Just finished a quick read that is one of the best I've picked up in a long time. Though it's written for businesses, it's an engaging story with some great life principles.
The main premise is that success in life is based on giving - for business, for marriage, for friendship - it's all about giving.
There's five main points, and I won't give them all away (read them for yourself!), but the one that resonated with me most was this:
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first.
For me, increasingly, the beat that I march to is "listen, listen, listen." I think the principle above applies here - am I placing other people's interests before my own? Am I quick to listen and slow to speak? Do my thoughts, ideas, stories, and opinions really need to be heard before someone else has a chance to share? Maybe not. Most of the time, probably not. Let someone else go first.
I believe listening is a tremendous gift, and one that is easy to give, if cultivated on a daily basis.
It's on this gift that Dave and I have been building for more than a year, and are getting ready to launch really soon. Like, rull soon.
I wrote this in my journal today, mid-way through reading The Go-Giver:
So that's where my head is today. In that vein, here is an excellent video from StoryCorps, sent to me by my dear friend Abby:
And just for kicks, one more that made me so happy this morning: