Quotes

Question 1

Purpose

Answer 1

Writing is my calling. I love this work, it’s who I am, and I can use my passion for storytelling to expand understanding, increase empathy, create new readers, and make people more human.

Question 2

Hope

Answer 2

I can dramatically improve. The people who succeed in this industry are the ones who work the hardest and the smartest. I’m a learner, and talent is something that I can grow.

Question 3

Deliberateness

Answer 3

I set goals that are hard to reach, and then I reach them. I work that outside my comfort zone. I make plans to reach my goals, find ways to monitor progress and find mentors who sharpen my thinking. I practice doing things, not just learning how to do things, and I get feedback on how I’m doing.

Question 4

Tenacity

Answer 4

I have fierce resolve. I demonstrate determination, resilience and tenacity. I won’t be outworked. I practice longer, harder, and smarter. I do it every day. I have tremendous self-discipline, I’m focused, and I’m holding myself to high standards because I know I can get there.

Question 5

Support

Answer 5

I get help and help others. I can’t see all my weaknesses, don’t know how to address them all, and learn by getting feedback and helping others. I do better when I have a community that challenges me, supports me, and holds me accountable. I find teachers, friends, mentors and experts to get me to the next level.

Question 6

Positivity

Answer 6

I have the right attitude. I’m not Peter the Pessimist, Peter the Amateur, Peter the Self-Important, or Peter the Resentful. I’m Peter the Tenacious, Peter the Professional, Peter the Learner, Peter the Positive. I can learn from those who are better and smarter than I am and who started from different places. I primarily compare myself to the person I was yesterday. I accept others achievements, and I don’t focus on what’s fair. I bring positive energy to this work, and I get satisfaction by doing something hard, doing something well and something that’s important for myself and others.

Question 7

Strategy

Answer 7

I improve my game. Being successful is about being a good writer — and being good at the game of writing: doing the right things, talking to the right people, understanding the right things. I play the game like I’m like Stephen Cassel.

Question 8

Resilience

Answer 8

Everything that happens is something I can learn from. I don’t think in terms of disappointment. When I do well, there’s always something I can do better. When I fail, I don’t let temporary setbacks become permanent excuses. I use mistakes and setbacks as opportunities to get better, not reasons to quit. I’m not someone who gives up. I won’t feel bad if I can’t do something yet. If something doesn’t work out, I can approach it differently, in a way that might work better.

Question 9

Courage

Answer 9

I have more to gain by trying. I don’t avoid something because it scares me. I do things that scare me and make me uncomfortable, because that’s how I grow. It’s not “why bother?” It’s “why not?” Hard work is uncomfortable work. Uncomfortable work is great work. Great work is hard work.

Question 10

Class

Answer 10

I treat everyone with respect. Everyone matters. Everyone is someone I can learn from. Just because I’m successful doesn’t mean I can be an asshole or self-centered or self-important.

Question 11

Gratitude

Answer 11

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.

Question 12

Purpose quote

Answer 12

Three bricklayers are asked, “What are you doing?”
The first say, “I am laying bricks.
The second says, “I am building a church.”
The third says, “I am building the House of God.
I am the third bricklayer.

Question 13

Hope quote

Answer 13

There is no such thing as predefined ability. The brain is adaptable, and training can create skills … that did not exist before. … In this new world, it no longer makes sense to think of people as born with fixed reserves of potential; instead, potential is an expandable vessel, shaped by the various things we do throughout our lives. Learning isn’t a way of reaching one’s potential but rather a way of developing it. We can create our own potential.
— Anders Ericsson

Question 14

Deliberateness quote

Answer 14

Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.
— Oprah Winfrey

Question 15

Tenacity quote

Answer 15

A champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody is looking.
— Anson Dorrance

Question 16

Support – getting help quote

Answer 16

Don’t be shy about asking for help. It doesn’t mean you are weak. It means you are wise.

Question 17

Support – giving help quote

Answer 17

If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path.
— Buddha

Question 18

Positivity quote

Answer 18

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.

Question 19

Strategy quote

Answer 19

The question I ask myself like almost every day is, ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could be doing?’
— Mark Zuckerberg

Question 20

Resilience quote

Answer 20

Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.
— Diana Ross

Question 21

Courage quote

Answer 21

If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it.
— Elon Musk

Question 22

Class quote

Answer 22

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

— The Golden Rule

Question 23

Gratitude quote

Answer 23

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.