Inspired by this post by Leo Babauta, I’ve started to compile a list of articles that I frequently return to for inspiration and motivation.

Life Tips 101 by Nicholas Bate I used pieces of this post in a meeting at work to illustrate a few non-work things we ought to be striving for.

21. Creativity isn’t a technique: it’s a way of being.

What Screens Want by Frank Chimero This post made me rethink how I use computers and how designers design for users.

First there was darkness, and then there was light. And then we figured out how to >make that light dance.

1000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly I admire this idea so much. I think it’s probably true, but it takes talent, consistency, determination, and a tremendous work ethic.

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, >animator, designer, videomaker, or author — in other words, anyone producing works of >art — needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.  

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson This is the post that really started it all for Mark Manson. I remember reading it and being blown away by what he was saying.

We must craft and hone our lack of fuckery over the course of years and decades. Like a fine wine, our fucks must age into a fine vintage, only uncorked and given on the most special fucking occasions.

Make Something Happen by Seth Godin In a long string of posts by Seth Godin, this is the simplest and most dynamic. Everything distilled to three words. I’m sure he was upset that he couldn’t use “Just do it.”

Make something happen today, before you go home, before the end of the week. Launch that idea, post that post, run that ad, call that customer.

Cereal In My Mouth by A dog Writing like this is rare with today’s blogging and social media. Just a simple premise that still makes me laugh every time I read it.

I would not say that the cereal in the box was given to me. What I would say is that, through a series of events, I came to have access to the cereal in the box.