Read This If Work Makes You Happy
"So, Chris, what happens when work goes away?"
I was talking to a mentor, sharing how I derived most of my happiness from my work.
I was sharing the intense responsibility I felt for helping people and the immense sense of purpose I got from executing at a high level.
Then he asked this tough question and he was right.
It's like finance. I diversify my investments so that if any individual one of them incurs a loss, I don't lose everything. This helps my odds of having a successful outcome.
But why wasn't I doing this for my sources of happiness?
It was time to get intentional about being happy.
Realizing that made it clear that I had never made happiness a priority.
And that's really the punchline, here.
2 Minute Action
Write a quick list of the things you do right now that make you happy.
Is it more than 1? More than 3?
It's up to you to decide how many sources of happiness you might need. I feel like at least 3 are necessary.
If you only have 1 right now, that's okay. It's time to look inside yourself and ask "what makes me come alive?"
And then go for it.
This App You’re Using Is No Better Than CDROM
Have you seen this one in every hotel?
Control this TV with your phone
The benefit of the app can’t be that it replaces the remote. The remote works just fine. Why do we need to replace it?
If we’re going to build an app, it should be doing more than the remote. It should beat the remote.
The magic of an app can’t be that the same capabilities of the remote are now on a shiny screen!
We already went through that!
That was CDROM in the 90s!
How is that better?
A lot of resources go into technology products and if we’re developing with a lean mindset, this product really needs to justify why it exists.
That product really needs to justify why it took so many developer hours and venture capital.
There are a few times it’s okay to invest in something to achieve “feature parity.”
Feature parity just means that the new thing has the same capabilities or features as the old version.
This can be okay but only under certain conditions, like when it enables you to build more or better future features at less cost or more stability or by using less computer processing hours.
That’s an investment. That’s justified.
Having a lean mindset means that tasks, features, and innovations are all fighting for their lives to stay on your task list.
2 Minute Action
You have a list of things to do?
Great.
Spend 2 minutes right now, going top to bottom.
Everything must fight for its life to stay on the list.
Good questions to ask:
What might happen if I put this off?
What might happen if I never finish this?
It's Easier To Stand Out Than You Think. Here's How . . .
I had just come back from a career fair where I was recruiting for a project.I had a stack of fresh resumes in hand. Looking at all of them it was quickly clear that they all looked the same.But when I talked to my colleague, he said "Look! That one! I want that one!"There was one resume in the tall stack that was bright red around the edges and stood out from the pile.As soon as I heard my colleague say this, I laughed.I pulled out the bright red resume to reveal that it wasn't a resume at all . . .It was a parking pass for the university!All of these students were doing their best to fit in. They used the same paper, the same font, the same format. They wore the same suits, said the same things, and asked the same questions.They were trying so hard to fit in because they'd been told that fitting in meant they'd be picked.
The moral of the story:
It's important and easy to stand out.Actually, it's so easy, a parking pass beat out all of my job candidates.The bar is low. Whether you're working on your marketing, your book cover, or the subject line for the email you're writing to your boss . . . it's your job to make sure your message is seen/heard/read/etc.
2 Minute Action:
Make a quick list of the top 5 things EVERYONE else does in your field.If you were to make a parody of your project or work or of the experts in your field, what might it look like?Congratulations.You now have a list of things NOT do to.You've also got a list of places in which you can be more unique.Your turn. Let's go.