“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.” – Mark Twain

If you want to change a habit and make it stick, this post has the keys (and just in time for New Years resolutions.) While the saying may go, “where there’s a will there’s a way,” I find it’s way more effective to bet on techniques that work, or at least improve your chances for success.

“The best mirror is an old friend.” – George Herbert

The more you know about yourself, the more you can skillfully motivate yourself, play to your strengths, limit your liabilities, and make the most of any situation. Socrates taught us to “Know thyself” … but how? What are some of the more effective ways we can learn about our patterns for thinking, feeling, and doing.

Editor’s note: Meet Noah Blumenthal. His super skill is heroic leadership. Noah is the author of the nationally bestselling book, Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life and was named by Leadership Excellence Magazine as one of the world’s “Top 100 Minds in Personal Development.”

I asked Noah for a guest post after reading Be the Hero, because I liked his approach. Be the Hero is a simple framework for effectiveness.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen … but do you know Davey Stone, George Bailey, Ralphie Parker or Emmet Otter? They’re the stars of some of my favorite holiday classics. Holiday classics are a great source of inspiration and insight. As with any movies, holiday classics are stories with conflict and resolution. Themes range from fitting in to standing out. Some of the best stories are where the villain becomes the hero and defeats their inner demons. Another common theme I see is find your version of happiness.

Part of “standing on the shoulders of giants”, is finding the heroes to learn and model from. Starting with the assumption that “everybody has flaws,” you can choose to focus on people’s super skills and insights. Everybody brings something to the table.

In this post, I’m focusing on Guy Kawasaki. His super skill is making Entrepreneurs more effective. He’s also a master at the business of life. He lives life in a sustainable way, living his mantra of “empower Entrepreneurs,” keeping things real, enjoying the ride, and staying authentic.

Bill Gates has an amazing ability to find the flaws, or see opportunities, or connect the dots.