Technical Documents/Job Applications/Interviewing/Personal Statement Work
People often talk about the importance of ‘getting to know’ someone before you make a judgment about them. Well, let’s flip that around for a second - how well do you know yourself? How self-aware are you? What are others thinking when they are in the process of ‘getting to know’ you? In Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, he offers a list of questions that are aimed at getting to know your true self as closely as possible.
1. Do you like your present situation? If not, why? And what would you like to see change?
2. To which do you devote most time: thinking of success or of failure?
3. Who has the most inspiring influence upon you? What is the result?
4. Have you learned how to “drown your troubles” by being too busy to be annoyed by them?
5. Do you have a definite major purpose, and if so, what is it, and what plans have you for achieving it?
6. Which do you value most, your material possessions or your privilege of controlling your own thoughts?
7. Do others easily influence you, against your own judgment?
8. Can you name at lease one of your most damaging weaknesses? What are you doing to correct them?
9. Do you feel it your duty to share other people’s worries? And If so, why?
10. Who among your acquaintances: a) encourages you the most b) cautions you most c) discourages you most d)helps you the most in other ways?
11. What, above all else, do you most desire?
12. Are you easily influenced by what other people think or say of you?
1. Do you like your present situation? If not, why? And what would you like to see change?
2. To which do you devote most time: thinking of success or of failure?
3. Who has the most inspiring influence upon you? What is the result?
4. Have you learned how to “drown your troubles” by being too busy to be annoyed by them?
5. Do you have a definite major purpose, and if so, what is it, and what plans have you for achieving it?
6. Which do you value most, your material possessions or your privilege of controlling your own thoughts?
7. Do others easily influence you, against your own judgment?
8. Can you name at lease one of your most damaging weaknesses? What are you doing to correct them?
9. Do you feel it your duty to share other people’s worries? And If so, why?
10. Who among your acquaintances: a) encourages you the most b) cautions you most c) discourages you most d)helps you the most in other ways?
11. What, above all else, do you most desire?
12. Are you easily influenced by what other people think or say of you?
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
We are all guilty of it; it’s hard to stop yourself from doing it. You see that celebrity on TV with the newest car or that famous athlete who seems to have it all and then some. You look at your friends who are getting married, getting engaged, while you are still single (wait…that last one is me). It is easy to compare yourself to others in your peer group to try to gauge where you think you should be at in life or what you 'should' be doing. That isn't the right answer though. It is pretty simple, really - just focus on where you are at and where you want to go. Then take the next step in the direction you want to go. You are the only one living your life, do what makes you happy. Stop comparing yourself to every one of your friends on Facebook. Don’t underestimate yourself and overestimate everyone else. We all have our own insecurities and our own strengths and weaknesses.
It is important to internalize that even though you think it might be, "the grass isn’t always greener on the other side." You don’t always know someone’s situation beyond what it appears to be on the surface. A famous actor may not have anyone they consider a ‘real’ friend, just sycophants drawn to their money and fame. Perhaps that rock-star musician doesn’t speak with their father. Maybe that TV personality has a sibling with an addiction problem. That lawyer is driving a red BMW but perhaps their lucrative job is costing them some of their personal relationships.
Realizing that you don’t know the entire story makes it useless to compare yourself with other people, because you don’t know their full life situation. Everyone has their own individual problems and issues to deal with; it is a part of being human. It is easy to look at somebody and think they have it better than you, but there is a good chance there is a part of your life that they would like to have. Like I wrote about in a previous post, take the time to be grateful for what you do have in your life, and make the choice to be happy.
“Don’t focus on how you rank in comparison to others — life is not a competition. It’s a journey. We are all on a journey, to find something, to become something, to learn, to create. That journey has nothing to do with how well other people are doing, or what they have. It has everything to do with what we want to do, and where we want to go. That’s all you need to worry about.” –Leo Babatua
“Focus on your own journey. Your journey is no better or any worse than anybody else’s. It’s yours alone… Focus on what you want and only what YOU want. That’s it. It’s your journey. Other people will have their own to follow.” –Brian Kim
It is important to internalize that even though you think it might be, "the grass isn’t always greener on the other side." You don’t always know someone’s situation beyond what it appears to be on the surface. A famous actor may not have anyone they consider a ‘real’ friend, just sycophants drawn to their money and fame. Perhaps that rock-star musician doesn’t speak with their father. Maybe that TV personality has a sibling with an addiction problem. That lawyer is driving a red BMW but perhaps their lucrative job is costing them some of their personal relationships.
Realizing that you don’t know the entire story makes it useless to compare yourself with other people, because you don’t know their full life situation. Everyone has their own individual problems and issues to deal with; it is a part of being human. It is easy to look at somebody and think they have it better than you, but there is a good chance there is a part of your life that they would like to have. Like I wrote about in a previous post, take the time to be grateful for what you do have in your life, and make the choice to be happy.
“Don’t focus on how you rank in comparison to others — life is not a competition. It’s a journey. We are all on a journey, to find something, to become something, to learn, to create. That journey has nothing to do with how well other people are doing, or what they have. It has everything to do with what we want to do, and where we want to go. That’s all you need to worry about.” –Leo Babatua
“Focus on your own journey. Your journey is no better or any worse than anybody else’s. It’s yours alone… Focus on what you want and only what YOU want. That’s it. It’s your journey. Other people will have their own to follow.” –Brian Kim
Believe You Can Achieve Anything
In the classic book The Magic of Thinking Big, David Schwartz argues the main thing holding people back in life are their own thoughts and beliefs about what they are capable of. He states, “Belief is the thermostat that regulates what we accomplish in life.” What do you believe you can accomplish? Don’t put limits on yourself - be bold! Don’t underestimate yourself and overestimate everybody else. As Tim Ferriss says in The 4-Hour Workweek, “Ninety-nine percent of the people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre...there is just less competition for bigger goals.”
When you begin to believe that big dreams and goals are possible to achieve (because they are), a self-fulfilling prophecy is set in motion. You begin to believe in yourself, and you start thinking “I can do this!” As a result, you take actions that start you towards your big dream or goal. Then you take the next step, and the next. Pretty soon you have more confidence in yourself and your abilities. The excuses, justifications, limiting beliefs and self-doubt begin to disappear because you are taking action and going for it. It might not always work out perfectly, but you can use what you learn in a future situation that arises.
The only thing we know for sure in this life is that we are going to die. That being said, the way we choose to live our life is completely in our control. Are you going to go for it, take action, be bold, and dream big? Or are you going to tiptoe through life, thinking small and playing it safe? It’s up to you. The only limits are the ones we put on ourselves! The human mind is an amazing device and amazing things can be accomplished and created when we choose to think big!
See the Possibilities
II continue to be amazed and overwhelmed with the possibilities that life has to offer. There are seven billion people on Earth, countries I’ve never heard of and far-off places where life is much different from my own. It is truly difficult to comprehend the experiences that are out there. Life is there for the taking and waiting for you to live it to the fullest and take advantage of this small window of opportunity we have been given.
There are so many cool things to do in life, the problem is deciding which you want to go for and then actually going out and doing them. It’s all about taking action and I want 2011 to be my year of taking action. I don’t want to get stuck in the same routine, doing the same things and fall into a rut. I want to expand my horizons, stretch my comfort zone a little, live uncomfortably and have no regrets. I took a hard look at what I did in 2010 and am excited about what I accomplished but still know there is room for improvement.
Now that 2010 is over and done with, I have created a list of places I want to go and experiences I want to have in 2011. It all comes down to taking action. You can have the greatest ideas in the world, but it won't matter unless you actually do something about them. What do you want your 2011 to look like? What experiences do you want to have and what stories do you want to be able to share with others? Take action and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!
“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act.” -Andre Malraux
See Your Choices
Besides paying taxes to the government and obeying their laws, you do not really have to do anything. The way you choose to live your life is completely up to you. We have the freedom to be who we want to be, and to do what we want to do. We have complete control to shape our lives and take any path we choose. Although we have this freedom, are we really utilizing it as much as we can? Or, to paraphrase Steve Jobs , are we trapped by dogma and limiting ourselves only to the results of others' thinking?
The important thing is to understand that the choices you have made in your life have led you to where you are today. Although it may be easier to blame others or external circumstances, it is essential to take ownership of those choices and take responsibility for your own life. Did you procrastinate or take action and get it done? That is a choice. Did you say yes or did you say no? That was a choice. Do you chase after your dreams or let them slip away? You really do have a choice in the matter!
The good news is that if you have made poor decisions in the past, as we all have, there is the choice to learn from those mistakes and make better decisions in the future. Use your personal power to utilize your freedom of choice. How do you want to be remembered from friends, family members, co-workers and even the student sitting right next to you? Does the person/student sitting right next to you care about how much money you will make?
"You are who you decide to be." -Ralph Marston
The important thing is to understand that the choices you have made in your life have led you to where you are today. Although it may be easier to blame others or external circumstances, it is essential to take ownership of those choices and take responsibility for your own life. Did you procrastinate or take action and get it done? That is a choice. Did you say yes or did you say no? That was a choice. Do you chase after your dreams or let them slip away? You really do have a choice in the matter!
The good news is that if you have made poor decisions in the past, as we all have, there is the choice to learn from those mistakes and make better decisions in the future. Use your personal power to utilize your freedom of choice. How do you want to be remembered from friends, family members, co-workers and even the student sitting right next to you? Does the person/student sitting right next to you care about how much money you will make?
"You are who you decide to be." -Ralph Marston
Understand That Your Choices Are Your Own
Our United States of America is an amazing country that provides its citizens with a great deal of freedom. The Bill of Rights gives us the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom of press, among others. These freedoms are all wonderful and have helped shape the United States into what it is today. However, one of the key freedoms we do not always realize we have is the freedom to make our own choices.
Besides paying taxes to the government and obeying their laws, you do not really have to do anything. The way you choose to live your life is completely up to you. We have the freedom to be who we want to be, and to do what we want to do. We have complete control to shape our lives and take any path we choose. Although we have this freedom, are we really utilizing it as much as we can? Or, to paraphrase Steve Jobs , are we trapped by dogma and limiting ourselves only to the results of others' thinking?
The important thing is to understand that the choices you have made in your life have led you to where you are today. Although it may be easier to blame others or external circumstances, it is essential to take ownership of those choices and take responsibility for your own life. Did you procrastinate or take action and get it done? That is a choice. Did you say yes or did you say no? That was a choice. Do you chase after your dreams or let them slip away? You really do have a choice in the matter!
The good news is that if you have made poor decisions in the past, as we all have, there is the choice to learn from those mistakes and make better decisions in the future. Use your personal power to utilize your freedom of choice. How do you want to be remembered from friends, family members, co-workers and even the student sitting right next to you? Does the person/student sitting right next to you care about how much money you will make?
"You are who you decide to be." -Ralph Marston
