11 Observations

1. If you are going to be successful, you are going to have to work with people with whom you disagree. The more effectively you can do so, the better leader you become.
2. The fastest and easiest way to get what you need from somebody is to help them get what they need. What they need is always something deeper than what is presented. What you need is also always something deeper than what you present.
3. What you heard and what was said are different. Work harder to discern what was said and don’t worry so much about what you heard.
4. Persuasion is better than force. Force is often the tool of choice for the unpersuasive. Persuasion generates buy-in. Force generates resistance.
5. At their core, all problems are the result of a scarcity mindset and a lack of resourcefulness. The universe knows no scarcity. Perhaps not coincidentally, neither does the human imagination.
6. All human beings seek meaning, significance. They need to know that they matter and that they can make a difference. We follow people who provide that meaning.
7. The fastest way to cure a foul mood is to do something to help someone else. The second fastest way is to exercise. The best way to avoid a foul mood in the first place is to get enough sleep.
8. You are the greatest obstacle to your own success. The sooner you recognize this fact and act on it the sooner you produce better results in all areas of your life.
9. You have a story that you tell about yourself. Change the meaning of the events in that story and you change your future (for good or for ill).
10. Adversity is a gift cleverly wrapped in a breath-taking challenge. Unwrap it and grow.
11. Each day, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. This is true no matter what happens on this little spinning rock we call home. Don’t worry too much.