help the team win.

It doesn’t matter if you score a touchdown. It doesn’t matter if you score three goals or hit a home run. It doesn’t matter if you make 100% of your three-point shots or win every faceoff.

Likewise, it doesn’t matter if you build a perfect database, give a great speech, write an amazing proposal, or work 14 hour days for a week.

Great individual performances don’t mean much if the team loses.

If you want to win, you need to make your team better. You need them and they need you.

You put your team in the best position to win when you hold yourself to the highest standard, but also check your ego and make sure to take care of your teammates, too. The team gets stronger when you take the time to mentor the guy who’s struggling, or when you overcome difficult personalities, or when you share knowledge. The team levels up when you quit worrying about getting praise and laying blame and start giving praise and taking the blame.

The best teams win. The best teammates make everyone around them winners.