Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

Bigger goals - the bigger "yes"

Monument I've just returned from a trip to London and have been reflecting on goals and outcomes. I wanted to record my initial thoughts in this post (from my iPhone, no less). I've often heard that goals / objectives must be "reasonable" so you can achieve them. But is that right?

When you look at the great achievements of history, you often hear the words "achieved the impossible" or "succeeded against all odds.". Those hardly sound like the accomplishment of "reasonable" goals.

When was the last time you made a big bet by declaring a goal that seemed impossible?  For me, I think it's been a while. With that in mind I'd like to encourage you to think beyond your safety zone and try to set at least one goal that seems impossible, and try to engage the forces of the universe to help you achieve it.

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Awesome “give & get” opportunity

beyondcode_new In my last post, I reviewed Rajesh Setty’s book, Upbeat.  Well, I finally got around to subscribing to his new newsletter and was pleasantly surprised that this entitled me to download a PDF copy of his book, “Beyond Code” (which I’ve also reviewed).

This is a phenomenal example of “give & get” – you give Rajesh permission to keep in touch with you in his newsletters, and you get a free copy of a very powerful book.

By the way – I just realized it’s been over 3½ years since I first read Beyond Code, and I still feel its impact.  I have re-read it a couple of times, and have recommended it to others countless times.

If you want to sign up for Rajesh Setty’s newsletter, you can do so by clicking this link.

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A good book for our times

I just read my friend Rajesh Setty’s new book, “Upbeat: Cultivating the right attitude in tough times.”  I’ve been a fan of Rajesh’s work since I discovered him through his book “Beyond Code,” a couple of years ago.

This book is a perfect book for anyone who’s feeling victimized by today’s financial crises as it was prepared specifically to help people deal with today’s environment.  That said, I found a lot in this book that will help with improving your outlook on life, in general.

The approach Rajesh takes in this book upbeat coverwill help you decide whether you’ll be a victim of circumstance, or whether you’ll take responsibility for your own well being and try to improve your lot in life.  From there, he provides a number of examples and insightful observations to help you figure out how to overcome obstacles and anxiety.

Not just a “feel good” book

Don’t worry – this is not just a “feel good and good things will happen to you” kind of book.  Rajesh is a serial entrepreneur and has had lots of experience with both setbacks and successes, and he rolls all that experience into this short book.

The book is organized around 5 key areas:

  1. The Trap – this is how to keep the “gloom and doom” of everyday conversation from eroding your spirit, as well as how to look for the opportunities that will take you to the next level.
  2. The Discipline – this is about rituals and habits, as well as becoming a “lean and mean” player in the world.
  3. The Network – this is the traditional “help and be helped” networking approach, but also about how not to misuse networking tools (i.e. when Facebook becomes Fakebook).
  4. The Strategy – this is all about honing your focus and taking deliberate action.
  5. The Action – this deals with a notion I think of as “do the things you want to be known for” which will increase your chances of success when people are looking for a new member of their team.

The “Upbeat DIY Helpbook”

While the first part of the book focuses a lot on attitude, persistence, and commitment, the appendix is kind of like a set of mini-workshops.  Rajesh calls it the “Upbeat DIY Helpbook” and it creates short, introspective exercises to help move you along the right path.  I found that it put a fine point on many of the abstract concepts introduced in the beginning of the book and made it all seem more real.

In summary, this is a short book and an easy read, but don’t let it’s diminutive size fool you – there is a lot of power in these pages.  Oh – and I think Upbeat would be a great gift for you to give someone who finds themselves on the wrong side of this economy.

For more on Rajesh, be sure and check out his blog at http://www.lifebeyondcode.com.

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Kindle 3 – early scoop

Just saw a video on the Kindle 3 – just amazing.  It will let you read The Lord of the Rings trilogy in only 9 hours – who knew?  I’m glad I have my Kindle 2 to tide me over…

Check out the Kindle 3 video (if the embedded version below doesn’t work, here is the link).

By the way – I’ve done a full review of the Kindle 2 if you’re interested.

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Typecasting isn’t always bad

success_sign I’ve been talking with my teenage son about career options after high school, which can be a bit daunting (for both of us).  As fate would have it, I found out about a good resource at just the right time – and I think it is a useful resource for anyone looking for a new career path, as well as those who are on a path but want to see if they are really a good fit for what they’re doing.

The resource begins with a quiz to help you figure out what careers are the best fit with your natural thinking style.  The quiz is easy and at the end you get a list of several career areas that are a good match for your personality type, along with suggested study areas.

The classification scheme is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment and, though this quiz is a lightweight assessment, I think it is pretty accurate.  How do I know?  I also took the quiz and found that it was right on target – and I’ve taken the MBTI assessment several times in the past – with fairly consistent results each time (in case your wondering, I fluctuate between INTJ and INTP – I’m pretty much on the line between J & P).

The initial assessment provides you with a high-level summary and a few career suggestions, and you can get a more detailed report for $14.95.  I got the full report for INTP (the one that seemed closest in this particular quiz) and it was not only spot-on, it was full of information to help me better understand how to play to my strengths at work.

My son is an INTJ, and we have that full report, as well.  He’s still not sure what he wants to do, but this report has been helpful so far.

More good info

The Personality Type site is the brainchild of Paul D. Tieger, who is apparently an expert in personality type.  He has a good reading list in the site’s Articles & Resources section, and he’s also one of the authors of “Do What Your Are,” which seems like a good read.

Curious?  You can check out the high level assessment for free at Personality Type.

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