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Personal Development for Smart People - Book Review

You’re a smart person, right? Of course you are or you wouldn’t be reading this blog.

The title of Steve Pavlina’s book and blog compliment the reader before they even start on the first page. Personal Development for Smart People has a ring to it that makes the reader want to pick it up and check out what’s inside.

The genius behind Steve Pavlina lies in striking the right chord at the right time. He created a personal development blog when all the personal development gurus had static sites. He wrote valuable content on a daily basis and his audience grew fast.

Steve refused to dumb it down so it would be easy to access the information. He asked you to join him on his level and this helped the readers lift themselves up out of their present cyclical thinking.

He can now boast that he maintains the largest personal development website in the world. That took strategic planning and creativity. Few people are willing to dig as deep as Steve has done to discover new personal development ideas. He understood how to stand out (weird posts), but he also understood how to connect with a mass audience (common sense writing).

Steve’s first book is filled with common sense and fresh ideas that will satisfy the most critical reader. It’s already on the best seller list on Amazon and other sites.

Foundation

Steve has learned to adjust his vibrational tuning fork to connect with millions of people. If you enjoy personal development, you have probably already visited his website. Doesn’t it seem like every other personal development blog that you read is influenced by Steve in some way? That is a tribute to a man who paved his own path.

Like his blog, Personal Development for Smart People is a well rounded book. It gives the reader the foundation to create a prosperous life.

The three main themes of the book are:

- Truth

- Love

- Power

I love how he weaves these ideas throughout each concept.

How this Book can Help Your Career

The section on careers is very useful. I’ll share two of my favorite quotes from this chapter:

“When we express ourselves creatively we are sharing what’s most important to ourselves.”

He goes on to say:

“Think of your career as a primary outlet for creative expression.”

He breaks down his thoughts in a user-friendly way to help you apply these ideas to your own life. That’s the most that you can ask for in a personal development book – easy to understand and applicable ideas that encourage the reader to take action.

I encourage you to check out his website in order to supplement the information in the book.

His website gives such gems as:

- 30 Days to Success

- How to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes

Steve’s writing within the book is incredibly polished and easy to follow. The thoughts connect and always come back to the central themes.

I would recommend this book to anyone trying to reach a deeper understanding of themselves.

Spirituality

One of my favorite sections was the one on spirituality, toward the end of the book. We have an amazing opportunity that few people have had before this time period. We can learn from any culture with a click of the mouse. You and I can learn how Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians handle certain situations. We don’t need to look through one religious lens. We can explore many perspectives to help us gain a better understanding of our lives.

This was also one of my favorite topics that he touched on in his blog, but in his book his ideas really came together to help me gain a better understanding of how to improve my outlook.

Your Choice

It’s your choice to buy this book, but I promise it will change your life, especially if you have never read his blog. If you’ve read his blog, many of his thoughts are brought together with his book into a cohesive pattern that helps the reader understand Steve’s thinking.

Getting inside an intelligent man’s head and taking a few nuggets of knowledge to improve your life is worth $20.

Work Happy Now Interview with Steve Pavlina

Steve was awesome enough to give me an interview that I recorded over Skype. It was really amazing to have the opportunity to ask him anything I wanted. As you can tell I’m a big fan of his.

I broke the interview into five parts:

1. Building Your Career Foundation – 8:36
2. How to Overcome Fear – 7:53
3. Why Passion if More Important Than Money – 6:21
4. Spirituality – 4:23
5. Steve Pavlina’s Core Principals – 10:39

I will post all 5 Podcasts tomorrow. He answered the questions that I thought would help all of you the most. So stop by tomorrow and enjoy a fun interview.

* Update: Click here to check out the Steve Pavlina interview - enjoy.

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Your 3 Careers - Are You Ready?

You will probably have 3 distinct career phases by the time you are done (it starts with your first job and ends when you kick the bucket). Many people are living into their 80’s and 90’s. The children born today may live to an average of 100 years old. Our medicine is getting scary good.

That may mean that we could have 70 or more working years before we feel like stopping. That’s a lot of time to be prosperous. I don’t know about you, but I can’t see myself sitting in a rocking chair, sipping lemonade and waiting for death. I want to be productive for as long as my mind and body will allow.

A professor emeritus of biochemistry and biophysics, Britton Chance says, “Most of the people who work on cognitive deficits realize that it’s better to use it than to lose it.” - Emily Brandon of U.S. News

Understanding your career time-frame will allow you to pick and choose the skills that are needed now to make the rest of your life successful. Paul Newman (1925 - 2008) is my favorite example. He started out in the Navy, wanting to be a pilot. His physical revealed that he was colorblind. He went on to be a radioman and a gunner for the Navy. He finished his tour in WWII and went on to study acting. His second career was acting and directing and he starred in films such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and The Color of Money (1986). For his third career he decided to give back by creating a non-profit organic line of food, Newman’s Own. He has donated over $250 million to charity as of February 2008. It’s this activity, I believe, that gave him the strength to fight cancer as long as he did and continue his great work. Without a cause to there is no reason to live. I wish him all the best in his next life.

When you are at the beginning of each career you must ask yourself “Why?” before you do anything. If you are going to school for art, then why are you doing it? If you are doing it for fun then so be it, but you must always be aware of how it fits into the “present you” and “future you.” You must appreciate the choices that you make now so it builds on the foundation you have already established. You may think you want to be a famous sculptor, but if all you do is ride your mountain bike every weekend then you must take a hard look at what you think you want compared to what really interests you.

Every choice becomes a part of who you are. From your friends to your hobbies, they all influence your decisions.

1^st Career Phase - Discovery

The 1^st job is usually in the late teens, which is about getting your feet wet. There will probably be plenty of jobs between the first and the one that actually allow you to optimize your talents.

My first job was with my father as an electrician’s helper. I ran wire, wired in fans and did what I was told. Next, I moved on to K-mart as a cashier. Then back with my father and mushroom mongering (picking wild mushrooms and selling them to local restaurants). Then I took a job in media buying. Next, I tried telemarketing miniature leather saddles to a list of old buyers. (Yep, it was as bad as it sounds.) After that I was a marketing coordinator for “high pressure” valve company. Then I worked as a teacher and in the summers I managed a cyber-café. My next job was a front desk receptionist at a Yoga Studio. Then a part-time handyman. Finally, a marketing coordinator for a credit union. Now…

2^nd Career Phase - Optimization

The 2^nd career is about hitting your stride. It’s when you know you’ve found that job that you are good at, pays well, or feels exciting. Of course we want the second career to provide all three of these, but that’s not always the case if we get lazy about making our career fit our needs.

My 2^nd career is just beginning. I’m trying to leverage myself into the career development industry, making myself an expert in the field. At 32 I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on how I can accomplish this. As you can see this website has already helped me declare my commitment to career development for people who love their lives.

3^rd Career Phase - Giving Back

The 3^rd career is about giving back to the things and people you love. That may mean giving your grandchildren the love and attention that they deserve. It may mean counseling businesses to optimize their talent. Whatever it is, it’s all about giving back to show appreciation for the life that we’ve enjoyed.

My 3^rd career is still foggy. I know that I want to retire in my late fifties and hopefully live a simple life with a nice little plot of land. I’m going to give back by helping people with their careers. I hope that they can be as happy and successful as I feel right now and expect to be in the future.

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Your career success depends on leverage. It’s the most important aspect to building your foundation. Without leverage you’ll most likely receive terrible pay and work awful hours. That’s why a lot of college students are stuck working at Pizza Hut. They haven’t mastered the skills to leverage their work and enhance their career.

A college degree isn’t always a necessity and you can leverage your career in many ways. Some of you will be creative and others will take advantage of the family business already in place. Others will learn how to build a network to help get a job out of college that fits your needs.

Use Leverages to Build Your Career Foundation

Family Name

Your family members may have already built a network that you can feed off of if they let you. My brother went into business with my father - electrical contracting. They work hard, but make a good living. My brother will eventually take over the business and he’ll have all the client relationships that have been built up for the past 40 years.

Build a Network

You’ll need patience and persistence to build your network, but if your passion is strong enough this won’t feel like work. I’m working on building my network by trying to help as many people on-line and off-line as I can. I’ve created a brand for myself and every day it helps me bring more awareness to my site and my potential business.

Love

Emotions are what transforms a product that is “just useful” into a breakaway success. Look at your favorite artists - you probably love them more than most of your friends. For example (let’s have a little fun) if your favorite musician was drowning out in the middle of the sea along with your 7^th favorite friend (the one that you sometimes enjoy being around, but a lot of times they get really annoying). All you have is a little kayak. You can only save one; who would it be? You don’t have to tell me in the comments, but I think that we all know who you would pick. When you can create a product or service that people love, then you can even mess up a customer’s order and still come out smelling like a new iPhone. Although I don’t think you’ll make mistakes on purpose to prove my point, but if you do and they truly love you, they’ll just keep coming back for more.

Education

If you graduate from Yale compared to West Chester University you’ll have a lot more doors open to you. It’s up to the individual to work hard and make a difference, but it’s a lot easier to succeed when the company knows that you are smart enough to graduate from such a prestigious university.

How You Look (Sex Appeal)

We are a society based around sex. Taller men often get the CEO positions. Prettier women may get pushed up the ladder because we want to be around beautiful people. If they don’t have what it takes, it will eventually come out and they’ll crash and burn, but if they can leverage themselves to the top and learn the skills necessary to be successful then they’ll probably able to build a pretty solid career.

Talent

Having talent is the least important factor on this list. You may have all the talent in the world, but if you can’t finish projects then it doesn’t matter. In the end what matters is producing the results. I’ve seen talented young kids come into an organization and they just don’t have what it takes to make a sale. They talk a big game and can make some pretty cool PowerPoint presentations, but that’s it. Talent is the weakest leverage, but one we still need. When you can use your network to build your rapport and your passion to push toward your goals then your talent will allow you to shine when you need to “wow” the customer.

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Plan of Attack

You must gain an understanding of who you are and what you want to accomplish to make your dreams come true. That’s why you should use your first career as a way to discover what you like and how you want to go about accomplishing your goals. I had a friend who planned his retirement at age 25. He went to a personal financial advisor, was open and honest about his finances and his potential earnings, and decided that with intense self-discipline that age 48 would be his retirement goal. A retirement lifestyle that would fulfill his needs was within his grasp if his plan was properly executed.

If you aren’t this anal then please don’t feel stressed that you don’t have every year of your career planned out. But you do need to have a plan of attack that will allow you succeed. Hitting certain age milestones can feel painful if a system was never put in place to ensure achievement that will meet your goals.

1^st Career: Use this time to understand what you want out of life.

When starting your first career, don’t worry about sticking around to build that 401k. If your company has one please contribute in to this plan, but don’t force yourself to stay with the company for another year just so you can get 20% more invested in your return. Your knowledge and network is so much more important than a few thousand dollars. So try working in retail, an office, surf shop, and maybe even a small side business to see what owning your own business is like. Do whatever it takes to help you discover your hidden talents and passions.

I could have gone into business with my father and brother or stayed at the valve company and I probably would have been ready to retire by age 50 if I was careful with my money, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to explore new career horizons. There is such a wide range of careers to be discovered and enjoyed.

2^nd Career: Use this time to optimize your talents and connect with as many people in your field as time and energy will allow.

When have had the opportunity to try many different jobs, hobbies, and possibilities then start to take note of what you enjoy and how you may fit it into a career. Maybe 10% of you will find that perfect job right out of school, but most of you will continue to explore and you’ll never stop discovering until your needs are fulfilled.

Many of you may want to take the conventional approach to finding a career, but I know a lot of you will want to carve your own niche out. I’m in the process of creating my network so I can use it to leverage my writing and speaking career. This may seem like too much of a hassle or just silly, but to me it makes sense. I don’t want to go back for my Master’s degree. I want to open doors with my persistence, talent, and network.

3^rd Career: Use this time to slow down and give back to the community that has helped support you.

Eventually you will hit a point when you’ll feel tired of doing the same thing every day. Well most of you will. Some of you may work all the way to your grave, and that’s okay too. However, many of us will move on to that third career to take life a little slower, smell the roses if you want an overused expression to help make my point.

I’ve talked to dozens of people and they want their 2^nd career to gradually come to a close. They don’t want to be working 50 hour weeks then suddenly one day just stop and piddle around in their garage. They want to ease out slowly and transition into retirement. If you are close to this position then you must be willing to talk to your employer about this (This is where owning your own business has it’s perk. It’s your choice to keep working if that’s what you would like). My friend’s grandfather, 85, still works with his son in the furniture business. He doesn’t just want to sit around all day and do nothing. He wants to help his son build the business even larger. He works four hours a day from 10 - 2 and still makes sales, contacts, and money that he doesn’t even need. The mornings and evenings are slow and lazy and that’s just the way he likes it.

I truly believe a happy 3^rd career is about giving back to the community and people you love and respect. There is just too much knowledge and love in most of us to just give up and sit in front of the TV. It’s up to each of us to create this for ourselves. This won’t fall in our lap.

Your 3 Careers

If you can plant the seed now you can create a life that will fulfill you way into your 90’s. That’s my prayer to you for today. I actually have a personal prayer that I send out to all of my readers every day. Yesterday’s was, “I pray that you are having a more enjoyable day than me.”

Praying for future happiness is good, but planning it out and taking action to make it happen will make all three of your careers flourish.

Articles related to Career fulfillment:

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• Never Stop Expanding Your Network
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• Lucky You!

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Image courtesy of Ferdi’s World

Building Your Future Career Foundation

I recently read a post from Ittybiz that made me think about my own career. 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Have A Cushion Before You Quit Your Job. I am currently working at a job that’s not my perfect fit, but I still get a lot out of the experience. I’ve thought about quitting and just making a go of speaking and writing about work happiness, but I’m not ready. I know that it’s my dream; I’m just in need of a little more seasoning before I go out on my own. I also need more support from other people in my life. It’s not the fault of the people that are currently in my life, but the need to add people who can open doors for my career.

Your uncle in the cardboard box business isn’t going to help you find those freelance writing gigs that you’ve been trying to land or introduce you to the CEO of your ultimate company. You need to connect with people who have influence in your field. That means being the persistent giver that loves to help others.

Personal Story to Cement My Point

When my wife finished her student teaching, unofficially graduating from college, she went back to work for that teacher for free. At first I was like, “What are you doing? Go enjoy your summer,” but after talking to her and understanding her goals I began to understand her wise choice. The teacher wanted to move into school administration. Nikki kept her face and hard work ethic right in front of that teacher’s eyes. When the teacher decided to leave, she recommended Nikki for the position. The principal didn’t even consider any other candidates.

Career Enhancers Radar

You need to put yourself on the radar of the people who can help you. If that means sending a hand written note with a little present that doesn’t cost more than a few bucks, so be it. If that means doing a little extra work so you stand out from the crowd, so what if you lose out on a weekend or two.

It’s about building a network that will support you during tough and good times. Without it you’ll be a lonely coconut just hanging on and hoping not to fall before you are ready. Find those other coconuts, join their clump, but don’t be afraid to switch clumps when you need more help and always keep in touch with those other clumps with a phone call or an email. If you do fall, your old group may be able to send down a monkey to bring you back into the tree for a little more seasoning.

That’s why I have to respectfully disagree with Naomi that you just need to quit your job. I think you need to build a network of people who can help you find clients, investors, and connections that will beget success. I do agree that there will never be a perfect time. Quitting your job will force you to make connections that you never would have tried to make if it weren’t for some pressure. Yes, you will need to take the leap if you want to own your own business, sooner is better than later, otherwise you’ll just look back on your life wishing that you took that chance to work for yourself. But don’t do it without a support system from people in the industry in which you want to work, otherwise you’ll be floundering for air, begging for a job instead of being confident in each meeting.

How many trusted people do you truly believe are in your network that will help your career? What do you do to foster these relationships?

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Image courtesy of Steffe

Never Stop Expanding Your Network

You may do your job well, even so well that no one can complain, but you never get ahead. This career trap can cause many problems. The cause of the problem may be that you are one dimensional. You are so good at what you do and you’ve become so comfortable that you’ve stopped sharing thoughts, ideas, and helpful hints.

I’ve seen friends fall into this trap. When they need to expand their network they ignore the signs.

• Co-workers stop coming to them for help.
• They don’t reach out to people below and above them.
• They don’t take advantage of programs that might help them expand their skills.

Your Corporate Network

Many of you may be imagining some old man on the verge of retirement that has trouble adapting to the latest computer programs at work. This happens at every age. I’m relatively young, 32, but a few months ago I felt like I had become complacent at my job and I wasn’t keeping my co-worker network strong.

I decided to start calling people within the organization to just say hi. I always make it short and sweet and keep the conversation on them. They love it. They have been more willing to help me out with a problem instead of pushing me on to someone else.

Customer Network

This same problem happens with your customer base. When we get too comfortable and we stop reaching out to old contacts, we hinder the circular flow of love from our networks that helps us succeed.

You have to communicate to all levels within the organization to stay on the pulse of your company or your business, but you don’t have to push from just one angle. If you sell refrigerators and all you do is talk about how good they are, all day every day, people will tune you out.

Talk to people about what they enjoy most - themselves. Let them remember you for your graciousness and they will return the favor.

What do you do to expand your network?

Related Career Tips and Advice:

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* Buzzoodle Marketing wrote about being one dimensional, which spurred this article.

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Image courtesy of luc legay

Develop Your Emotional Intelligence

Everything that you enjoy stems from your Emotional Quotient (EQ). When you can develop emotional stability, the creative side of your brain and good decision making habits flourish. It gives you a better chance at success. If you keep falling back on the same responses that you used last year or last month you are losing out on opportunities to make your career more enjoyable.

 

Improve Your EQ

 

Many of us look toward our working lives as a way to receive more than we give. When we don’t feel like we are being properly rewarded we take longer breaks or sneak some office supplies home.

 

We are doing ourselves more harm than good. Yes, we may be receiving more things for our time, but it’s not supporting our need for the two most important things that we all need at work.

 

Appreciation and Productivity

 

There was a study conducted between two groups of people and how they valued their job. One group was given tasks to do with no pay at all. The second group was given no tasks and they were paid for their time. At the end of the study the first group was more satisfied with their experience because they were accomplishing instead of just waiting around for something to happen.

 

Appreciation works the same way. There is a reason charity organizations can pay their employees less money. People are more satisfied with the work that they do for a charity than for a corporation whose mission statement is “Make as much money as we can.”

 

Give Way More Than You Get

 

The best way to improve your EQ is to learn to give more than you get.

 

• Give more appreciation than you get

• Give more laughter than you get

• Give more love than you get

 

When you give more than you get you are creating positive Karma. All societies are based on helping each other, even in a free market economy. So by giving more you’ll be receiving more emotionally and physically from people who want to return the favor.

 

When you are productive and you show appreciation for the people in your working life, eventually you’ll be rewarded because you are building a strong network that will help you find a new job, make an extra sale, or go that extra mile when you need help.

 

Articles Related to Emotional Intelligence:

• Emotional Intelligence Improves the Workplace
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Image courtesy of Tico Bassie