What defining characteristics and common threads have I observed from the best people I've met in business, non-profit, academia, and the ministry over the last two decades? These things.

1. AllTheDifference
Two Roads. One Traveler.
Tim Miles
timmilesco.com

2. ME?40Years of Curiosity
20Years of Getting Paid to be Curious
Hundreds of business owners
Hundreds of non-profit leaders
Hundreds of mentors, instructors, and leaders.

3. ME?

4. MEASUREHow will you measure success?

5. FINDsomeone who will tell you the truth.

6. RAISEexpectations… for your students… for your
colleagues… for yourself.

7. MODELthe behavior you want to see in others.

8. Chris Ulmer

9. ASK“why?”

11. For it to be effective, curiosity has to be
harnessed to at least two other key traits.
First, the ability to pay attention to
the answers to your questions—
you have to actually absorb whatever it
is you’re being curious about. Second
is the ability to act.
“
Brian Grazer
A Curious Mind

12. Life isn’t about finding the answers.
It’s about asking the questions.
“
Brian Grazer
A Curious Mind

13. EXPLAINwhy.

14. PRACTICEcritical thinking skills.

15. READgooder stuff.Write gooder stuff.

16. ACCEPTcompliments.

17. WRITEnotes and letters by hand.

18. BUYa little notebook (or use Evernote or OneNote or
something).Write stuff in them.

19. TREATthe part-time, temp office worker EXACTLY the same
as the principal.

20. LEADwhen it’s your turn—even if it’s scary.

21. DOthe hard thing first.

22. KNOWthe Law of Attraction.

23. KNOWthe Law of Attraction.

24. KNOWthe Law of Attraction.

25. STARVEthe trolls.

26. SAVEdrama for Euripides and Shakespeare.

27. CRITICIZEprivately.

28. PRAISEpublicly.

29. POINTout what people do well.

30. FORGIVEquickly.

31. CHOOSEhow things affect you.
Patton Oswalt
June 18, 2008

32. CHOOSEhow things affect you.
Patton Oswalt
June 18, 2008

33. GO.Just keep walking… and walking… and walking.

34. HOLDyourself accountable.

35. GIVEyour full attention.

36. Human relationships are rich and they’re
messy and they’re demanding. And we
clean them up with technology.
And when we do, one of the things that
can happen is that we sacrifice
conversation for mere connection.
We short-change ourselves. And over
time, we seem to forget this, or we seem
to stop caring.
“
Sherry Turkle
Author, Professor - TED, February 2012

37. GIVEmore than you receive.

38. DEVELOPthe fine art of gift giving.

39. DEVELOPthe fine art of gift giving.
Saw this… thought of you…
Saw this… thought of you…
Saw this… thought of you…

40. RETURNserve.

41. AVOIDmultitasking.

42. There's no question whatsoever that
multitasking, especially among those who do it
the most, is at the very least ineffective and at
the worst, harmful.
Basically, they are worse at most of the kinds
of thinking not only required for multitasking
but what we generally think of as involving
deep thought.
“
Dr. Clifford Nass
Stanford University

43. PREPAREthe night before.

44. ASKyourself,“to what will I say ‘no,’ today.”

45. REVIEWyour progress at the end of every day.

46. WORKmiracles.

47. TITHE3-10% of your monthly income to training and
improving you and your craft. Remain a student forever.

48. CHAMPIONyour students.

49. Dr. Rita F. Pierson, the daughter of Hazel and Julius
Walker, was born October 27, 1951 in Houston, Texas.
She departed this life on Friday, June 28, 2013.
Most recently she was recognized for sharing her
expertise on the PBS production of TED Talks. The
ABC television news magazine, 20/20 reported,
"Educator Rita F. Pierson talks about the bond that is
missing between educators and students". It was viewed
and modeled for educators as far away as New
Zealand. Over one million online viewers watched the
2013 TED Talks. [It’s now over seven million.]
Rita possessed a keen sense of observation and rare
ability to accept and respect people for who they were.
She never met a stranger and her infectious humor
touched all with whom she came in contact.
“
Houston Chronicle
July 12, 2013

50. REMEMBERYou’re going to die, too.

51. MAKEyour life extraordinary.

52. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And, while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Robert Herrick
To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time, 1648

53. SHOW
GRATITUDE
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