In medical school, an ongoing lesson is that there will be ongoing lessons. You're never done. Surgeons and internists are expected to keep studying for their entire career—in fact, it's required to keep a license valid.
Knowledge workers, though, the people who manage, who go to meetings, who market, who do accounting, who seek to change things around them—knowledge workers often act as if they're fully baked, that more training and learning is not just unnecessary but a distraction.
The average knowledge worker reads fewer than one business book a year.
On the other hand, the above-average knowledge worker probably reads ten.
Show me your bookshelf, or the courses you take, or the questions you ask, and I'll have a hint as to how much you care about levelling up." -- Seth Godin http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2016/09/fully-baked.html
“Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is.” -- Seth Godin
Hi,
I just want some joy in my life. That statement made me sit up. It was a cry for help from someone I cared about.
It also made me ask……what is success and what does it look like?
That is a big question. Many of us don’t know if we have arrived or even qualified to answer that with a yes.
Or even say…..”I am now successful”.
Is it money, fame……power? Is the path to success a destination?
Watching the grown ups is our first yardstick.
Then television gave us a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous. Fame and fortune seemed to be something to aspire to.
Social media arrived and made everyone’s lives visible and in plain sight. Other people’s adventures and achievements were on display for all to see.
Success envy....
This glimpse into the heartache and happiness of a planet has made success envy real and visceral.
Often we just want to click away because……..their apparent lives are so much better than ours.
So comparisons are made and judgements about our level of apparent happiness and achievement are felt. Big cars, big houses and a big paycheck seem to be the answer.
Also the statement “When I grow up I want to be like him” was very real to me.
The schoolyard......
When I turned up to school at the age of five the success question was a burning personal query. Just hidden inside. I just didn’t know it yet.
Leaving the relative safety of home to start school was a revelation. Mum’s hugs and the quiet haven of home were replaced with the free for all of the playground.
Faster, further and stronger was often determined over a schoolyard fight, how far you could throw or a kicking competition.
The schoolroom......
Learning to count to 10 was the first metric. Then it was how well you could spell. This was success at seven.
Standing in front of the class and being tested on the power of your memory to recall the right spelling of words like “unique” was the next step to being seen as a success. God forbid you got it wrong, a pandybat was always hanging on the wall, next to the blackboard....
Mum and dad were provided with your ranking in the latest test sent home in the yellow envelope.
Dad’s response to being second in my class was confronted with this “why couldn’t you do better”. God forbid I should do worst, a leather belt was always handy....
It was obvious to me. I hadn’t achieved success yet. There was more to do. And hell to pay if you didn't...
The arrival....
Turning up at “big” school like Art & Design High School put another twist on the burning question. Creating the next Masterpiece, dating the prettiest girl in the class, being invited to parties or hanging out with the coolest crowd were now in the equation.
If that wasn’t happening then……?
The arrival of hormones had suddenly changed the game. It wasn’t so simple anymore.
Competition was now everywhere. Being a Great Artist, grades, getting into the football team and popularity.
So we stumbled and groped our way through a myriad of emotions and situations that is well LIFE! But then it got more serious. Graduation loomed and career choices were starting to be confronted.
Accountant, doctor, programmer/analyst or teacher?
Being in NYC, NY we boarded the High-speed rail train and headed towards a career and a college. Just wasn’t sure what that was. But a step had to be made and decision was required.
After ALL... "You cannot swim for new horizons 'til you have courage to lose sight of the shore" - Wm Faulkner
"A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a first step" - Lao Tzu
"The mightiest works, start with small steps." - M Dooley
Read the rest >>>> HERE!
(Watch for it... wait for it... it'll come to you... it'll load inline below... about NOW!)
My thanks in advance for your time and attention.
Cheers,
Joao
%
Jeff
PS: Want to succeed at transforming mere words into more money? Then grab a seat at the FREE "Copywriting Summit", where you will learn from over 20 of the world's best copywriters and marketers.
Get access now >>>> HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment