Career

Weekly Challenge: The Parts of Victory

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I want you to think about one of your finest achievements this week.

Go on, pick one.  Don't worry about being arrogant or whatever, I'm sure it's something worthy of your analysis.

Now, turn it over in your mind and ask yourself this – what were the major parts of it?  Write down the major parts of that great achievement.  For instance if you're quite proud of your first novel think of the formatting, the editing, the writing, and the inspiration.

Now see each of those parts?  Break them down.  Write down those parts.

Keep going until you can't break things down anymore – or you get tired of it (I give you until you get to 14-20 different parts).

All our great achievements are made of smaller ones.  It's important to remember that, especially because, as we get used to them, we forget it.

It's also easy to forget how we built ourselves up, accumulated our strength, and made our dreams possible.

So take a moment to find the small parts of your life that became something awesome.  Next time you want to do something incredible, you mind find the perspective useful for building yourself up.

– Steven Savage

The Many Sides of ‘Professional’

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I often hear over and over again "I'm not a professional" when it comes to their careers.  Usually it's in the form of "I can't do that, I'm not a professional" when I hear it, and usually from a person forgetting that all professionals have to start somewhere.

I also hear people talk about being professional.  It's usually how one acts professional, or dresses professional.  Reams of books are written on how to repress your urges, dress like everyone else, and thus somehow "be professional."

I see "professional" everywhere.  So what is all this "professional" about?

I think when it comes to "professional" people are often talking about different things.

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You’ll Never Get It Together

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"Once I get it together, I'll launch my career!"

If you think this way, you're never going have a career.

The truth about careers (and life in general) is you'll never truly have it together.  There will always be something not quite right.  There will always be something a bit off.  Even if you get to your supposed perfect point, you'll re-evaluate it and discover it's not as perfect as you thought.

So you might as well start your career now.  Take that class.  Read that book.  Do that research.  Practice Flash animation or whatever.  You're never going to have it together enough to start, so wade on it.

"Once I get these things together, my career will be perfect."

If you think this way, you'll be waiting forever.

Careers are evolving, unpredictable beasts.  You can set a direction into the future, but you can expect quite a few twists and turns as you head towards where you want to go.  Along the way you may decide where you want to go is something differently entirely.

Want to be happy in your career?  Start as soon as possible, throw yourself into it, and enjoy the ride.  Accept the crazy, chaotic nature of what you'll face.  Enjoy the experience of the changes.

There's never a time it'll be all together.

But it can be pretty exciting!

– Steven Savage