Don’t Try To Talk. Just Do >> words are often quickly forgotten. What most of us say isn’t particularly interesting – but what we do can definitely be. So spend your time doing instead of talking. Actions are memorable. Actions are inspiring. Actions inspire other people to follow your lead and take actions of their own.
Do Unusual Things >> whatever you do, the less productive and sensible it is the better. Your goal isn’t to accomplish something worthwhile. Your goal is to collect experiences. Experiences, especially unusual experiences, make your life a lot richer and way more interesting – to you and to other people.
Do The Occasional Stupid Thing >> I know. You’re supremely focused, consistently on point and relentlessly efficient. And you’re also really, really boring. So do something, just once, that adults no longer do. Or do something no one thinks of doing. Pick something that doesn’t make sense to do a certain way…and do it that way. You’ll inspire other people to take chances of their own – and to not worry about what other people think.
Embrace Your Own cause >> people care about – and remember – people who care. Stand for something and you instantly stand apart – and inspire people.
But Don’t Ever Talk About Your Cause >> people who brag are not remembered for what they’ve done. They’re remembered for the fact that they brag. That’s why the first and second rule of doing good is to never talk about the good you do. Do good things because those things are good for other people. Don’t worry: the less you say, the more you will inspire others, because they’ll know you do what you do only because you care.
Get Over Yourself >> most of the time your professional life is like a hamster wheel of resume or curriculum vitae padding: you avoid all possibility of failure while maximizing the odds of success in order to ensure your achievement graph tracks ever upward. Inevitably, that approach starts to extend to your personal life too. So you run…but you won’t enter a race because you don’t want to finish at the back of the pack. Or you sing…but you won’t share a mic in a friend’s band because you’re no Adele. Or you sponsor the employee softball team, but you won’t actually play because you’re not very good. Personally and professionally you feel compelled to maintain your all-knowing, all conquering image. And someday, without noticing, you’re no longer a person. You’re a resume. Stop trying to appear perfect. Accept your faults. Make mistakes. Hang yourself out there. Try and fail. Then be gracious when you fail. When you do, people will be inspired, because people who are willing to fail are rare – and because people who display grace & humility, especially in the face of defeat, are incredibly rare.
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