The secrets to a successful life? Wow. I’m hesitant to put myself anywhere
near the top of that list. But since Pete
Reilly tagged me, I’ll share a few things that seem to be working pretty
well for me right now…

1. Persistence. Over time, water, ice, and wind created the
   Grand Canyon. I try to be that persistent on matters that matter.
2. Patience. Of course persistence requires patience and the
   ability to hold a long-term goal in my head for, well, a long term. I also work
   very hard to remain calm when life, people, and other bumps in the road occur.
   It’s a lot less stressful when I can say, “Let it flow over you. Be patient. It
   will all be fine in the end.”
3. Finding something I care about. Once I’ve identified
   something I care about deeply, I try not to let anything or anyone stop me from
   doing it. If it requires ignoring people, taking a new job, moving to a new
   place, so be it. Excellence requires passion.
4. Listening. Genuine listening – truly being in the moment
   with people and hearing what they have to tell you – is extremely powerful.
5. Good cheer. I’m an optimist. I’m happy. I try to have a
   smile on my face as much as possible. People like happy people. I like being a
   happy person. I strongly believe in the power of personal choice. It’s not the
   situation; it’s how we respond to the situation that dictates our
   happiness.
6. Joy in little things. Children’s giggles. A crisp sunny
   winter morning. A positive blog comment. The twinkle in my wife’s eye. I make it
   a point to find the joy in little things. The accumulation of a multitude of
   little delights sustains me when more challenging times arise.
7. Spending time around little children. I’m a huge advocate
   of spending as much time around 2– to 9–year-olds as possible. Their laughter is
   infectious, their joy de vivre is catching. Preschools and elementary
   schools are happy places. Soak in the joy.
8. Technology helps. Spreadsheets, a shared online calendar
   with my wife, mail merge, the ability to type fast, etc. I wouldn’t be nearly as
   productive without my mastery of some basic technology skills. I am both more
   effective and efficient because of digital technologies.
9. Keep it simple. Simplicity helps bring clarity. For
   example, we have only two family rules for our kids: be nice and be safe. So far
   we haven’t come across anything that doesn’t fall under one of those
   two.

Thanks
for the invite, Pete. I hope this is what you were looking for. Although I
typically don’t forward these kind of things along, in this instance I’ll tag a
few folks to hear what they might have to say. FYI, this meme
started here.

• Eric Hoefler
• John Pederson
• Scott Elias
• Chris Lehmann
• Kimberly Moritz