Week 4 Reading

‘So good they can’t ignore you’ by Cal Newport

As I am writing this I am quite inspired, just the way Newport was inspired by the musician and the comedian. People are always telling you do something that you love and you will never work a day in your life again, or always do what you love and don’t settle for anything else. I agree with the reading when it suggests that this just invites unhappiness and ambiguity to the lives of those thinking or being told this. It is a way for people to be always looking out for what they love, and if they don’t love it they become unhappy very quickly. It is constantly confusing you and what you want to do with your life, or what you are put on this earth to do. You are constantly asking who you are, and what you think you should be doing. Sometimes, this can set you up for disappointment. I have read this piece and have gone away changing my mindset, especially in my final semester at university. I get quite anxious as to what I want to do and what I love, so that I can decide my career path. I am constantly asking myself who am I?

There are two types of mindsets, the craftsmen mindset and the passion mindset. The craftsmen one is about focusing on what you value you’re producing in your job. Stop focusing on the little details and focus instead of becoming better. If someone keeps thinking how can they better themselves, people are going to come to you. This mindset is the foundation for creating work you love according to Newport and is about what you can offer the world. The one quote that stood out the most was “BE SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU”. It is so competitive out there and it is one of the things that frightens me the most. Why should someone choose to employ me over someone else, well the quote above is why. This is a great motivation to be the best, not necessarily in the eyes of others, but how you see yourself.

The passion mindset is about people thriving by focusing on the question of who they are, and connecting that to what they love most. It is based on what the world can offer you. It seems to communicate that you need to find something you love doing and you will be forever happy. But for people that don’t find this straight away it can be confusing and disheartening. People are constantly in search for who they are, myself included, and sometimes you are left not knowing anything.

Cal Newport sums up this reading by saying you adopt the craftsmen mindset first and then the passion follows. This is something to always remember.

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