Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly

(North Palm Beach: Beacon, 2006), 218

1. Are You Making Progress?

  • celebrating progress is fundamental in the psychology of change (18)
  • failure is part of all achievement and discovery (18)
  • change isn't the same as progress: make sure your change is for the better (21)
  • you need to reflect every day on your progress: "Am I better today than I was yesterday?" (24)

2. Perfectly Imperfect

  • “You will never be happy pretending to be someone other than the person God created you to be” (42)
  • “Happiness is not achieved by the pursuit of happiness but rather by right living” (45)
  • Focus on now: “What can I do right now to become more perfectly myself?” (48)
  • “Just do the next right thing” (51)

3. Character

  • Put character first
  • Character is built in trustworthiness
  • “Every human act affects the future of humanity” (77)

4. Work

  • A primary purpose of work is to develop virtue and character (89)
  • Tells you to find your passion...not good advice (Newport)
  • Find what you love to do and do it

5. Live what you believe

  • We all believe something, and we must choose what we believe (105)
  • Strive for unity of life: living what we believe instead of being divided

6. Discipline

  • “Mastery of self and happiness are intimately connected” (140)
  • In fasting we assert dominance over our bodies
  • “Discipline makes us free.” (145)

7. Simplify

  • “Simplicity is the way to clarity.” (150)
  • Really? Southwest Airlines? But know who you are (152)

8. What do you give?

  • Mission = vocation (talents meet needs of world) (178)

9. Always seek the good

  • Instead of worrying ask yourself: what can I learn and how can I grow in virtue ?