Todd Henry

Here’s a question worth pondering: While your work speaks about you, does it really speak *for* you? Does it represent you well? Does it reflect the authentic you?

Commit to the pursuit of brilliant work, even when immediate results are not guaranteed... We need you to be brave, and to be yourself. We need you to develop your authentic voice, and to put in the mix.

There isn’t a single successful person I’ve encountered, including internationally esteemed business leaders, politicians, artists, and entrepreneurs, who hasn’t at some point felt inadequate to the task. The key to making a contribution, and ultimately finding your voice, is often the simple willingness to act in the face of fear and uncertainty.

We need to overcome this fear of insignificance and replace it with a mind-set of contribution.

As you look back on your life and the ultimate shaping of your authentic voice, you will find that it was the small risks that eventually led to big results. Where is your intuition telling you to place small bets?

Remember that your best, most impactful work results not just from what you care about (Identity), but also what your audience cares about (Vision), and an ability to connect with them through a set of relevant skills (Mastery).

The word decision is sourced in the word that means ‘to cut off.’ To decide is to fully embrace one option and cut off all others. This requires bravery, because each decision you make necessarily closes other doors.

Your authentic voice is a gift. How will you offer it to others today through your work? Answering that question is your life’s mission.

What change do you want to see in the world through your work? What value do you want to create? How will you know when you are successful?

You cannot chase safety and count on emptying yourself of your best work. You cannot pursue greatness and comfort at the same time. Commit today to stepping outside your comfort zone and set some goals to help you get there. In short, grow.

Intention and theory don’t change the world; decisive action does.

You should have a set of step goals you are accomplishing today, which should be helping you accomplish a set of sprint goals over the next few weeks, which should be leading you toward a set of long-term stretch goals.

I know that my contribution is defined by how I choose to engage the battles I face every day, and that my legacy is nothing but a series of choices to engage in or abstain from action.

How much of your day do you spend doing work that you will be proud of later?

This book is about cultivating the mind-set and the methods you need to unleash your best work each day, and to increase the odds that, at the end of your life, you will not regret how you spent your days.