I must admit, this week’s reading had me a bit lost at first. I felt like I was reading an airy fiction novel and I started to zone out. That was until I got into the thick of it, and was truly compelled by Newport’s approach to thinking about work.
I pride myself on my passion and determination in my career and its progression, and for years have been saying, “just watch me – I’m going to be on Forbes 25 under 25 most successful”. As time ticks (how much can be achieved in 4 years?) and passion turns into hard work, I was intrigued and enlightened by Newport’s words.
BE SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU.
Although I’ve heard this punchy line before (and is something I should probably have framed in my room next to my Kanye West quotes), the author explores means of talking and thinking about being ‘so good’, against actually actioning the skills that make you ‘so good’, in what he calls “the craftsman mindset”. He taps into the idea of process versus final product, and how your priorities should lie in the former in order to become the best you can be.
I found it jarring when he mentions to “stop focusing on the little details… focus instead on becoming better”. I’ve always believed becoming better comes down to constantly tweaking, enhancing and expanding those little details, and that the two go hand in hand. Sometimes zoning out from the big picture and honing in on the finer details is exactly what sets one individual apart from others. Newport also mentions that passion will follow adopting the craftsman mindset – although I still believe that the passion must be there in the first place in order to apply yourself to the work.
Here are some key ideas that I took from the reading:
- Craftsman mindset: what you can offer the world
- Passion mindset: what the world can offer you
- Focusing on what your work does and doesn’t offer you makes you “hyperaware” of what you dislike (a bit of a revelation for me!)
- Passion mindset can lead to overthinking and ‘perpetual unhappiness’ – always a need for greater fulfilment and heightened expectations
- Don’t apply yourself half-heartedly.
And last but not least, the following line really stuck with me; “no one owes you a great career… you need to earn it”. While this line isn’t entirely true for everyone, it speaks to my work ethic and the way in which my future has begun to shape itself.
