There is no shortcut to greatness. It’s all about taking the right steps… small, seemingly inconsequential steps that fuse together, emitting a positive effect on the bigger picture. Below are 28 astute takes of insight from around the blogosphere. Take heed to this wisdom, and you’ll soon be on your way to living a prolific life.
- Always show kindness to others. – “Every time you’re nice to someone else, they become more likely to help you or be nice in return.” – via On Simplicity
- Be grateful for what you have. – “Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude.” – via The Change Blog
- Clear clutter! Get rid of the stuff you don’t need. – “If you have too much to pick up, look for, clean around, organize, and trip over, then it’s no wonder you’re feeling disorganized. And if you’re having to do it over and over and over again, it’s no wonder you’re feeling unproductive.” – via simple mom
- Study and learn from the mistakes others have made. – “By reading about those I aspire to be like, not only do I get to witness the unique dealings of THEIR struggles, I can skip some of the hard knock lessons by learning from steps already taken in someone else’s heels. It’s a real advantage when you have serious intent on getting somewhere. Learn from others and utilize the wisdom harvested over time to spare yourself some grief and gain an idea of what to do.” – via InMyHeels
- Be a team player. Teamwork is the key to progress. – “I heard a story about some horses that were in a competition to see which could pull the most weight. One horse pulled 3,000 lbs and another one pulled 4,000 lbs. Someone suggested the horses team-up together to see how much they could pull. Most guesses were in the 7,000 lb to 10,000 lb range but when those two horses worked together, they pulled an amazing 20,000 lbs. That’s the power of teamwork.” – via The Wisdom Journal
- Graciously thank the people who deserve it. – “You are making MomGrind a lively, vibrant community where people get to know each other and exchange ideas. Without you, MomGrind would be just another platform for me to talk endlessly… A special thank you to my top ten commentators for the month of July.” – via MomGrind
- Learn to make the right first impression. – “Drive a flashy sports car and it implies you have money. Live on the “wrong side of the tracks”, some people think you’re “less than”. Wear wrinkled, dirty clothes and you could be labeled as “low life”. – via Blogging Without A Blog
- Having 5 close friends is far more important than having 50 acquaintances. – “What if I were to get convicted of a crime – even if I’m innocent – and get put in jail for ten years. Who would be at the gates when I’m released?” – via Goodlife Zen
- Money is worthless in a state of loneliness. – “Money makes the world go round but people are what make the world worth living in. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily rush of making a living and forget that each day we spend rushing around is a blessing. The opportunity to spend time with the ones we care about is something that I overlook all too often.” – via Frugal Dad
- Find your passion and follow it. – “In the first few months (of writing this blog), I often felt like I was speaking to an empty room. I felt like I wrote articles nobody read. Even after blogging for three months, I got no more than six visitors a day. In that difficult time, the only thing that kept me going was passion.” – via Life Optimizer
- Run, jog, walk… just make sure you exercise. – “We need physical activity to stay healthy. The benefits of regular exercise are well documented. We need to find exercise routines that are fun and match our individual tastes. Developing a good exercise routine is a habit that will increase both the quantity and quality of your life.” – via My Super-Charged Life
- Eat healthy! You are what you eat. – “healthy eating is the most important thing you can do to affect your health. You can’t exercise away bad eating habits. You can be a long distance runner and still have high cholesterol that puts you at risk for a heart attack. So healthy eating should be a priority for everyone who wants a long healthy and enjoyable life.” – via Life Learning Today
- Accept failure. Learn from failure. – “Failure has become your friend. Some of life’s biggest lessons have come to you when you have failed. Each time you move forth into a new endeavor, success and failure are both acceptable options. With success you get you want and with failure you get to learn something.” – via The Positivity Blog
- Be true to yourself… Be yourself! – “Human beings often give up the power of being true to themselves, hiding amongst the shadows of social roles and familiar comforts instead.” – via The Urban Monk
- Figure out what you truly want in life. – “Know what it is that you want. I know this sounds simple, but really it can be quite challenging. I had everyone else’s ideas in my head for so long, I couldn’t even hear my own voice. So this step is crucial. Invest the time it takes to get quiet, filter out everyone else’s ideas from your own, and be totally and brutally honest with yourself.” – via Divine Purpose Unleashed
- Concentrate on improving yourself… the only person you can change. – “The only person I can change is me, so I’ll focus on improving, educating and developing myself rather than trying to create a fan club or convince people to like me. – Craig Harper” – via Reason-4-Smile
- Stop searching! Enjoy the present. Be here now. – “So much of the spiritual journey requires that we stop, just stop, right where we are, and let what is be what it is. No seeking. No pursuing. Just stopping and looking at what we’ve already found.” – via Tom Stine
- Perfectionism is equally as wasteful as procrastination. – “Perfectionism is the flip side of procrastination. Instead of avoiding a task, you dwell on it for so long that when you notice, all your time is gone. To avoid perfectionism and the effects of diminishing returns, having a definite cut-off time for a task is one of the best strategies you can use.” – via Litemind
- Make a commitment and just do it! – “Putting yourself on auto-response means silencing your practical mind, in the face of the seemingly unpractical and ridiculous ideas. Faced with liberating your life, instead of thinking “I don’t know where to start,” your auto-response becomes “I’ll figure it out.” – via Illuminated Mind
- Use positive language… it changes the way you think. – “Try saying, “I want to go to the gym”, “I’d like to babysit for the lunatic kid next door”… See what effect it has. It may well feel weird to start with but so did naked mud wrestling, so that’s no reason to quit. Persist and eventually you’ll feel better about whatever it is you want to get done and the cool part is you’ll even start to fool your unconscious into believing it’s true.” – via The Discomfort Zone
- Break your goals into manageable steps, and take the first step. – “With any goal, by breaking it down into smaller pieces makes it more manageable. Whether it’s a financial goal, a weight loss goal, an exercise goal, or just a goal of getting the house clean, the same method can be used to make it easier to start, continue toward, and ultimately reach the place you visualize. Start with what is right in front of you and you’re sure to create something beautiful.” – via Remodeling This Life
- Pay attention to your gut instincts and intuition. – “Learn to use your intuition as an information gathering process. By relying on your intuition you expand your awareness and you direct your subconscious to pick up on cues from the environment. It’s important to remember that, like anything else in life, you have to be willing to make mistakes. As you learn to trust your intuition you’ll become more effective at accurately interpreting the messages your subconscious is sending you.” – via Abundance Blog
- Befriend your coworkers. – “This is going to sound a little corny, but many, many of my friends are co-workers. It’s no coincidence that you get close to people you spend the majority of your day with. Take advantage of finding people that have similar interests at work. It will make your day more enjoyable to spend it with people you like.” – via My Dollar Plan
- Don’t be short-sighted. Look at things from all angles. – “Imagine yourself in your partner’s shoes. To the best of your ability, feel the pain the other person is experiencing. How does it feel? What is your new perspective like? For a few seconds, pretend that “Me” does not exist, and that you are now the other person. Experience their words and feelings as if your own.” – via Think Simple Now
- Make a habit of the ‘early to bed, early to rise’ philosophy. – “In theory, there’s no difference in waking up early or late as long as you get the proper amount of sleep. However, there is a psychological advantage when you wake up earlier than the average person. You got a head start and you’ll have more time to do preparation before engaging in the real world.” – via 7P Productions
- Never be afraid to speak your point of view. – “If we avoid expressing our views of fairness and justice for any just cause that we feel deeply about, if we ignore our own inner voice to bring about the change that can transform our world for the better — we are doomed to forever fail to do what’s right .” – via Success Soul
- Do work for ‘you’ sometimes, with your interests in mind. – “One of the great tragedies of human existence is that so many of us toil for another person, who is in turn toiling for someone else, who is working for someone else’s interest.” – via The Growing Life
- Take responsibility for your own actions. – “It’s easy for someone to take ownership of success, but when the headlines read “failure” only those possessing “force of character” have the influential capacity to shine.” – via Marc and Angel Hack Life 😉
Photo by: Anon
Toblerone @ Simple Mom says
Great links, as always! Looks like I’ve got more good reading ahead of me.
And thanks for the mention.
Marc says
PS: I’m out in San Diego for business… working strange hours in cold server rooms through the end of next week. I’ll be around as much as I can, but forgive me if I’m a bit absent until then. Have a wonder week all! 😉
Chris - Zen to Fitness says
Amazing compilation. I have found so many new sites through this many Thanks and have a great time in San Diego!!
Glen Allsopp says
Being grateful for what you have is very important but it’s also quite a challenge. We are so used to things being around or being the way they are but we really miss then when they are gone.
Great post, Stumbled!
Cheers,
Glen
Michelle says
Awesome post. Thanks for the food for thought.
Writer's Coin says
Showing kindness is one of the easiest things you can do, and yet so many people neglect it to serve their ego. Just be a nice person, you’ll have that many more people wanting you to do well and pushing for you.
janelle says
Number 13 is still difficult for me…it’s really easy to get down on yourself when you’ve already been knocked down a peg or two…but I guess it makes you a better person if you can still find the strength to get back up each time…
Jeff@MySuperChargedLife says
This list will certainly get people started down the right path in life. Thanks for including me!
CK Reyes says
What a nice list! I want to know what the world would look like if we all implemented these essentials for life. I know that we would be happier more fulfilled people and the world would reflect that.
Logan says
You know there’s a Dianetics ad on the top of this post… right? Dianetics, as in Scientology?
Vered says
What an inspiring list.
My favorite: “Having 5 close friends is far more important than having 50 acquaintances.” This is especially important to remember in the age of “fans” and “followers” and shallow Facebook-type friendships.
Thank you for including me.
Michelle Vandepas says
Thank so much for this list and linking back to our Divine Purpose site. I agree with the premise CK wrote in the post. We need to know what it is we want, (or at least what we don’t want) so we can filter out other people’s expectations for us.
John Rocheleau - Zen-Moments says
When I read an article that has a list of more than 12 points it often carries a lot of “filler.” I get bored.
But I everything you have listed here is important — and of course you link to all these great resources to expand on each point.
Good stuff 🙂
John
Barbara Swafford says
Hi Marc and Angel,
I am humbled and honored to be included in a list that contains so many great bloggers. Thank you for the mention. I truly appreciate it.
Lance says
The blogosphere is a wonderful place – once again, you’ve found some great gems out there!
Emily says
Thanks so much for the mention! I love your lists. LOVE them!
Marie @ Make and Takes says
Love this post. Thanks for taking the time to put these great life lessons altogether in one post.
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map says
Great list! Enjoyed the sprinkling of wisdom!
Zendad says
very comprehensive list, thanks for the links. I’ve found a few blogs I should be reading!
http://www.zendad.net
Kris says
Thank you for including my post on Healthy Eating! I hope that it helps a lot of people!
I’ve found some great blogs here! Thanks for the introduction!
Al at 7P says
Hi Marc – thanks for putting together a great list (and thank you for even including me on that list!).
Good luck in San Diego. It’s bittersweet that you’re in a great city but will be closed off in a server room!
Sara at On Simplicity says
Awesome! And thanks for the mention!
“Take responsibility for your own actions.” I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate the importance of this one.
natalie says
hi! thanks for sharing such wonderful stuff!
Paula says
Fantastic post. So inspiring. I have taken away a lot from this and have been introduced to so many wonderful sites. Thank you.
Marelisa says
Hi Marc: Thank you for the link love, and you have a knack for finding interesting stuff in the blogosphere 🙂
Flora M Brown, Ph.D. says
Thanks for sharing these insights from some of the best thinkers in the blogosphere.
Debt Free Hispanic says
Isn’t it amazing how so many people do not speak up for themselves. Sometimes I wonder how people actually get jobs. I know confidence is a problem today but people are just scared in general to take risks when it comes to interviewing.
Success Professor says
Excellent list. Thanks for compiling this. It is great to see the thoughts from across the Blogosphere.