Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell

Great book with many great lessons. Definitely worth rereading often and again.

Some of my Favorite Quotes:

• "When I have integrity, my words and my deeds match up. I am who I am, no matter where I am or who I am with."
• "The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." 
• Meaning, in order to gain traction you need to start doing something.
• "What you are going to be tomorrow, you are becoming today." 
• The things you do everyday are going to define the future you.
• "The more you change, the more you become an instrument of change in the lives of others. If you want to become a change agent, you also must change."
• Personal growth and a discomfort with being comfortable will help lead a meaningful life.
• "If you want to continue leading, you must continue changing."
• ..."He must first understand the two important requisites to bringing about change: knowing the technical requirements of the change, and understanding the attitude and motivational demands for bringing it about."
• "People need to change their perspectives, not their problems."
• Everyone is always going to have problems. Attitude will determine how they are handled.
• "They realized they could not determine every circumstance in life but they could determine their choice of attitude toward every circumstance."
• "Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it who makes a difference."
• "The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day."
• "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
• "Once our minds are 'tattoed' with negative thinking, our chances for longterm success diminish."

Tools

• The self-discipline tool:
1. List 5 areas in your life that lack discipline.
2. Place them in order of your priority for conquering them.
3. Take them on, one at a time.
4. Secure resources, such as books and tapes, that will give you instruction and motivation to conquer each area.
5. Ask a person who models the trait you want to possess to hold you accountable for it.
6. Spend 15 minutes each morning getting focused in order to get control of this weak area in your life.
7. Do a 5 minute checkup on yourself midday.
8. Take 5 minutes in the evening to evaluate your progress.
9. Allow 60 days to work on one area before you go to the next.
10. Celebrate with the one who holds you accountable as you show continued success.
• The integrity test: ask someone who knows you well what areas of your life they see as consistent (you do what you say) and what areas they see as inconsistent (you say but don't always live).