Have you achieved your big goals for this year?
It’s okay if you haven’t. Fact is everyone struggles and stumbles from time to time, much George Bernard Shaw writes in Candida (also available on Audible):
Man can climb to the highest summits; but he cannot dwell there long.
What matters most is how you respond to your setbacks and difficulties. So, if you need more guidance, here are some of my favourite Seth Godin quotes from his 2021 blog posts, together with a recommended title from Blinkist.
Pain ignored is still pain. And pain acknowledged is a first step toward easing that pain. ~ Pain is real
Learn more: Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess
Possibility begets more possibility. Opportunities multiply. And, alas, grievance leads to more grievance. Because it’s the fuel that keeps the narrative going. ~ Grievance and possibility
Learn more: Untangling You
It’s the chronic issues that end up causing the most pain. Systems at work that never get better, or problems that fester. ~ Living on the delta
Learn more: Surrounded by Setbacks
The entire point of getting better is to eagerly abandon the approaches you were taking on your way to gaining new skills that are more effective. ~ Avoid the clown suit
Learn more: From Strength to Strength
There are speed bumps along the way, opportunities unevenly distributed, and unforeseen problems. But none of them get better when we decide to always seek the easy way to the end. ~ The easy way down
Learn more: The Comfort Crisis
We can always make a risk ever smaller. But the cost is that we will increase other risks. ~ An abundance of caution
Learn more: Risk Savvy
Every normal is a new normal, until it is replaced by another one. ~ Tilting at windmills
Learn more: The Myth of Normal
Normal is the thing many don’t notice. Until it changes. And then we can’t unsee how much we had failed to pay attention to. ~ A thing about ‘normal’
Learn more: Our Iceberg is Melting
If you’re hoping for inaction, look for perfect. ~ “Perfect or we’re not going”
Learn more: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
Deciding how and when to quit before you begin is far easier and more effective than making ad hoc decisions under pressure. ~ Ending it gracefully
Learn more: Fail Fast, Fail Often
If there was no acceptable solution, or there was more bad luck than we hoped, then there’s no room for shame or blame or recriminations. All we can do is honour the situation and work to find the next thing, another opportunity to contribute or grow. ~ When it doesn’t work out
Learn more: Failing Forward
If you want to feel a certain way, begin by acting as if you do. On the other hand, if you truly want to accomplish something, waiting for the mood to strike is ineffective. ~ The consequence
Learn more: Happiness By Design
We hold on to the old competencies and our hard-earned status roles far longer than we should. The only way to be creative is to do something new, and the path to something new requires leaving something else behind. ~ Sunk costs, creativity and your Practice
Learn more: A Whole New Mind
The circumstances are here, no matter what we do. It’s up to us to decide to be under them or over them. ~ Over the circumstances
Learn more: Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World
Why do we work so hard to try to capture control over things that are clearly not in our control? And what would happen if we stopped trying and worked on the things we can influence instead? ~ In control
Learn more: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Spend the time and spend the money and the errors can be avoided. Or accept that errors are part of wayfinding, and realise that your problem is caused by a systemic situation, not a lack of effort. ~ How much does a mistake cost?
Learn more: You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake!
Sometimes, the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of moving forward. ~ When the objections change
Learn more: The Journey Beyond Fear
Doubling down on wrong always makes things worse. ~ A plan for ‘wrong’
Learn more: Relentless Solution Focus
Problems are a feature. They’re the opportunity to see how we can productively move forward. Not to a world with no problems at all, but to a situation with different problems, ones that are worth dancing with. ~ Progress is a trade
Learn more: Courage is Calling
Often, the only difference between a speed bump and an obstacle is our decision about which one it is. ~ Speed bumps
Learn more: Mind Hacking
A new problem doesn’t need fresh thinking, it needs clear awareness. We can begin by acknowledging we have a problem, identifying the constraints, the boundaries and the assets involved. And then we can go to work to solve it. ~ New problems, old problems
Learn more: Mindset
So many things to be thankful for. Accidents included. ~ So many accidents
Learn more: Bittersweet
The roads not seen almost always matter more than the potholes we hit along the way. ~ Which errors to focus on?
Learn more: Imaginable
Sometimes, things work the way they are supposed to, even if it’s not what we might want in the moment. ~ What did you expect?
Learn more: It’s All Possible
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