There’s something delicious about personal practice and bettering your craft for the real world. A rush, if you like. I love discovering new tricks and tips about grammar, or how to handle a proofreading and feedback better. Shining a warm, positive light, Cal Newport in some ways feels the same. Presenting his ideas, this week’s reading served to follow the methodology of the craftsman as opposed to the passion mindset. Reflecting on these differences through anecdotal evidence, Newport maintains the idea that focusing on one’s craft and/or strengths first and honing your skills is far more important than stressing about what the world can offer. Of course, it’s the timeless argument of perfecting your craft or being so well-adept folks flock to you. In a dreamy ideal world, this is of course, wonderful. But of course, there’s a darker side in becoming so good people can’t ignore you.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m very close to the rocky territory of being too skilled for internships, but too unskilled for entry level positions. It’s my own feelings–fear of missing out, anxiety about adulting, yearning for job security over freelancing–but I know I’m not alone. Being proactive, however, is definitely a powerful principle. There’s no easy route to success: the best stories are ones with struggles, fears and stress. Lots and lots of stress. Alike Newport, he acknowledges some people are born into a world of difference that allows them to establish themselves earlier, but the concurrent passion mindset will always outweigh those who act on their skills or privilege. This hit very close in my own personal experiences, where although I am the first in my family to attend university as a second-generation child, I am hungry to become something in the Australian media field.