Sunday, September 1, 2013

Book Recommendation: So good they can't ignore you

I watched this video clip (lengthy) by the author of "So good they can't ignore you".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwOdU02SE0w

It is pretty much a synopsis of his book (see below which is a very good secular book but the thoughts resonate with biblical principles).   

I commend the clip  to you. ...at least to watch some of it.  If you don't have the 40 minutes, go to about 32 minutes when he is immersed in his topic of building career capital to leverage for the future...working hard in an area of interest with deliberate practice and building toward a job you love...not endlessly search for something you are passionate about from the outset.

Art 
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P.S. I think he is "spot on" about in career development the key is not "follow your passion" but rather why skills developed in an area of interest trumps passion in the quest for work you love as you build what he calls career capital to tap on down the road where skilled involvement turns to passion. 
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In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice.  Not only is the cliché flawed-preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work-but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do. Spending time with organic farmers, venture capitalists, screenwriters, freelance computer programmers, and others who admitted to deriving great satisfaction from their work, Newport uncovers the strategies they used and the pitfalls they avoided in developing their compelling careers.

Matching your job to a preexisting passion does not matter, he reveals. Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before.
In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.

With a title taken from the comedian Steve Martin, who once said his advice for aspiring entertainers was to "be so good they can't ignore you," Cal Newport's clearly written manifesto is mandatory reading for anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. He provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love.

SO GOOD THEY CAN'T IGNORE YOU will change the way we think about our careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life.

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