Not Quite Betty Crocker

I’m not a fan of hype. For years I didn’t watch major motion pictures or TV shows because I was turned off by the hype.

Lost, for instance. Not even one time, sorry.

So when I read about Seth Godin’s latest (free) eBook on no fewer than three of the blogs I regularly read (in one day!), I was a bit turned off.

I read about it here and here and here. Nope.

But then Penelope Trunk mentioned it. And Dave Ramsey did, too. And when two writers who speak to me say it’s good – say something good in it – how can I not read it?

So I did. And I’m here to tell you that it’s good. Not just good, in fact, but GOOD. So good I find myself repeating a certain sentence in my head over and over because it’s so damned good.

“Art can’t happen without someone who seeks to make a difference. This is your art, it’s what you do. You touch people or projects and change them for the better. This year, you’ll certainly find that the more you give the more you get.” –Seth Godin

“Until Fear is gone (and realize he may never completely leave), make the decision to be courageous. The world needs your story in order to be complete.” –Anne Jackson

“Dignity is more important than wealth.” –Jacqueline Novogratz

“Dear ones, EASE UP. Pump the brakes. Take a step back. Seriously. Take two steps back…. My radical suggestion? Cease participation, if only for one day this year – if only to make sure that we don’t lose forever the rare and vanishing human talent of appreciating ease.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

“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.” -Michael Hyatt

“I worked on my weaknesses for forty years to little avail. Still ‘needs improvement,’ as they say. Why? Easy. We hate the things we’re not good at, so we avoid them. No practice makes perfect hard to attain.” –Marti Barletta

“Management isn’t natural. I don’t mean that it’s weird or toxic – just that it doesn’t emanate from nature. ‘Management’ isn’t a tree or a river. It’s a telegraph or transistor radio. Someone invented it.” –Daniel Pink

“The great challenge of the 21st century is to wage peace on a globe full of humans while repairing the unintended damage we’ve inflicted on ourselves, other beings, and the earth.” –Martha Beck

“What’s important is to be kind, and be gracious and do it in ways that make people want to do that for someone else.” –Penelope Trunk

“Mistakes happen. How you apologize matters. Don’t bullshit people – just say ‘I’m sorry." And mean it.” –Jason Fried

“It requires effort – but this effortless life isn’t as satisfying as it seems, is it? Declare war on passivity. Hush the inner voice… Disbelief is now the enemy, as is the notion of settling. Get hungry – hyena hungry. Get fired up. Find your backbone, and your wings. Flap ‘em. It’s the only way you’ll be able to fly.” –J.C. Hutchins

People, go read this. For heaven’s sakes, these are just the excerpts. I quite literally choked up while reading some of them, couldn’t wrap my mind around others. I want to print it, paper my walls with it, recite it as my mantra.

Go. I am not exaggerating. Then share your favorite excerpts in the comments. Let’s have a conversation.