Leo Babauta, the blogger behind Zen Habits, has just launched his book, *The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential … in Business and in Life!*.

Leo’s blogs are pretty much the best in the business on how to live a life of focus and simplicity … in the big picture, how to live a life of happiness.  Or in my words, how to get more Great Work into your life.

His new book is out today, and if you order before January 1 you get a bunch of bonuses:

1. The Zen To Done ebook, usually a price of $9.50.
2. The Zen Habits Handbook for Life ebook, usually a price of $6.50.
3. An exclusive audio podcast of weight loss tips from me, packaged with a special sneak peek of an audio interview — me interviewing GTD author David Allen — which will be released to the public next week sometime.

Not bad, eh?

(Check out the details here).

Here’s what Tim Ferris, author of the uber-best-seller *The Four Hour Work Week* has to say:

“Babauta has become a powerhouse of online productivity for good reason: his mantra works.”

You can find Leo’s book on Amazon right here … I’d encourage you to snap it up!

“I like scars.  You haven’t lived if you haven’t got them.”
~ Chrissie Wellington, Triathlete

I came across this quote in this article, and loved it immediately.  It combines with another favourite quote of mine, “wisdom enters through the wound”.  Wound = scar = wisdom = life.

==> What scars do you have?  What wisdom did you collect on the way?

You’ve heard me go on and on and on about needing great people around you and in your life to be able to do great work:  it’s not a solo act.

One of the subtleties of management is how to thank and acknowledge people for the work they do.

It’s pretty obvious when it’s not happening.  You’ve experienced it yourself, when you beaver away and you hear nothing back as to how you’re doing.  I’m sure you don’t do that when the roles are reversed.  (Well, only occasionally).

The next step us is when you acknowledge people for what they’ve done:

Thanks for doing this, Sue

That’s a great report you’ve written, Ron

That’s all good.  Don’t not do that.

But there’s a final step. one when you get to the heart of who the person is and the impact they’ve had on you.  And let me give you a great example.

Naomi Dunford runs IttyBiz, a brilliant website and blog for “micro entrepreneurs”, folks with 5 people or less in their business.

I’ve recently bumped into her and talked to her a bit.  Her blog is fantabulous, as it is provocative and punchy and inspiring and the embodiment of “find your voice”.

Here’s what she wrote about me yesterday:

Michael from Box of Crayons is THE SHIT, and he came along at just the right time in my life. When I was ready to sell this business to the first person I ran across with a free five grand on their Visa, I got the Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun in my mailbox and pretty seriously changed my mind. Go poke around — there’s no one thing I can recommend above anything else, but the little postcards are pretty freaking cool to start with.

And this totally made my day.  For one thing, she talks about me and who I am.  For another, she talks about what I did and how it made an impact in her life.  That’s real, specific and useful information.

And if by any chance you wondering what to get people for the holidays, you should read Naomi’s IttyBitty Gift Guide.  It’s full of really great stuff … and it’s a treat alone to read why Naomi likes it.

Seth’s offering the chance to find out.

Tempted?  I am.

You’ve got til December 14th to decide whether you’re in or out.

This week I’m using Italo Calvino’s Six Memos For the Next Millennium as inspiration for my musings on Great Work.

His first memo is on Lightness, and I’m immediately taken to its opposite: weight, and in particular the weight of the world.

The curse of responsibility.

Perhaps it’s because I’m an eldest son, but I feel both cursed and blessed by a great sense of responsibility.  Responsibility to do good, be good, be nice, be sensible, do what matters.

Undoubtedly it’s been behind some of my success and you can see it echoing in my person mission: “To infect a billion people with the possibility virus.”

But the weight of responsibility can just as easily slow you down, shrink you and make you small.

Over dinner with David Allen a year ago, we were talking about plans and ambitions.  And remember, this is a man who’s created a mutli-million dollar business, who is revered by many as a guru and has a devoted following of supporters (all of who are hanging out in sweet anticipation of his next book, Making it All Work).

His point about my various ambitions and plans?

Great.  And relax about it all.

That’s not to say don’t do your best, don’t do Great Work.

But it is to say:  treat it with lightness, with a sense of grace, with a sense of fun.

It not only helps you keep things in perspective (not many of us do anything that’s truly life and death), but it makes it all just that much more fun to do.