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 ?