Think differently today…

A poor tradesman blames his tools…

A poor salesman blames the market.

A person late to a meeting blames the traffic!

But the buck should always stop with you! Today, can you go the whole day without blaming anyway or anything?

If not the whole day then how about 1 hour?

If not 1 hour, than surely 10 minutes?

Either way try and start somewhere and remember what Epictetus says, ‘nothing but opinion is the cause of our troubled mind’.

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It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?

I came across this quote from Henry David Thoreau the other day and it resonated hard.

We’ve all been busy fools on occasion so it’s important to regularly check in with yourself.

Set a daily reminder and pause for a minute in your hectic live to ask, “Is this absolutely necessary?”

Quite often, you’ll probably find it isn’t.

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Are you torn between two job offers?

It’s a great problem to have—but it can also feel overwhelming…

One company offers higher pay, but the other has better growth opportunities.

One has a great work-life balance, but the other promises exciting projects.

One had great products, but the other has more impressive leaders.

Both jobs seem like good fits, but which one aligns with your long-term goals?

How do you choose when both options seem equally appealing?

Here’s the truth:

It’s not all about the money!

It’s about where you’ll be happiest.

So, what will make you happiest?

The right choice isn’t always the obvious one. It’s the one that aligns with your values and future aspirations.

Remember:

– Think long-term, not just about today.

– Consider where you’ll grow, not just where you’ll earn.

– Rationally write down pros and cons for both

– But…don’t ignore your gut feeling, it often knows what’s best for you.

– Speak to people you respect for a 2nd opinion

What offer will you accept today that your future self will thank you for in 12 months?

What factors do you prioritize when choosing between job offers? Let me know in the comments!

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The obstacle becomes the way…

“While it’s true that someone can impede our actions, they can’t impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action into a means of achieving it. That which is an impediment to action is turned to advance action. The obstacle on the path becomes the way.” -Marcus Aurelius

Obstacles will constantly get in the way of you securing a new job, maybe big things like the job offer you thought you’d get going to someone else or maybe you already have a full-time job so finding time to look is a factor.

Maybe it’s smaller things like your wifi connection is on the blink or you’re often distracted going for a coffee with friends or playing with your kids.

There will be plenty of distractions and disappointments along the way preventing you making progress. But whilst these distractions may slow you down, you can use them to your advantage because as Marcus says, your mind is adaptable.

Ryan Holiday put it best saying, ‘you have the power to use the stoic exercise of turning obstacles upside down, which takes one negative circumstance and uses it as an opportunity to practice an unintended virtue or form of excellence’.

  • If you miss out with a job to someone else, this is a chance to self-reflect and come back stronger.
  • If you’re waiting for 1 week without any candidate feedback from a recent interview, this is a chance to practice patience.
  • If are invited to go for coffee with a friend, this is a chance to practice discipline

Every impediment to action can advance action.

The obstacle becomes the way.

💪

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“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”

“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”

-Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Get a pen and paper and set your timer on your phone for 3 minutes.

Write as many possible solutions to the biggest problem you’ve got in those 3 minutes.

Don’t worry about what you write, just get it on paper, be wild!

Now at the end of those 3 minutes, read through what you’ve got.

You may have a few bad ideas, but it’s highly likely you’ve come up with 1-2 workable solutions!

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Struggling to fill a role?

Why have 2 mid-level jobs go unfilled for months when you could combine the most important tasks from the 2 and hire 1 senior person?

It would cost less to hire 1 senior person than 2 mid level and you could pass the less important tasks to a junior staff (elevating their role). If not possible you automate/augment those tasks with technology or outsource/pass to gig workers.

We are stuck in a ‘job, job holder, and physical location’ mindset but the future of work is more fluid and flexible where work is done through a combination of full time employees, gig/free lancers, alliances, and of course automation and generative ai.

Deconstruct some ‘hard to fill’ jobs and see a completely new talent pool become available!

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Character is fate…

“You should invite to your table because they are deserving, others because they may come to deserve it…” -Seneca

Similar to the ‘ready now’ vs ‘future ready’ concept in recruiting leaders, if you are someone who is not quite there with the required experience or competency but you have the right the character:

– the apetite to learn;

– the energy and determination to seek solutions;

– the intelligence to figure things out;

– the duty of being a good colleague and team player

then over the long term you’ll get more prosperous invitations than not…

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Remember this : You’re not lazy!!

We all have days were we get to the end of the day and feel like we’ve showed up but we’ve nothing to show for it.

We’ve been busy but achieved little!

It’s happens, don’t beat yourself up too much

Make today a good one! 💪

A quick reset:

What happened yesterday that prevented you making progress?

Was it internal or external?

Procrastination isn’t laziness – but it can slowly suck the life out of your goals

Block your time out for your most important tasks, write out the ‘first step to the first step’ making it easier to get started thus avoiding a quick dopamine hit of social scrolling!

Better still, put your phone on ‘flight mode’ or in another room – out of sight, out of mind!

MAKE TODAY A GREAT DAY!

💪

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As a job seeker, what’s 1 new thing you can try today?

Maybe you can work an extra hour longer?

Maybe you can review your CV – what problems do you solve, what proven results have I achieved?

You could spend more time researching and find 10 companies who have those problems

You could research who your ‘future boss’ is in those 10 companies

You could craft a short, intriguing message/email to them or a video message explaining how you can help

Maybe you can just switch off for the day and spend time with family, go walking in nature, or exercise

Maybe you could plan your job search for next week in granular details so you’re ready to attack the market with energy and purpose.

The point is, there is always something more we can do…

What decision will you make today that your future self will thank you for?

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Important tasks versus Urgent tasks … Which matters most?

It’s hard to say without context but if a family member has been rushed to hospital then whatever you’re doing can stop and you urgently travel to the hospital.

A email floating into your inbox when you’re just about to start some deep focus work isn’t as important.

It’s easier to attend to ‘urgent’ work like answering phone calls, replying to emails, finishing a presentation. This is easier to accomplish and provides us with immediate gratification.

“Important” on the other hand is whatever it is that you need to do to take you one step closer to your overall big goal/purpose.

Urgent tasks are precisely the activities we must put off in favor of the most important which although are more challenging, actually get you closer to your end goal.

Do you spend more time on urgent tasks or important ones?

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