What does it mean to be graceful? Usually when one thinks of someone who is graceful it is in the context of physicality, like a ballerina or someone who carries herself with particular poise. There is graceful living, which connotes a certain sense of ease and comfort. There is the religious idea of grace, through which one achieves a state of sanctification by adhering to religious practices and beliefs. Then, of course, there is a different kind of grace entirely, one more nebulous and abstract, that has to do with acting with a sense of thoughtfulness.

Looking for a definition, even Webster doesn’t quite capture what it really means to be graceful. And then along comes Seth Godin and his little book on the subject, in which he offers us thirty ideas on “making a difference in a world that needs you.” Originally created as a handout for attendees of Catalyst Conference 2010 where he was a keynote speaker, Graceful is now an eBook available for download from the iTunes book store or at Amazon.com here.

Graceful is artistic, elegant, subtle and effective. Graceful makes things happen and brings light but not heat.

Although he talks about industry and frames his point of reference in business terms, I see this work more as a manual on how to live a life filled with authenticity and truth than a treatise on best work practices. In 59 pages Seth shows us how focusing on happiness, abundance, kindness and connection are the way to achieve a life full of grace and to be a success in the process, allowing all along that what it means to be successful inherently includes that which is graceful.

Working and living gracefully requires “emotional labor,” which is “the art of working with your head and your heart, not your muscles.” It may not be as easy as going with the flow and accepting the status quo, but it’s infinitely more rewarding.

I could fill this post with quote after quote as each short chapter becomes increasingly more inspiring and resonant than the last. Instead, I encourage you to read it for yourself.

The digital revolution is destroying the industrial one. Compliant cogs in efficient factories race to the bottom, seeking to be ever faster and ever cheaper. It’s a race we can’t win, one that deadens us and cheapens our work.

The alternative is to strip away the insulation we carry around like a suit of armor, to open ourselves to the possibility of making connections, giving gifts and creating art. I call this posture a graceful one.

It’s our birthright to be graceful. The world has just made it possible for you to take this opportunity and make something of it. I hope you will.

I, for one, am choosing to go and make something happen.