“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow…

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” -Tim Notke This is a difficult topic to thread the needle on for a number of reasons. But to lay out my perspective upfront: You absolutely have to work hard, and doing so can be a great differentiator. But try to keep perspective on it so…

“I don’t have talent, I have tenacity; I have discipline; I have focus. And I know without any illusion where I come from and what I can go back to.” ~ Henry Rollins “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.…

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ~ Charles Darwin “Success is not about your resources. It’s about how resourceful you are with what you have.” ~ Tony Robbins You should do everything in your power to avoid uttering “No, I’m a designer…I…

“We rise by lifting others” ~ Robert Ingersoll “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else” ~ Booker T. Washington It’s counter intuitive, but when you make others look good you can further your own career. Spreading around praise, whenever you can, has an outsized effect on everyone involved. The recipients of…

“The Genius Pattern = Thy will be done with my talents with my circles of influence with the opportunities that are laid out in front of me to bless the world.” ~ Robert G. Allen “Incredible change happens in you life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead…

“Good ideas come from everywhere. It’s more important to recognize a good idea than to author it.” ~ Jeanne Gang “Great ideas can come from anywhere. There are no titles around an idea.” ~ Steve Stoute “An idea that can change the course of the company can come from anywhere.” ~ Jack Dorsey Don’t let…

“To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.” ~ Mandy Hale Working with someone who cares is amazing. Plenty of people are intelligent or talented. Even more are hardworking and diligent. But if they don’t care it’s wasted. Caring may be…

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop “Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.” ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an…

It’s my hope that you found some ideas to apply from the chapters contained within this book. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking in the ideas, but rather I think what is unique is this type of thinking specifically as a designer. Focus on providing value, always remember that design is a service, stay late with…