Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work you Love
0349415862
Cal Newport
Notes
…you need to be good at something before you can expect a good job…“The key thing is to force yourself through the work, force the skills to come; that’s the hardest phase.” – Ira Glass…By accepting an assistant position he threw himself into the center of the action, where he could find out how things actually work.
Self-Determination Theory – Motivation requires that you fill 3 basic psychological needs
- Autonomy – a feeling that you have control over your day and that your actions are important
- Competence – the feeling that you are good at what you do
- Relatedness – the feeling of connection to other people
Craftsmen Mindset – a focus on what value you’re producing in your job
- You must bring in more than you cost. Employment is not charity.
“Money is a neutral indicator of value. By aiming to make more money, you’re aiming to be valuable”
Derek Sivers
Deliberate practice – an activity designed, typically by a teacher, for the sole purpose of effectively improving specific aspects of the individual’s performance.
- Coaching allows for strain and feedback to be accomplished, particularly the feedback.
- You need to be constantly soliciting feedback from colleagues and professionals.
- To maximize your chances of success, you should deploy small, concrete experiments that return concreted feedback.
Career Capital – a description of the skills you have that are rare and valuable to the working world. This is the key currency for creating work you love.
If you’re not uncomfortable, then you are probably stuck at an acceptable level.
Law of Remarkability – for a mission-driven project to succeed, it should be remarkable in two different ways.
- First it must compel people who encounter it to remark about it to others.
- Second, it must be launched in a venue that supports such remarking.
Most knowledge workers avoid the uncomfortable strain of deliberate practice like the plague.
You need to be ceaselessly scanning your always-changing view of the adjacent possible in your field, looking for the next big idea. This requires a dedication to brainstorming and exposure to new ideas. Combined, these two commitments describe a lifestyle, not a series of steps that automatically spit out a mission when completed.