How often do you think about the posed question?

"Ignore this book at your own peril." -Seth Godin

This quote proudly sits on top of the cover and as far as business is concerned, I whole-heartedly agree. Recently while in Canada, I read "Rework" for the second time and it continues to infuse freshness into how I spend my time while working and how I think about building a product (currently ZenCash).

Jason Fried, founder of 37signals, has done a lot of things well. Aside from running an incredibly profitable business, the lens he sees business through is really fun to take a peek through.

A few thoughts I especially appreciated from the text:

• Marketing is something everyone in your company is doing 24/7/265.

• Press releases are spam ... your first introduction is this vague, generic note you also send to everyone else? Is that the impression you want to make? Is that really going to get you the story? Instead, call someone. Write a personal note ... Do something meaningful. Be remarkable. Stand out. Be unforgettable. That's how you'll get the best coverage.

• Plans more than a few pages long just wind up as fossils in your file cabinet.

• Figure out the next most important thing and do that.

These are only a few of several great points that stood out. I ask that if you are running and/or starting a business that you take a night or two to let this inspire you.

Get it here.

Lacey is almost finished with her first full year of teaching. On Thursday, we sat in the school auditorium to watch the class of fourteen 8th graders graduate from a private school environment some of them had been at for over 10 years. I looked over at her as one of the students read the speech they had prepared to give in response to moving on from the school, and in that moment, I saw a beautifully unique smile that seemed to reward her for the hard work in not only educating well, but building good relationships with her students.

Being an educator is by no means an easy task. There are hard days that are deflating. But as I saw in that smile, there is a reward. Lacey is clearly doing what she was made to do. She gives it purpose. And it returns that to her. In that moment (and throughout the rest of the night) I thought, "Lacey is so good at her craft!"

Earlier that morning, I had a cup of coffee with my dad and toward the end of our time together, there was a call he had to take regarding a church-related issue. And in my brief moments of listening, I thought the same exact thing: "He is so good at his craft!"

What is always noticeably different is that those who are good at their craft generally love their craft!

I am spoiled to know a lot of people who are good at what they do (showing you what these friends do is one of the most fun things about having this blog). And I encourage you to be awesome at what you do. Take a second to figure out what you do, what you want to do, and faithfully take the steps to get there.

From Seth Godin's blog: The quickest way to get things done and make change

Not the easiest, but the quickest:

Don't demand authority.

Eagerly take responsibility.

Relentlessly give credit.

derekdevine:
"I've decided that we should be 'cooler' than we are."