Tina Seelig

We can challenge ourselves every single day.

The more we take on problems, the more confident and proficient we become at solving them. And the better able we are to see them as opportunities.

We draw imaginary lines around what we think we can do—lines that often limit us much more than the rules imposed by society at large.

We always make our own prisons, with rules that we each create for ourselves, locking us into specific roles and out of an endless array of possibilities.

if others think your ideas are crazy, then you must be on the right track.

Over time, I’ve become increasingly aware that the world is divided into people who wait for others to give them permission to do the things they want to do and people who grant themselves permission. Some look inside themselves for motivation and others wait to be pushed forward by outside forces.

sometimes opportunities can be found right across the street—you just have to look up from your desk to see them.

people who get to the top work harder than those around them, have more energy that propels them forward, and are markedly more driven to get there.

There is considerable research showing that those willing to stretch the boundaries of their current skills and willing to risk trying something new are much more likely to be successful than those who believe they have a fixed skill set and innate abilities that lock them into specific roles.

If you want to achieve something, the key is to start moving in that direction. Give yourself permission to do so. Look around for holes in your organization, ask for what you want, find ways to leverage your skills and experiences, be willing to make the first move, and stretch beyond what you’ve done before. There are always opportunities waiting to be exploited. Instead of waiting to be asked and tiptoeing around an opportunity, seize it. It takes hard work, energy, and drive—but these are the assets that set leaders apart from those who wait for others to anoint them.