There is a box in a cabinet in my office that is full of medication.

Every time I get a card or an e-mail from someone that has been positively impacted by my work I drop it in the box so that I have concrete proof that I’m making a difference in the lives of the people around me on the days when I’m just not sure notes like this one really matter.

You may think me silly, but the most important discovery I’ve made over the past decade is that I am the most difficult person I will ever have to manage. If keeping a box of kudos helps me keep going on the days I consider quitting, then that seems like effective self-management to me.

I could offer dozens of other ways that I mitigate my weaknesses by planning for them to make an incredibly inconvenient appearance, but I think you get the point.

Your responses to certain situations are likely more predictable than you might believe them to be, and it’s up to you to you use that knowledge to your advantage.