I’m a firm believer that you can succeed not just by being remarkable, but by simply nailing the fundamentals consistently.
While others are caught up in trends and pivots and re-alignments, consider doing a good job, consistently.
You’ll outlast most just by showing up every day.
I think my generation has a hard time dealing with criticism.
That’s too bad. Many would kill for the guidance and wisdom we ignore and reject because we can’t see past the packaging.
It has become customary for people to solicit feedback on ideas with “thoughts?” but I find it to be a bit lazy, obnoxious, and ineffective at times.
I realize that Tweets sometimes require statements to be truncated, but I don’t believe the same limitations exist in many other places…
My grouchiness on the topic aside, the best way to get an unhelpful answer is by not asking a specific question. Asking a the right question puts you halfway to the answer that you seek.
When I got my job with Accenture back in 2007, it wasn’t because I was an incredible programmer.
It was because I fit the profile of someone they thought could have a long and productive career with the company. It’s true, I could have, but I brought no noteworthy technical skills with me when I started.
This resulted in a frustrating catch-22 after I was hired as a consultant: no projects wanted to bring me on since I was both new and lacked a technical competency, but there’s virtually no way I could have developed the experience needed in a vacuum without someone giving me a chance.
I finally built rapport with a manager who foolishly brought my onto his project and I had little trouble finding work after that, but this is beside the point. The point is that I didn’t graduate with the hands-on experience needed to be successful in my field.
Many of my peers failed to transition successfully into the workforce in a timely manner because of this. Some went back to grad school and subsequently missed the market completely — overqualified and inexperienced. An unenviable plight.
Does this mean that my alma mater failed me or that I was an apathetic student? I’m not sure either of these things are true, but I’m certain that different opportunities would have changed how I approached the job search back then.
I had a professor during undergrad named Melissa Raulston. Melissa was a no-nonsense small business owner with a lot of experience and an intense passion for young people. Under Melissa’s direction, I blossomed both as a student and as a leader.
[Ready for a good laugh? Enjoy.]
She saw strengths in me that no one else saw, and often held me to a higher standard because of it. Melissa’s story is remarkable and I’ll let you read about it yourself, but what I love most about Melissa is that she’s doing something about the problems she sees.
Most notably, she’s starting the Wellspring Studio School.
What are the causes of a lack of workforce preparation and endemic disengagement among college students? What can be done to improve workforce-readiness and post-graduation outcomes? The WellSpring Manifesto proposes answers to these vexing questions that are endangering America’s competitive position in the 21st century.
I love that. Take a look at the Wellspring Manifesto to get a sense for what the school stands for. If you’ve got some ideas for Melissa, let her know.
And if the project resonates with you, spam everyone you know share it.
I discovered by accident how powerful writing down my beliefs can be. When I used to do freelance design and development work, clients used to reach out by saying “I love [something from my about page or a random post]!”
It gave them something to identify with, a sense of shared purpose and trust. Similar to how putting your interest at the bottom of a resume is recommended in case the reviewer also likes to ride horses or jump out of airplanes.
The queen of this is probably Amber Rae, who lives life out loud in a way that causes causes others to gravitate toward her in droves. Droves, I tell you.
Living with conviction brings others into your gravity, and making a habit of sharing your perspective creates magic. People are looking for something to believe in, and I’d be thrilled if that something came from you.
You’re committed, you work hard, and you put in the hours necessary to realize your dream. And every once in a while, you need to take a step back and recharge your batteries.
So how do you stay on top of things while you recover and preserve your health and sanity?
The only way I know how to do this is by staying far enough ahead of where I need to be, so things go from being ahead to on schedule instead of on schedule to omg-everything’s-on-fire.
Your mileage may vary.
Pushups used to be something I avoided.
I’m a big guy, so supporting my upper body does not come without strain and the nagging feeling of impending death. When I started doing yoga and noticed how difficult certain positions for me, I started changing my workout to compensate.
On the chest press, I started focusing less on reps and more on emulating the positions that were causing me to strain. This morning when I did a quick home workout, I was encouraged by how easily my pushups were knocked out.
Progress.
Something similar happened when I went from dreading my monthly financials review (which I nearly outsourced) to realizing that the task was easy if I did a bit of it daily as needed instead of relegating the whole thing to the last day of every month.
The lesson for me is that the undesirable can become trivial with enough practice. Lean into the pain, I guess you’d say.
You might be a surgeon, a writer, or an engineer professionally.
But who you are? You’re a winner.
Under different circumstances, you might have become an attorney, an NFL head coach, or a classically-trained pianist. My hunch is that you would be just as successful. Winners win.
So fret not at the thought of layoff or things out of your control, you possess everything you need to overcome and succeed and prosper.
Yesterday, a friend of mine announced an event that’s being planned for Q1 of next year. On the strength of the previous event’s success, every recipient enthusiastically responded and updated their calendar accordingly.
The organizer (let’s call him Nick, since that’s his name) earned our trust, demonstrated value, and with a four-sentence update caused busy freelancers and entrepreneurs to fall in sync with something that’s almost a year away.
This kind of influence only comes with meticulous planning, many hours of hard work, and bold execution. Nick has earned it.
I’ve lived in Harlem for more than a year now, and I enjoy it quite a bit.
It’s a neighborhood rich with history and culture, and it’s in the middle of what many are calling the “Second Renaissance”. Next Tuesday, TEDxHarlem comes to the historic Apollo Theater.
Get ready for a day-long conference that seeks to understand, celebrate and empower the informal methods of social innovation that grow organically in Harlem and throughout communities around the world. The conference day is broken out into four movements designed to explore the newest ideas in innovation and expose you to concepts and dialogue that are exciting, engaging and inspirational.
Tickets can be purchased here.