Inspiration for a Late Winter Monday

Spring is not quite here, and if the Groundhog has his say, won’t be for another couple of  weeks.  If you’re like me, you may find yourself needing a little inspiration to hold you till the daffodils bloom.

• Jeff Zaslow’s Last Lesson – The Wall Street Journal reporter who brought us Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture himself led a life that teaches us all how to give our best at our work.  As his friend and eulogist Bob Greene tells us, what Zaslow teaches us is this –  “When you get your big break, it won’t be because you made the extra effort once. It will be because you made the extra effort every time.”  I’m tattooing that one on my brain.

• Physician/Musician. Maryland Gastroenterologist Christopher Shih is also an accomplished award-winning pianist.  I’m writing this while listening to his beautiful rendition of  Brahms’ Variations and Fugue for Piano in B flat major on a theme by Handel.  You can listen to this and more at his website.

• Prioritization for people with many goals. This post at Dumb Little Man, one of my favorite sites, seems to have been written just for me.  Now I just have to find the time to sit down and prioritize.

• The Power of Habits – Can we rewire our brain and break behavioral circuits?  Charles Duhigg suggests that you can, and his own 30 pound weight loss  supports this . I’ve added his book to my reading list.

• Finally, if you just can’t wait two more weeks to see the flowers bloom,  here is a video for you.