Why You Should Read So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport (mobi) - The Truth About Passion and Skills
So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
Do you want to find your passion and pursue your dream job? If so, you might be making a big mistake. According to Cal Newport, the author of So Good They Can't Ignore You, following your passion is bad advice that can lead to frustration, anxiety, and career dissatisfaction. Instead, he argues that you should focus on developing rare and valuable skills that will make you so good they can't ignore you.
So Good They Can't Ignore You mobi download book
In this article, we will summarize the main ideas and insights from Newport's book and show you how to apply them to your own career. You will learn how to adopt the craftsman mindset, build career capital, explore new opportunities, and make an impact in your field. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of what it takes to find work you love and achieve success in the modern world.
The Passion Hypothesis: Why following your passion is bad advice
The passion hypothesis is the idea that the key to finding a great job is to first figure out what you are passionate about and then match it to a career. This sounds appealing and intuitive, but it has several problems.
First, most people don't have a pre-existing passion that can be easily translated into a career. In fact, research shows that only a minority of people have a clear vision of what they want to do with their lives from an early age. Most people have multiple interests that change over time and depend on their circumstances.
Second, even if you do have a passion, it doesn't mean that you will enjoy doing it as a job. Passion is not enough to sustain your motivation and satisfaction in the long run. You also need other factors, such as autonomy, mastery, purpose, and feedback. These factors are not guaranteed by following your passion; they have to be earned through hard work and skill development.
Third, following your passion can make you less happy and more anxious. When you base your career decisions on your passion, you set high expectations for yourself and your work. You assume that if you find your passion, everything will fall into place and you will be fulfilled. But this is rarely the case. Most jobs have challenges, trade-offs, and uncertainties that can cause stress and disappointment. If you are constantly looking for your passion, you might miss out on the opportunities and rewards that come from doing good work.
The Craftsman Mindset: How to develop valuable skills and become so good they can't ignore you
If following your passion is not the answer, then what is? Newport suggests that instead of focusing on what the world can offer you, you should focus on what you can offer the world. He calls this the craftsman mindset.
The craftsman mindset is the attitude of seeking to improve your skills and produce high-quality work. It is based on the idea that the most satisfying and rewarding careers are those that involve craftsmanship - the process of applying skill and care to create something of value.
To adopt the craftsman mindset, you need to do two things:
Identify a skill that is rare and valuable in your field. This could be a technical skill, such as programming or design, or a soft skill, such as communication or leadership.
Deliberately practice that skill until you become excellent at it. This means setting specific goals, seeking feedback, and challenging yourself to stretch beyond your comfort zone.
By doing this, you will build what Newport calls career capital - the currency that you can use to get more control and creativity in your work. Career capital is what makes you so good they can't ignore you.
The Power of Career Capital: How to leverage your skills to gain more control and creativity in your work
Once you have accumulated enough career capital, you can use it to shape your work according to your preferences and goals. Newport identifies two key factors that make work meaningful and enjoyable: control and creativity.
Control is the ability to decide how, when, where, and with whom you work. It gives you freedom and flexibility to pursue your interests and values. Creativity is the ability to express your unique vision and make an impact in your field. It gives you challenge and fulfillment to solve problems and create something new.
To gain more control and creativity in your work, you need to do two things:
Identify what type of control and creativity you want. This could be setting your own schedule, choosing your own projects, launching your own business, or anything else that appeals to you.
Negotiate with your employer or clients to get what you want. This means proving that you have enough career capital to justify your requests and that they will benefit from them as well.
By doing this, you will create a customized career that matches your personality and aspirations. You will also avoid the pitfalls of having too little or too much control and creativity. Too little control and creativity can make you feel bored and trapped in your work. Too much control and creativity can make you feel overwhelmed and stressed by your work.
The Adjacent Possible: How to explore new opportunities and find your mission
Another factor that can make work more meaningful and enjoyable is having a mission - a clear and compelling goal that drives your actions and inspires others. A mission can give you direction and purpose in your career. But how do you find your mission?
Newport suggests that you don't find your mission; you grow into it. He argues that missions are not discovered by introspection or intuition; they are created by exploration and experimentation. He calls this the adjacent possible.
The adjacent possible is the concept that new opportunities emerge at the edge of your current knowledge and skills. It is based on the idea that innovation happens by combining existing elements in novel ways. For example, the invention of the internet was made possible by combining computers, networks, and protocols.
To explore the adjacent possible and find your mission, you need to do two things:
Identify a niche that interests you and has potential for innovation. This could be a subfield, a market, a problem, or a trend that you are curious about and want to learn more about.
Test different ideas and projects in that niche until you find one that resonates with you and others. This means generating hypotheses, collecting data, getting feedback, and iterating based on the results.
By doing this, you will discover a mission that aligns with your skills, values, and passions. You will also avoid the pitfalls of having a vague or unrealistic mission. A vague mission is one that is too broad or abstract to guide your actions and measure your progress. An unrealistic mission is one that is too ambitious or impractical to achieve with your current resources and constraints.
The Law of Remarkability: How to make an impact and spread your mission
Once you have found your mission, how do you make it happen? How do you turn it into a reality? Newport suggests that you need to follow the law of remarkability. The law of remarkability is the principle that to make an impact in your field, you need to do something remarkable - something that stands out from the crowd and gets people talking.
To follow the law of remarkability, you need to do two things:
Create something remarkable that showcases your skills, values, and mission. This could be a product, a service, a content piece, a presentation, or anything else that demonstrates what you can do and why it matters.
Promote it to the right audience that can appreciate it and spread it. This means finding the channels, platforms, communities, influencers, or media outlets that can reach your target market or niche.
You will also build your reputation and credibility in your field. You will become known as an expert, a leader, or a pioneer in your domain.
Conclusion: What are the main takeaways and benefits of reading the book?
In conclusion, So Good They Can't Ignore You is a book that challenges the conventional wisdom of following your passion and offers a better alternative for finding work you love. The main takeaways and benefits of reading the book are:
You will learn why following your passion is bad advice that can lead to career dissatisfaction and failure.
You will learn how to adopt the craftsman mindset and develop rare and valuable skills that will make you so good they can't ignore you.
You will learn how to leverage your career capital and gain more control and creativity in your work.
You will learn how to explore the adjacent possible and find your mission that aligns with your skills, values, and passions.
You will learn how to follow the law of remarkability and make an impact and spread your mission in your field.
By applying these ideas and insights to your own career, you will be able to create a customized and fulfilling work life that matches your personality and aspirations. You will also be able to achieve success and happiness in the modern world.
FAQs: Some common questions and answers about the book
Question
Answer
Who is Cal Newport?
Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and a bestselling author of several books on productivity, learning, and career advice. He also writes a popular blog at calnewport.com.
What is the origin of the book title?
The book title is inspired by a quote from comedian Steve Martin, who said: "Be so good they can't ignore you." Newport argues that this is the best career advice he ever heard.
What are some examples of people who followed the book's principles?
Newport provides many examples of people who followed the book's principles in different fields and domains. Some of them are: musician John Mayer, writer Patti Smith, entrepreneur Derek Sivers, programmer Linus Torvalds, and researcher Jane Goodall.
How can I get more career advice from Cal Newport?
You can read his other books, such as Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, or A World Without Email. You can also subscribe to his newsletter or podcast at calnewport.com.
Where can I get the book?
You can get the book from Amazon or other online retailers. You can also download the mobi version of the book from this link: https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You-ebook/dp/B0076DDBJ6/
71b2f0854b