Are You Doing Your Best?

Are you doing your best work? Are you doing GREAT work?

Seth Godin, always one to challenge us to think differently, had this very short post on his blog this past week, and it's food for thought.

Not only doing great work makes us uncomfortable, but being challenged about it can make us uncomfortable.

I'm guilty of sometimes saying, "I'm doing the best I can." But am I? Probably not. In reality, like Godin says, "I'm doing the best I'm comfortable doing."

I can probably do more. Can you?

Seth Godin Says Folks Shouldn't Write Their Own Resumes

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog

While he doesn't suggest having your resume written by a professional, he does suggest job seekers don't write it themselves. See his post (dated 10/2/10) here.

Best of Today: 9/13/10

Here's my finds -- from this weekend and today:

Alison Doyle – Job Postings Reach Record Levels

MediaBistro Article: So What Do You Do, Seth Godin, Author and Marketing Guru?

- I didn't know Seth had sworn off traditional publishing. Interesting.

Kathy Hansen – Quintessential Resumes & Cover Letters – “Only About Half of Resumes List Core Competencies” 

Doug McIsaac -- Ways to Get Traffic to Your Website

------------------------------------


BONUS, courtesy of DavidGraziano: Online alarm clock (set it to remind you of appointments & phone consultations!):

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

@MikeRamer: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln

Have You Hit "The Dip?"

I just finished reading Seth Godin's book, "The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick)." It originally came out in 2007 -- and although I'm a huge Seth Godin fan, I somehow missed this one.

Which is unfortunate, because the message in The Dip probably would have served me well in recent years.

Here are three simple concepts that Seth outlines in the book:

• Quit the wrong stuff.
• Stick with the right stuff.
• Have the guts to do one or the other.

He describes The Dip as follows:
At the beginning, when you first start something, it's fun. It's interesting. It's easy to stay engaged in it. Then the Dip happens. It's "the long slog between starting and mastery." You know, the hard part: the middle.

...When you start writing a resume and you're zipping along, and suddenly you don't know where to go next. You're simply stuck.
... When you start your business and get a whole bunch of clients, and then ... all of a sudden, it seems ... the phone stops ringing.
... Or you start to write a book, and the first few chapters seem to write themselves ... and then your brain freezes up.

That's the Dip. Read the book to find out how Seth suggests you get through it (and WHY it's important to get through it. And when you should QUIT instead of trying to get through it).

Here's a hint (from Seth):
"Successful people don't just ride out The Dip. They don't just buckle down and survive it. No, they lean into the Dip. They push harder, changing he rules as they go. Just because you know you're in the Dip doesn't mean you have to live happily with it. Dips don't last quite as long when you whittle at them."