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Sunday, January 4, 2015

WhatToDoWhenIt'sYourTurn

Over the holidays I read What To Do When It’s Your Turn (and it’s always your turn) by Seth Godin (2014).  The book was a gift to me and was a delightful read. 


SG is one of my favorite bloggers (find him here) and this book was typical of his unconventional thinking.  Not only does he think "out of the box," he can't even see the box from his vantage point.

Some of my biggest learning pearls from the book:
  • Four steps to a fulfilling life – 
    • Notice stuff (pay attention), 
    • Dream big, 
    • Connect the dots, 
    • DO it (something, even if it’s wrong).
  • From Kierkegaard:  “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not do dare is to lose oneself.”
  • There are four kinds of obligation: Social, Legal, Moral, Artistic.
  • Lucky people make their own good fortune through these basic principles (from research by Richard Wiseman): 
    • They create and/or notice chance opportunities, 
    • They listen to their intuition (not others) in making decisions, 
    • They create self-fulfilling prophesies by perpetuating positive expectations, and 
    • They adopt attitudes of resilience which often transforms bad luck into good.
  • Keys to attaining personal success in organizations: 
    • Give credit freely (of course!),  
    • Take blame when you can (ouch), 
    • Don’t listen to the naysayers or the downers (absolutely), 
    • Avoid perfectionism (whew), 
    • Steal ideas and build on them (already there),
    • Act/Produce/Ship often and soon (I'm in).

My favorite quote:
“In fact, we’re capable of creating work that matters only if we’re willing to be uncomfortable while we do it.” (p. 45)

A quick and provocative read.  Thanks for the gift and the challenge, DW.

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