Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Building skills on the job
Remember that writing is not just for writers. Writing is a way of capturing positive thoughts in a tangible format that makes them more real. Write a positive vision of your future and go back to it when you’re feeling discouraged. It’s the same technique as visualization, except that you come out with an actual document that serves as a blueprint for success.
When something is not right in our lives, we tend to focus only on it. You may take comfort in knowing that our human brains are hard-wired to see negative things more clearly and focus on them more. It’s a throwback to when we were cave dwellers. Failing to notice a saber-toothed tiger lurking in the shadows was a possibly fatal error; failing to notice a rose blooming in the meadow was not. We see things that are wrong in our lives and we obsess about them. But as rational beings, we can also use tools to help us focus on other issues.
I follow author Time Ferris (it’s a wild ride) and this post was inspired by one of his. I happen to agree with him that you can tell a lot about people by how they do the small things.
Mastery, innovation and creativity are the keys to breakthrough performance in any field. How can you apply the principles to your own career? Colvin suggests these guidelines.
Deliberate practice means that you take one skill you don’t have and work on it over and over and over and over. And then work on it some more. You work until you’re exhausted. And then some more.
You may not have the time or patience to do this kind of practice, but you may be able to get better results by applying yourself in a more deliberate way. Here are some tips for setting up a more deliberate practice, whatever you do.
What’s the difference between Jerry Rice (NFL Hall of Fame receiver) and wide receiver Mike Williams, a 2005 first round pick by the Detroit Lions, whom you’ve almost certainly never heard of before this moment? Besides an unequalled 20-year career in a position that requires strength, grace and speed, 13 pro bowl appearances, 197 touchdowns, almost 23,000 receiving yards, and a lifetime average of 14.5 yards per catch, not all that much. That’s according to journalist and author Geoff Colvin, Fortune Magazine’s Senior Editor at Large and author of the book Talent is Overrated.
CBS Moneywatch recently released a list of the college majors with the highest unemployment rates. Five of the list of 25 majors are related to psychology. “Ironically,” the accompanying article goes on to say, “Psychology is the fifth most popular college degree.” Those numbers are probably related, of course; I try to convince jobseekers that they should consider professions where competition is less fierce. In college, that usually means where the classes are much more demanding. There are always a few seats left empty in advanced Physics classes.
This was the first generation that could choose to get married or choose almost any other lifestyle: cohabitation, staying single without stigma, and a hundred variations in between. We could choose when or whether to have children. Women could choose to have a demanding career and raise a family; it used to be an either / or decision. All this choice gave us a feeling of unlimited possibilities when we were young. But we’re no longer young (on the outside, at least.) We’re in our fifties and sixties, and feeling that the world has changed dramatically.
If you’re in a job search, you’re being evaluated on your looks all the time. Sorry – it’s just a fact of life. Your grooming, your clothes, your sense of style – they’re all part of the package you present to potential employers for their scrutiny. Here are some easy – and inexpensive – ways to look better, courtesy of Noreen Young. She’s a makeup artist, esthetician, author and well-known speaker on beauty. She owns a studio in the Lakewood / San Jose area of Jacksonville, and she’s helped thousands of people find their best look.
Here’s what Noreen suggests to look better on a budget.
If your job search is going to extend into the new year, here’s a resolution that will make a difference: look for a meaningful volunteer job. Volunteering always makes a difference, of course, in the community and for the people nonprofits serve. It’s good to know that you can make a difference to others and make a difference in your job search at the same time.
Your Work, Your Way 