Self improvement
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Decide on your purpose and act on it, rather than waiting to find it.
Purpose is not hidden; it is decided by you.
one person who lived it
Start exercising daily with very small steps, such as doing five pushups upon waking.
Taking baby steps prevents overwhelming yourself.
- One person developed tendonitis in their elbows lasting about a week when starting this.
one person who lived it
Discover your core values and ensure your work supports them.
This leads to fulfillment and unconscious devotion to the work.
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Write regularly to refine raw talent; accept that most output will be poor, but connecting the best parts can result in something valuable.
Reading one person's post suggested they had raw talent that could be refined.
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If you are unemployed, treat finding a job as your new full-time job.
3 people, independently
Read the book 'Can't Hurt Me' by David Goggins.
The book is described as really good.
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Seek work environments with variety if sitting in a cubicle feels like solitary confinement to you.
One person prefers moving between different rooms over staying in one place for eight hours.
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Listen to Earl Nightingale’s video 'the secret' or his summary of Napoleon Hill’s 'Think And Grow Rich'.
It helped gain direction.
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Try to fix other aspects of your life while working in a stable but unfulfilling job to potentially find career revelations.
Focusing on other areas of life while slogging away at a job led one person to career revelations.
- This reflects one person's experience.
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Implement self-improvement changes one step at a time to avoid burnout.
Trying to do all changes at once leads to burning out and quitting.
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Do not let others' insecurity limit your ambitions; if a boss discourages your growth, consider leaving to pursue education or new opportunities.
One person quit after being told to 'remember their station,' eventually returning to the same company in a superior position.
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Read 'The Middle Finger Project' to encourage following your passions and creating meaningful work.
One reader found it encouraged them to follow their passions more than any other book.
- Aimed at women
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Do things you are interested in even if they have no practical value.
It provides a brief moment of relief.
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Push through submitting the first few applications to feel more secure in the process.
Getting over the initial hurdle was key to feeling security.
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Practice applying for jobs repeatedly to build the skill and gain experience.
Applying is a skill that improves with repetition.
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Keep something in the background (part-time work, degree) to stay connected to the professional world while focusing on family.
The children won't be children forever.
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Go on a solo adventure to see what inspires you, write it down, and repeat the activity the following week to compare your feelings.
To determine if that activity is truly your thing.
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Dress nicely and treat the interviewer with the same politeness you would offer anyone meeting for the first time.
This approach helps ensure things work out fine.
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Fear mediocrity and complacency more than temporary feelings of failure when starting a new venture.
Feelings of quitting and failure are temporary, whereas staying where you are leads to permanent mediocrity.
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Pursue fulfillment outside of work.
That satisfaction may leak over into your professional career.
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Put yourself out there professionally whenever you can to develop courage.
Work offers many chances to develop courage.
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Stop worrying excessively about money.
Worrying about money makes finding your path foggier.
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If you have prior programming experience, obtain niche certifications in areas like data science or computer forensics rather than common support certifications to differentiate yourself.
Support type certs are too common.
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Search within yourself rather than living the way society dictates.
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