May 17

I know it’s not polite to brag about yourself, but I want you to take a few minutes right now to do just that. What are you great at? What do others come to you for because they know that you’re the only one who can deliver the results they need? What do people praise you for all the time?

Author Mike Michalowicz challenges people to identify their “EST,” as in the superlative of whatever quality they have. Are you the happi- est, the absurdest, the coolest, the quirkiest, or some other “EST” that describes what makes you truly unique? You can even make up a word like “inventive-est” if you’d like. But what is it that truly separates you from the pack?

Define and seek to cultivate those qualities that separate you from your peers. What could you be the best in the world at, given the effort? It can’t be everything, but it must be something. Spend some time con- sidering the qualities that set you apart from everyone else, then commit yourself to identifying ways you can develop them and leverage them more consistently in your life and work.

To thrive, you must cultivate the quality that sets you apart from everyone else.

QUESTION

What are the unique qualities that make you different from everyone around you?