I created a browsable list of my favorite motivation quotes. Everybody needs a little inspiration now and then. I find that quotes and sayings are a great way to share insight and action. Sometimes, just the right words, said just the right way, are just the lift you need.

This is a follow up post to my previous post, Living Your Process. I’ve had enough folks ask me how to map out their success process that I’ll share some more prescriptive guidance. It’s a work in progress, but it’s enough to share for now. The big idea with living your process is that it helps you make the most of what you’ve got. It’s about living with passion and playing to your strengths. It’s also about living your values whether it’s at work or at play. It’s about knowing what fulfills you and what sparks you each day. It’s about living from the inside out and leading yourself first.

I’m a fan of “living your process.” To put it another way, this is about “approach over results.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of results. The problem is you can’t control all the events in your life or what happens to you. In life, you control your attitude and response … and it’s not what happens to you, but how you react.

Four Dimensional Thinking is a technique to help you figure out who you are and what you want. It’s a way to reflect on your life to help you get from where you are to where you want to be. Reflecting can be structured or unstructured thinking. Thinking is just asking and answering questions. If you want better answers, you need to start by asking better questions. Four Dimensional Thinking is a way to start asking better questions about your life. When you know who you are and what you want, you gain confidence and clarity in how you live your life.

This is a follow up to my post, Manage Energy, Not Time. A few folks have asked me how I figure out energy drains and catalysts. Some people jazz you. Some people don’t. Some tasks jazz you. Some tasks don’t. Just paying attention to this fact can help you start to get a handle on your energy. Energy is your premium resource in today’s world. You need to know where your passions come from, just as much as you need to know what gets in the way. Simply noticing this will help you start to see patterns of things you do or who you spend your time with.

This a practice I learned long ago and it’s actually helpful whether it’s day to day or building software. It’s doing worst things first. Rather than save a hurdle to the end, do it up front when you’re you’re strongest.

One leadership style doesn’t fit all. According to the Situational Leadership II model, the leadership style depends on the development levels within the team. Some people might need more motivation while others need more capability. A quick cutting question to ask is, “do they want to do it?” Another question to ask is, “do they know how to do it?” These two questions can very quickly help you figure out the right approach.

If you coach others or you need to encourage change or if you need to change yourself, the key is to use questions. Lead others to their own insight or your advice may fall on deaf ears. You know the saying, “you can lead the horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” Part of the reason is, asking questions puts people into a more receptive state. When people have their own “ah has” it actually creates an emotional link. This helps the insight stick. The key of course is to ask the right questions.

Paving a path forward is a skill. The more you do it, the better you get. If there’s one place where your ability to pave a path forward gets tested, it’s driving projects. On sizable projects, the gap between your project vision and current reality can be overwhelming. Somehow you have to get from point A to point B and there’s not always a map. Sometimes you’re the map maker. This is especially true when your heading into uncharted territory. Even when you have a map, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. What you need is a way to pave a path forward.

I’m realizing more and more how stories help you drive a point home. It’s one thing to make a point, it’s another for your story to make the point for you. If your ideas aren’t sticking, or you’re not getting buy in, maybe a compelling story is the answer.
Stories at Work
Crafting useful stories is an art, and, now, apparently a science. Srinath pointed me to Stories at Work on 50Lessons.com. The video shares a story about using stories as a catalyst for change and a recipe …

Why do people resist change, even when it’s for their own good? Well, believe it or not, your own body can actually work against you. The good news is, if you know how your body works, you can make changes easier, or at least know what to expect. David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz write about two reasons why people resist change, in their article, “The Neuroscience of Leadership”, in strategy+business magazine.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." — Will Durant
One of the ways you can transform your ordinary day into extraordinary is to master your craft.  By thinking of yourself as a craftsman, you can think of your work as your art. 
By immersing yourself in your work, you become fully engaged.   When you’re fully engaged, you find your flow.   As you improve your art, you grow your ability.  As you grow yourself you grow your job.  The opposite is to …

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It’s a new year and many of you will be setting new goals for yourself as part of your New Year’s resolutions. I want to give you an important nugget you can use when you implement your goals and start to face some potential discomfort or pain.  This insight may be exactly what you need if you’ve ever failed at changing a habit or meeting your goals in the past.
Creating New Habits and Reducing Friction in Your GoalsI actually wasn’t sure whether to title …

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Given the economic climate and some horror stories I’m hearing, I’m refocusing on some patterns and practices for feeling good.   I think motivation is one of the most crucial skills you need throughout your life.  Even if already have motivation techniques that work for you, this is a set of expert techniques from the book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated , by Dr. David Burns.
Thought PatternsBefore reviewing the motivation techniques, you should be familiar with the following thought patterns:

10 Distorted Thinking …

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How important is determination and drive for success?   Drive is a common characteristic among successful people.  The good news is that just like luck and success, drive is a continuum.  There’s examples where people with minimal drive, but they enjoy what they do, experience great success.  On the other end of the spectrum, you find ruthless obsession. 
What if you aren’t naturally driven?  Here again, there’s good news.  You can adopt successful strategies.  What you lack in personality, you can make up for in approach.
In Tactics: The Art and …

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from author Michael Michalko.  Michael is one of the most highly acclaimed creativity experts in the world and author of the best sellers Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition), Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck, and Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius.

You may not know Richard Cohen. He is the author of Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir.  He lives a life defined by illness. He has M.S., is legally blind, has almost …

I often here the argument, "if I had more time for this or that, I could …"  Well, unfortunately, having more time doesn’t always mean getting more done.  It doesn’t guarantee getting the right things done either.  The secret to time management isn’t more time management hacks at all.   It’s knowing the vital few keys that really make a difference.
Keys to Time Management
Here are the keys I’ve found:

Manage energy, not time.
Make room for your big rocks.
Use anticipation to drive versus react.

Manage Energy, …

Why do you do what you do? … That’s the question the Golden Circle answers.  A friend of mine took me through a Golden Circle workshop and it gave me a new lens on life. It was like peeling away at an onion until you get to the inner core.  There you find your inspiration behind all your actions.  It’s the most naked answer to “why do you do what you do?”  But it’s more than that.  It’s your fire inside.  It’s where you find the inner strength to move …

“Always do what you are afraid to do.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Does fear stop you from becoming your best?  Is fear an obstacle to building on your strengths?  Our fear of weaknesses can overshadow our confidence in our strengths.  Our fear of failure can stop us from giving our all.  The ultimate fear that can hold us back is fear of who we really are.
I find that sometimes the most important growth is painful.  One of my mentors has a saying for this "… …

"Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers." — Anthony Robbins
Why are you stuck?  That’s not a very empowering question.  You’ll just figure out reasons for why you’re stuck.  Instead, ask a question like "how can you move forward?" or "how might you accomplish that?"  The key is to ask "how" questions over "why" questions. 
In Unlimited Power : The New Science Of Personal Achievement, Tony Robbins writes about choosing "how" questions over "why" questions.
Key Take Aways Here’s my key …