Monday, August 24, 2015

I Don't Know What I Want... Chaper 11, Part 4

I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This 

By Julie Jansen 

 Chapter 11: The Ten Keys To Success


Last week's Keys to Success were pretty low-key (..sorry), so let's see what this week has to offer in Intelligence, Optimism, and Respect.

Intelligence

Oh, this is one where I was genetically blessed!  Yay, smart parents!

Ahem.  So what Jansen really means is figuring out what kind of intelligence you have and making the most of it. And where you're intellectually lacking (...I'm looking at you, navigation...), it's important to know people who have intelligence in those areas so you can learn from and/or rely on them. Delegate!

Optimism

Yeah, I was not so genetically blessed on this one.  Not gonna blame the parents; let's call it recessive genes?

Of course, Jansen thinks one of the ones I'm really bad at is one of the most important.  Thanks, Author!

Since this one is so important, Jansen includes a quiz.  I'm not going to get into details, but at least a few times I chose options that "are not the approaches an optimist would take" (though in at least one question, the optimist and pessimist options are not mutually exclusive, such that I answered, "Uh, both!").

Then Jansen says that optimism is "said to be" predisposed  (...yep), but offers some tips on how to be more optimistic. I'm skeptical (...shocking, I know!), but if they help you, awesome:
  • Ask yourself what you've learned from negative experiences.
  • Distract yourself from negative thoughts.
  • Break your goals down into small pieces so you don't feel overwhelmed.
  • Ask a positive person to help you reframe your negative thoughts.
  • Exercise!
  • Focus on the positive.

 Respect

 Jansen spends this sections talking about how important it is to be pleasant.  Sure, that's important, but it's not the same as being respectful, so I'm just not elaborating on this one.  Be respectful and pleasant.  There. Done.


And done the chapter, too! Next time: Job hunting!



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