Secrets of success meme

Pete Reilly over at Ed Tech Journeys tagged me with this meme:

” List the top 5 to 10 things that you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things that you do at least 4 or 5 times every week. Anything less than that may be a hobby that helps you out, but we are after the real day in and day out habits that help you to be successful.”

Of course this begs the question that one feels successful. Pete is pretty deep in his responses. I am not nearly so introspective, thoughtful or disciplined. Sorry.

1. Talk a walk. Take a nap. Drink two glasses of wine everyday and sneak the occasional cigarette. I walk about 3 miles every free lunch hour I have. I nap every chance I get. Drinking the wine might be why.

2. Use a spell checker but never trust it.  Goes for most technologies.

3. Quit working by 8PM on week nights and 1PM on weekends. No matter how tempting it is to keep plodding, quit to watch a movie or read a book or ride your bike or do something fun.

4. Find a chance to be kind. Offer support when criticism might have been expected.  I always liked Bradley Miller's quote, "Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar." Goes for old people too.

5. Take your retirement as you go. Don't wait to visit those places until you are 65 or older. You may not get older.

6. Visit your grandchildren as much as possible. Believe it or not, they grow up faster than one's own kids.

7. Buy your spouse/kids/friends/staff a present for no reason.

8. Be amazed as often as possible. Enjoy change rather than fight it. You won't stop it.

9. Read, read, read.  

10.  Never think you have all the answers. A little humility, a little self-depreciation, a little acknowledgment of confusion are always in order.

Here's passing the meme to these genuinely successful people... 

Jeff Utecht

Joyce Valenza

Scott Schwister 

Vicki Davis 

Comments

[pete reilly]

Doug;
Beautiful.
pete

[Scott Schwister]

Golly, Doug. I'm flattered. Now that I'm *successful*, I'll have to knock off working on that authoritative edition of the Slacker's Handbook. But heck, I was never going to finish writing it anyway. I'll take a crack at the meme. Wish me luck.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Scott,

The meme was passed to you in earnest. If nothing else, you seem to be a successful blogger. I always enjoy your comments.

Lots of common threads running through this "success" meme. I wonder if anyone ever aggregates? Like the Vonnegut post too!

All the best,

Doug

[Andrew Pass]

Doug, Thanks for the post. I think the walk part is absolutely essential. Sometimes I have my best ideas when I'm not working. But then, unfortunately, if you asked my family, they'd say I'm always working.

[The Secret DVD]

Emulate successful people, well my father always told me that I should hang around smart people if I want to be smart, so I don't see why that principal can't apply here. Cheers, thanks for the great post!