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Tina Su recently left her corporate job to focus on her passions full-time. Tina writes weekly at Think Simple Now (which recently celebrated its first anniversary), focusing on personal happiness and wellbeing. If you haven’t done so already, we highly recommend subscribing to Tina’s site, not least for its combination of inspiring content with practical, real-world advice.

We caught up with Tina recently as part of our series of interviews on people who have successfully transitioned from thinking about their dream to actually living it every day.

Which books, movies, or CDs have been most helpful or inspiring to you?

Books can be incredible teachers, packed with wisdom, value and inspiration. When you find ones that you connect with, your growth process accelerates.

There are too many good ones to list, but my top four books are: Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill; Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman; The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle; Feel the Fear and Do It Anyways, by Susan Jeffers. My complete list of favorite books can be found here.

Movies: Definitely The Secret, What the Bleep Do We Know!?, and Waking Life.

What’s the feeling you’re usually trying to achieve? What helps you get that?

For the past two years, my target has been to feel clarity and deep contentment in the now. When I am in this state, I fall into the flow of the present moment and experience an abundance of joy, creativity and calming bliss.

Getting to this state is simpler than many people assume, and as with all things new, we get better at it with practice. Here are some triggers I use to connect myself to this state:

• Gratitude – Reflect on all the things, people, and situations that I am thankful for. It’s amazing how many miracles occur around us.
• Meditation or Quiet Alone Time – Take time each day to focus on your soul. When you are well from the inside, your exterior will reflect this glow. Take quiet alone time for yourself. It’ll clear your mind and calm the noise running in it.
• Inspirational Reading – I’ve found that reading something inspirational for 10-30 minutes is a phenomenal way to start one’s day and sets the tone for the rest of the day.
• Creative Expressions – Spending time deeply focused on something I enjoy, whether it is writing or photography.

What’s the advice that you’re always giving people?

You are not as stuck in your current unhappy situation as you may think.

What’s a repeating lesson in your life?

Focus on one thing at a time. Focus on one major project at a time. My natural inclination is to jump on all of the many projects that I get excited about. Problem is, I underestimate how long things will take, and overexert myself. As a result, I end up not making real progress on any single project.

What inspires you?

People and their stories inspire me. I love connecting with people who are passionate, authentic, brave, and compassionate. I believe that if we look, we can find something inspirational from every person we cross paths with.

For every person we end up interacting with, consider asking ourselves, “What is it about this person that I admire?” or “What qualities does he/she have that I can learn from?”

How do you get things done?

Writing them down and scheduling tasks to complete each day. I’m a big fan of lists.

Just by virtue of being you, what are you teaching?

I am teaching personal happiness and fulfillment. I love to see the sparkle in people’s eyes when they are inspired, motivated and happy. Sometimes, seeing the results moves me to tears and encourages me to keep writing. People really are amazing.

We all have the stars of greatness twinkling within us, in a sky abundant with potential and possibilities. When we expect great things from others and see them as the shiny stars which they are, not only do we give them the encouragement they need to recognize their inner stars, but we are also giving them a priceless gift: Hope.

For more on Tina, don’t forget to check out her guest question on today’s Daily Q&A.