Quote:
Originally Posted by seeker5  Hmmm, something to think. This post kind of says "Just do it" with what you enjoy. Then one of the previous post says "Think hard about who you are". So to sum up, you mean think hard about who you are, and then once you got that, just do it. |
A finger pointing to the moon
I don't think each article in this series is a continuation of the article that came before it (unlike the Meaning of Life series that was much more structured). The articles are definitely related and overlap a fair bit, but I don't think it really serves as a step-by-step process by any means.
It's more so an example of a mindset, and each article serves to more fully flesh out this particular mindset with ideas and specific examples to help you understand it better and eventually assimilate it.
My experience with the articles
For example, so far only two articles in the series really resonate with me ('Do You Have a Deeply Fulfilling Career?' and 'Exploring Career Choices'), but I believe that’s because the other articles were covering part of the mindset that I already “get” and don’t really need to assimilate. Either that, or the ideas just don’t really apply to me (which is sort of the same thing in essence).
What I’ve found most useful is realising that (A) I shouldn’t settle – at all (even with lots of pressure around me indirectly implying that I should), and (B) the only way I’m ever going to really get the sort of forward momentum I want is to do more of what I enjoy and explore ways of expressing that while paying attention to my preferences/emotional guidance. I'll make no progress "finding what I want to do" if I'm trying to do that by doing something I don't enjoy!
It's all very much common sense, but I didn't really "get it" before. Hearing such things from Steve and contrasting that understanding with my experience (ie. my constant failure
) helps me to to see the limitations of my current way of thinking and allows me to start transitioning to something more effective. And that's really what it's about -- degrees of effectiveness, not perfect ideals that usually stem from the wrong mindset. Ultimately, this is about raising your awareness.
Use the boat to get where you want to go, then leave it behind
So yeah, my suggestion would be to look at the career article series as a set of ideas and examples that point to a mindset, and ultimately, a state of being. If you are anything like me, it’s the state of being you are primarily concerned about, and everything else is just details.
To conclude, I'll leave you with a fitting quote:
The fish trap exists because of the fish.
Once you've gotten the fish you can forget
the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of
the rabbit. Once you've gotten the rabbit,
you can forget the snare. Words exist because
of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning,
you can forget the words. Where can I find a
man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?
- Chuang Tzu