I recently wrote about the power of determination. The fact is, determination is essential for success. You might have all the resources you need, but without determination, it will be difficult for you to achieve your goal.

Below are 16 inspiring quotes about determination that I have found. They have inspired me, and I hope they will also inspire you. Enjoy!

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.
Abraham Lincoln

One person with a belief is equal to a force of 99 who have only interests.
John Stuart Mill

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.
Henry Ward Beecher

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
Samuel Johnson

If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.
Joseph Addison

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
Leon J. Suenens

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
Christopher Reeve

What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.
Mary Pickford

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge

Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.
Les Brown

You cannot fail unless you quit.
Abraham Lincoln

Fall seven times, stand up eight.
Japanese Proverb

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
Thomas A. Edison

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill

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Do you want to have a successful career? Even better, do you want to have a fulfilling one?

To have such a career, your skills play an important role. Why? Because your skills can make your career both successful and fulfilling.

The question is: how should you build your skills?

To answer that question, I believe that there is an essential rule you should follow in building your skills. The rule is this:

Build upon what you’ve built

Don’t start something from scratch. Instead, build upon what you’ve built.

I read a book related to this titled So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport. It has an interesting concept called career capital. Here is the definition: the skills you have that are both rare and valuable and that can be used as leverage in defining your career.

Career capital is something you need to build if you want to have a remarkable career. You build it by developing your skills until they become rare and valuable.

Doing this requires consistency. You can’t achieve that level of expertise if you keep switching from one thing to another.

There is an example in the book of someone who had worked in advertising for years. One day, however, she decided to leave her job and start a yoga studio, something that was totally unrelated to her previous career. She did this with just a 200-hour certificate in yoga training. And what happened? The yoga studio ended up failing.

The lesson here is that you should look at the skills you already have and build upon them.

There are three ways to apply this:

1. Take your current skills to the next level. If your skill is writing, for instance, then aim to become a better writer.
2. Build a related skill. If your skill is teaching, then build a related skill such as public speaking. This is what I did. I have years of experience as a lecturer, so I have some skills in teaching. I then decided to improve my public speaking skills.
3. Combine your skills. Combining your skills is a good way to reach the top of your field. For example, it’s difficult to become the best writer, but becoming the best photography writer is more manageable. In this case, two skills are combined: writing and photography.

To apply these three ways, you may want to ask yourself these three questions:

• How can I get better at what I do? (#1)
• What related skills can I build? (#2)
• How can I combine my existing skills to achieve something new? (#3)

By answering these questions and acting upon them, you will be on your way to a successful and fulfilling career.

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Everyone, of course, wants to be happy. The question is: how? How can we be happy? For many people, the answer is to have more: more money, more fame, more achievements.

I don’t think that’s the right answer, though. Why? Because having more is a never-ending journey. Yes, you might be happy for a while when you get what you want. But then the cycle repeats itself. After a while, you want even more to be happy.

No, having more is not the way to happiness. Instead, I believe that the way to happiness is the opposite of wanting more. The way to happiness is being content.

What does being content mean?

Being content means being happy now with what you already have. You don’t need this or that before you can be happy. You don’t say to yourself, “If only I have that, I will be happy.” No. You already have all you need to be happy.

If you are content, you will be happy even if you don’t have much. But if you aren’t, you won’t be happy even if you have much. Benjamin Franklin put it well: “Contentment makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.”

Contentment is powerful because it gives you the space to do things that fulfill you. Instead of spending your time on chasing more stuff, you can now spend your time on realizing your potential and contributing. These will give you inner fulfillment.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describes this concept well. Those who want to have more will spend their time on the lower parts of the hierarchy, especially the physiological (material stuff) and esteem (reputation) parts. Those who are content, on the other hand, will spend their time on the higher parts of the hierarchy: the self-actualization and self-transcendence parts. Self-actualization corresponds to realizing your potential, while self-transcendence corresponds to contributing to a cause that matters to you. Both are how you can live a fulfilling life.

One thing to remember: being content doesn’t mean just staying where you are. In fact, it’s the opposite: you will still get better at what you do. But what’s different here is your motivation. Your motivation is not to get more stuff (physiological) or reputation (esteem). Instead, your motivation is to realize your potential (self-actualization) and contribute (self-transcendence). Because you want to realize your potential and contribute, you will get better at what you do. You will achieve more. But the motivation is different.

Being content is essential for living a full life. It allows you to be happy now, not later in a distant future. It also gives you the space to realize your potential and contribute. These will lead you to live a fulfilling life.

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2017 is coming soon. If you want to make the most of it right from the start, I have two apps that can help you do that. Here they are:

1. HabitMaster (iOS)

HabitMaster is my best-selling app for building habits. You can use it to set daily, weekly, and monthly habits. You can also use it to set reminders and days that are okay to skip. Your goal with the app is to not break the streak.

Click here to get the app at 50% off (New Year’s sale)

2. Resolutions 2017 (iOS)

Resolutions 2017 helps you keep your New Year’s resolutions. With this app, you can list your resolutions and rate yourself on how well you are doing them. It also allows you to set action items and reminders.

Click here to try the app for free. If you like it, you can then get the full version to create unlimited number of items.

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I hope you find these two apps useful. Enjoy your time and Happy New Year!

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Do you want to live your life the fullest? There are five aspects of life that you need to build for that. The five aspects are work, health, learning, social, and spiritual.

I have written a lot about the first four aspects here. I have many articles on working, health, learning, and relationships. That’s not the case with spirituality though. Although spirituality is a key part of my personal growth, I don’t write about it here. Why? Because people have different beliefs when it comes to spirituality. I want my writings to be accessible to all, so I deliberately skip writing on spirituality.

But now I want to address this aspect too so that the five aspects are complete. To do that, I decided to create a new newsletter on spirituality.

I’m a Christian, so the newsletter will be based on Christian values. I’ll write about what I learned from the Bible, my personal experiences, and other related things. I also plan to make some online events in the future.

If you are open to those, please sign up here. I believe this Christmas season is an especially good time for that 🙂 But if it’s not for you, then just skip it. I will continue to write about the other four aspects here.

In any case, I hope you are having a great time this holiday season. Enjoy your time and happy holidays!

Click here to sign up for the newsletter

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I love to learn from great people and get inspired by their stories. Among them, Theodore Roosevelt (TR) is a favorite of mine. His story never ceases to inspire me.

Here I’d like to give you the reasons why I find TR inspiring. After reading them, I think you will agree with me that he is a great model to learn from.

Without further ado, here are five reasons why TR is inspiring.

1. His achievements are extraordinary.

The list of TR’s achievements is almost unbelievable. He is the youngest ever U.S. president, the winner of Nobel Peace Prize, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He also authored more than 30 books despite his busy schedule. He even had time to become America’s first brown belt in judo!

Franklin Roosevelt, his cousin who later became U.S. President, said that TR “was the greatest man I ever knew.”

2. He excelled in all five aspects of life.

There are five aspects of life. While many people excel in just one or two, TR excelled in all five. In fact, I have yet to find another person who excels in all five aspects.

Let’s see how TR did in each:

• Working: The list of achievements above says it all. There is doubt about it.
• Learning: He read three books a day while he was in the White House. Many people can’t read three books a month.
• Physical: As mentioned above, he had a brown belt in judo. He was also a boxer. He thrived in physical activities.
• Social: He was very good at connecting with people. In fact, he became an example in the popular book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
• Spiritual: He maintained his integrity throughout his career. He was also a devout Christian: a Bible was found under his pillow upon his death.

3. He thrived in both “extrovert” and “introvert” activities.

Normally, people thrive in just one kind of activities that matches their personalities, either extrovert or introvert. But TR excelled in both kinds of activities.

He excelled in getting along with people, an “extrovert” activity. But he also excelled in writing, an “introvert” activity. Again, it’s difficult to find someone who excels in both.

4. He was a great learner.

TR was a curious person. He read books in different fields. He also had a photographic memory. He often cited passages from books that he hadn’t seen for years.

I think the main reason for this ability was his focus. While he was reading, he couldn’t even hear his name being called. He was totally immersed in the book.

5. He excelled in energy management.

An important factor behind TR’s achievements is his energy. His energy was so abundant that he was called “steam engines in trousers”. This abundance of energy allowed him to do things with focus and enthusiasm.

This is remarkable because he was physically weak as a child. He got sick often. But one day his dad challenged him to make his body, and he did. He began exercising intensely, and over time became the energetic person he was.

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These are the reasons why I find TR’s life inspiring.

Any thoughts? Comments here.

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What do you think is an important factor for success? While there are others, I believe that an important factor for success is determination. Paul Graham – the founder of a startup incubator in Silicon Valley – wrote this:

We learned quickly that the most important predictor of success is determination… While it certainly helps to be smart, it’s not the deciding factor. There are plenty of people as smart as Bill Gates who achieve nothing.

In The Dip, Seth Godin wrote that there is a place on the way to success where you suffer setbacks. He called that place “the dip.”  This is the place where determination is needed.  Many people quit there, but winners will go through it. Determination can help you go through the dip and come to the other side.

A good example of this is the story of Elon Musk. He is now well-known for his audacious ventures such as Tesla and SpaceX, but back in the day, he had a humble beginning. He started his first business in an apartment with his brother. It was a startup called Zip2, and the idea was to “provide local businesses with an Internet presence by linking their services to searchers and providing directions.”

But it was in the 1990s and the Internet was still in its infancy. Most small business owners still didn’t know how the Internet could benefit them. As a result, they got zero sales. They couldn’t get a single buyer.

But they kept at it. They didn’t quit. They kept going door-to-door to sell the product despite many rejections. They also kept improving the product. Musk and his team had the determination to go through the dip, and long story short, the company became a success.

What you need in such a situation is a fighter’s mentality. In Musk’s own words, you need to have the mentality of a samurai.

Microsoft is another good example. Again and again, Microsoft started with an inferior product. The product lost in the market. But they kept at it; they kept improving the product. At the end, the product became a success and even dominated its category. That was the case with Windows, Word, Excel, and many other Microsoft’s products. Bill Gates and his team had the determination to keep going.

Determination is key. Whatever it is that you do, make sure that you put determination in the mix. But determination isn’t just not quitting; it also requires you to keep improving yourself. Just keeping at it without improving yourself is not determination but stubbornness.

One more thing: keep your life balanced. Some people have blind determination that sacrifices other parts of their lives, but that’s not the way to get true success. True success is about balance. That’s how you can live a fulfilled and meaningful life.

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I have read many productivity books over the years. These are books that aim to improve your personal productivity. They aim to help you get more done in less time.

Among them, I have some favorites. There are many other books on productivity, of course, but these are the ones that you should read if you want to read just a few of them.

Without further ado, here the five best productivity books to read.

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (book) (summary)

Years after it was first published in 1989, this book is still on Amazon’s best sellers list. That’s amazing because there are hundreds of thousands of books out there. But there is a good reason for that: this book works.

As the title says, the book covers the habits of highly effective people. Among them, the one that is particularly relevant for personal productivity is the third habit: Put First Things First. It uses a matrix (also known as the Eisenhower matrix) that divides your time into four quadrants: important and urgent, important and not urgent, not important and urgent, and not important and not urgent.

The matrix is a simple but useful tool for managing your time. It helps you see how you have spent your time. It also helps you plan your activities.

2. Getting Things Done (book) (summary)

Getting Things Done is also a book that’s still popular years after it was first published. The subtitle of the book describes the topic well: the art of stress-free productivity.

The book shows you how to be productive without being stressed. That requires you to have a productivity system where you can put everything in so that you don’t need to remember it. That clears your mind and helps you avoid stress.

I have been applying this principle for years. While I don’t follow the book’s method exactly, I have found this and other principles in the book useful.

3. The Now Habit (book) (summary)

Do you want to overcome procrastination? If you do, then this is the book that you need to read. It contains some effective methods to overcome procrastination and help you achieve your goals.

For instance, it shows you how to change your self-talk from negative to positive to overcome resistance. It also shows you how to use the concept of persistent starting to achieve big goals.

4. The Power of Full Engagement (book) (summary)

When it comes to personal productivity, energy management is actually more important than time management. If your energy level is high, you can get a lot of things done in a short amount of time. But if your energy level is low, you could spend a lot of time on something and still get almost nothing done.

The Power of Full Engagement is the best book I have read on energy management. It explains how to manage your energy in four dimensions: body, emotions, mind, and spirit.

5. The 4-Hour Workweek (book) (summary)

This book isn’t strictly a productivity book, but it contains useful tips to increase your productivity. One example is the Parkinson’s law which says that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” Accordingly, you should set yourself a short deadline in order to be efficient.

Another helpful tip is what’s called “the art of non-finishing.” It says that you shouldn’t feel obliged to finish something if it doesn’t give you enough value for your time. For instance, you don’t have to finish a book if you think you can get more value by reading something else.

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I have found these books useful, and I believe they can help you form a solid foundation for productivity.

Do you have other productivity books that you’d like to recommend? Feel free to share them in the comments.

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After the first deal on Black Friday, today I’d like to give you my second (and last) deal: for three days only, you can get my e-books for 60% off.

There are three e-books that you can get. The first one is Motivation Booster, a collection of my best motivational writings, revised and updated. The second one is A Dent in the Universe, a collection of business lessons from Steve Jobs that can help you build your own business. The third one is Wisdom of the Ages, a collection of the best quotes for living successfully.

You can now get Motivation Booster for $3.50 (normal price: $8.99), A Dent in the Universe for $2.70 (normal price: $6.99), and Wisdom of the Ages for $1.90 (normal price: $4.99). Or you can get all three of them for $6.90.

Please go through the links above for more information and get each book individually. Or you can click the link below to get all of them right away.

>> Click here to get all three books <<

I hope you enjoy the books. Have a great week!

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Blinkist has a Black Friday deal for you: for one day only, you can get a Blinkist subscription for 50% off forever.

In case you aren’t familiar with it, Blinkist is a service that gives you the key insights of non-fiction books so that you don’t need to read entire books. Instead of spending days on a book, you just need to spend around 15 minutes. As a result, you can learn from a lot more books in the same amount of time. It’s a good way to learn more in less time.

Blinkist has an app available for iOS and Android, so you can read the content on your favorite device. I have been a happy subscriber for more than two years now.

Click here to get the deal. I’m sure you will find the resource useful.

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