The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need

Just finished reading The Adventures of Johnny Bunko. The book is "written" in the form of manga. It talks about Johny Bunko who is stuck in a dead-end job as an accountant. During a night he pops a pair of chopstick apart and boomz! An anime-cal lady Diana just pops out of mid-air, becomes his career advisor and guides him and his colleagues through various projects.

Well, here are the 6 essential lessons, as quoted from Diana:

1. There is no plan.

No matter how we plan, things will still change. At the middle of the road, we still have to make decisions if the plan is not working, depending on the reasons.

We often do something for one of two reasons: instrumental reason and fundamental reason. Instrumental reason is you think it's going to lead to something else, regardless of whether you enjoy it or it's worthwhile. Fundamental reason is you think it's inherently valuable, regardless of what it may or may not lead to. The most successful people make decisions for fundamental reasons.

2. Think strengths, not weaknesses.

Research found that the key to success is to steer around your weaknesses and focus on your strengths. What do you consistently do well? What gives you energy rather than drains it? What sorts of activities create "flow" for you?

3. It's not about you.

It's about your customer. It's about your client. The most successful people improve their own lives by improving others' lives. They bring out the best in others.

4. Persistence trumps talent.

What do musicians and athletes do that others don't? They show up. They practice and practice and practice some more. That's why they do so well in whatever career they choose--even if it's not sports or music. What's the most powerful force in the universe? Compound interest. A little bit improves performance, which encourages greater performance even more. And on and on it goes.

That's why intrinsic motivation is so important. Doing things not to get an external reward or a promotion, but because you simply like doing it. The more intrinsic motivation you have, the more likely you are to persist. The more you persist, the more likely you are to succeed.

5. Make excellent mistakes.

The most successful people make spectacular mistakes--huge, honking screwups! Why? They're trying to do something big. But each time they make a mistake, they get a little better and move a little closer to excellence.

6. Leave an imprint.

You're young now, but when you get older and look back at your life, you'll ask yourself a whole bunch of questions. Did I make a difference? Did I contribute something? Did my being here matter? Did I do something that.. leave an imprint? The trouble is, many people get towards the end of their lives and don't like their answers. And by then it's almost too late.

The truly successful people deploy them in the service of something larger than themselves. They leave their companies, their communities, their families a little better than before. This isn't just career advice, guys. In some ways, this is what it means to be alive.

Wow.. Just after copying out her wisdom. These lessons are really what we often learn from the successful people and motivational gurus. Well said well said! If you like it, you may borrow it from the national library :p Nice reading if you don't have time but need the motivational pump-up.