Make A Difference Without Spending Too Much Effort

Make A Difference Without Spending Too Much Effort

Make A Difference Without Spending Too Much Effort

Copyright © 2024 by Leland Kornegay

All rights reserved

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 : LET'S FIND THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION

CHAPTER 2 : FIND THE CAUSE

CHAPTER 3 : DESTROY THE SNAKE SUTRA

CHAPTER 4 : VINASHIN PHENOMENON AND LEADERSHIP

CHAPTER 5 : LIVING SLOWLY

CHAPTER 1 : LET'S FIND THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION

Why was Bryan without a college degree that day sitting in the position of recruiter and why was the man with an MBA from Harvard the one looking for a job?

I have no personal information about the MBA holder, so I can only speculate about his plight. But I know Bryan's story very well because he is my close friend. Up to that point, he had spent 10 years cultivating the skills that would help him succeed in business, marketing, leadership, management, finance and accounting from real-life business experiences in different countries. The company he built with his own financial resources. In other words, Bryan aimed for self-education outside of the classroom, as some researchers call practical intelligence or street smarts, to get things done within Life is effective.

And the man who studied for an MBA at Harvard seems to have studied and studied the literature on marketing, business, management, leadership, finance and accounting. But I guess it's mostly empty theories. To complete the basic program for students, the focus of this education is academic intelligence to complete tests well instead of practical intelligence to solve real-life problems.

Both of them are very well educated but I guess, one person's education is more theoretical with knowledge available in the warehouse of universities and colleges, the other person's education (it is an effort Self-learning ability unlike any formal class) is more practice-oriented. One's education is bureaucratic, pedantic, and bookish; the other gains knowledge from life's struggles, the brinks of personal failure. One person was educated in a prestigious school, the other was trained in the school of life. One focuses on book knowledge, the other focuses on street knowledge.

In your opinion, which knowledge will win in an era of economic recession? Which knowledge will win when the economy prospers again?

In the never-ending debate between practical wisdom and academic wisdom, between street knowledge and book knowledge, there is a bit of ambiguity regarding the inclinations that parents, relatives, teachers, The media and politicians drive us along since we were children.

In the movie The Graduate, there is a famous scene where during the graduation party held around the family swimming pool, the character Benjamin, played by actor Dustin Hoffman, is a bachelor. New business administration graduate, received sincere career advice from a family friend. I want to tell you one word. Just one word… Do you want to hear it? asked the family friend.

Benjamin nodded in agreement.

Plastics.

Advice for success: Study hard in high school, go to a prestigious university and get a diploma is gradually becoming hollow, old and outdated. If you want to know how valuable a university degree certifying your academic intelligence is today, just post an ad for a part-time job online.

I myself have posted many recruitment ads over the years, including many odd jobs, porters, cleaning garages or pushing garbage trucks. As in Bryan's example, I can confirm that: No matter how boring or low-paying the job is, you will still receive a flood of applications from college graduates.

Candidates with degrees have all the tools that society, family, teachers and everyone around them deem necessary for success. But in Bryan's case, the economic crisis of the 2000s caused hundreds of bachelors, masters, and doctorates to line up to get boring jobs with low salaries of $10/hour posted. by a young business owner without a college degree.

Do you want to chase a degree or pursue success?

In today's era of industrialization, people with a good economic level or better think that the most important thing that children from 6 to 22 years old need to pursue is grades. The second thing worth paying attention to is extracurricular activities such as sports, music, and volunteer activities to enhance your college entrance profile and CV. But if you ask what is the top concern that parents, teachers, politicians and society want their children to pay attention to for 16 years, from 6 to 22 years old, the answer is The words are so clear and simple: Get good grades.

Have you ever stopped and thought about how bizarre these problems are? Why are we all convinced that training courses will bring you effective, necessary and prerequisite academic knowledge for success in life? Why are we all convinced that that knowledge is worth devoting the 16 most beautiful years of our lives to? Should we spend most of our youth, the happiest, most enthusiastic, most passionate and most creative years, pursuing small numbers and letters to demonstrate intellectual intelligence? art?

Ken Robinson, author of the book The element: How Find your Passion Changes Everything, is very interested in this difficult question. In the TED program (Technology Entertainment and Design), there is a very famous video talk titled Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (it later became became one of the most downloaded talks from TED ), Ken said: If you enter mainstream education as an outsider and wonder: 'Does public education serve the What?' I think when you look at the output, look at the people who succeed because of it, the people who create good things and the people who win, you have to conclude that the whole purpose of public education established all over the world is producing university professors. Isn't that so? They are always the leaders… I love university professors, but you know, we don't honor them as the pinnacles of human success. They are just another form of life.

Contemporary education critic Charles Murray believes: The types of jobs that require a university education are like a chef who must go through a period of trying to learn the craft to become a top chef, even though this is only is a field that attracts a few people. But if you do not want to embark on the path of scientific research, you will find that only academic intelligence is never enough. Developing practical knowledge will significantly improve your abilities and success.

This book is a guide to help you develop essential practical skills. We focus on seven key skills needed for success in life and career. Of course, these practical skills are no substitute for a college degree. You can learn many great things in college. You can come up with new ideas, broaden your outlook on life, learn sharp critical thinking skills and immerse yourself in the cultural and intellectual treasures of humanity.

But I'm sure that even though you've finished college, you still haven't learned how to turn abstract academic knowledge into practical applications in your own life. Furthermore, the addition of practical skills is not mandatory in universities. Therefore, the skills presented in this book are an essential supplement to your university education to help you be more successful in work and life.

Success skill #1

HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITHOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH EFFORT

One night in 1967, a 21-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist named David was hospitalized in Paris due to severe physical weakness. The reason is because despite playing music in bars, nightclubs and dances across France and Spain, David did not earn enough money to buy food.

If you don't play music tonight, tomorrow you won't have anything to put in your mouth.

Two years earlier, David was in 6th grade in Cambridge, England (equivalent to the last 2 years of high school in the US.) David did not take the A-level exam, the exam that determines university entrance in the UK. The only thing David really cared about was rock music, he lived his life for it, participating in local bands and also living out his passion, from gig to gig, even at France and Spain. If you witnessed the moment of exhaustion of a 21-year-old man on a hospital bed in Paris, without a penny to buy food for himself, you would probably never think of choosing not to take the exam. His A level certificate is correct or that boy will have a bright future.

And while that prediction may be accurate for most poor artists, for this physically weak but spiritually strong artist, that prediction is not reasonable at all.

David returned to England and a year later, Nick Mason, a drummer familiar with David, asked him to join a small band called

Save page

Pink Floyd. This band sold more than 200 million albums over the next 40 years. The Dark Side of the Moon is the band's most famous album, having sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, ranking among the best-selling, most welcomed and most influential albums of all time. age. As the band's lead guitarist, lead singer and primary songwriter, David Gilmour has created numerous hits over the past 40 years, easily becoming one of the most impressive musicians in music history. rock.

I'm also a rock music fan. I want to thank David for bringing musical whirlwinds to so many wild nights at university, philosophical songs about the meaning of life or cultivating love instead of studying. My college experiences were very meaningful to me, but it cannot be denied that music has brought much joy, excitement and appreciation for life to me and millions of others even a decade later. graduate. David Gilmour has made a huge difference in the lives of so many people on this planet. The world would be poorer without him and his music. I think David lived a meaningful life.

Surely, you still have some doubts about David's story, the story of a man who made a great difference in the world.

A year before he became famous, David was still a musician with musical gifts, determination to make an impact in the music world and live a meaningful life like when he was famous. But at that time, the world didn't care what kind of impact he wanted to create or the value he wanted to bring. In fact, David cannot manage his life solely on the money the public pays for his musical gifts. One of the greatest musicians in rock history almost starved to death before he and his band were excavated.

All of us or at least people full of ideas want to make a difference in the world, whether in business, the arts, politics, charity, science or technology. At least we want to make a difference in our own community. This really means something: Make a difference, make an impact, and live with purpose.

The paradoxes of making a difference and influencing exist. The world doesn't always care if we want to make a difference or have an impact. In fact, it may be the opposite of what we strive for. The world does not automatically open its arms to welcome us just because we have good ideals. It can laugh at that so-called ideal or, more commonly, shake its head in frustration and turn a blind eye to anything.

I asked David the secret to his success and the answer was straightforward: I got lucky. Luck plays a very important role in my success. They say you have to make your own luck but sometimes I'm not so sure about that. Many people are as determined as me, following the same path I once took, investing a lot of energy in the music industry rather than going to college, but in the end music still cannot make a living. Surname. Later, they were stuck in trick-or-treat jobs. They will not have to live through such days if they persistently pursue their education. This is absolutely not the direction I would suggest for everyone, unless you are 110% sure and can prove that your passion is something you must pursue and be willing to give up for it. a lot of other things.

Very few people dream about something they can easily achieve. Very few people wish to remain an obscure middle manager or an anonymous desk clerk in a bureaucratic office their entire lives. They don't really resemble the purpose of life.

Dreams and life goals are romantic, adventurous and exciting. We dream of becoming famous, rich and making a name for ourselves in this big world. We dream of being rock stars. If not a true rock star like David, he is also an athlete, an actor, an author, a director, an artist, a politician, an outstanding scientist, a Experienced CEO, a famous billionaire or millionaire (like some of the entrepreneurs I interview in this book). We may also wish to establish a reputation in traditional fields such as law, medicine, academia, or have a major impact on the community in a leadership or philanthropic position. Maybe we also dream of becoming an excellent teacher and making a difference in hundreds of children.

The truth is that dreams of making a difference always come with risks. The more you aspire to be a star in some field, whether as a teacher, doctor, lawyer, artist, musician or businessman, the more risks you will face in your career. Very few people have established a reputation in their field, made a difference in the lives of others, or determined their career direction simply by diligently following a script. Write it down and set foot on a road frequented by many people.

You can find a stadium full of talented 21-year-olds with great drive and determination, all passionate about influencing the world in youth ways in fields like music, art, literature, acting, filmmaking, politics, science, technology, media, charity or business. In this stadium of talent, there are only one or two people who will become superstars in their field like David Gilmour.

In the end, many people in that stadium became disillusioned and had to bow their heads in defeat. A truly terrifying scene. Many young people think about that scenario and get scared. They no longer dare to take risks. They have to stick to safe scenarios in their careers to face the least risks and failures, and of course, their achievements will not be achieved. What stands out?

So what differentiates one or two superstars who reach their dreams from individuals who are full of ideas, passion and talent but fail?

Many experts interviewed about the secret to success mentioned talent, willpower, determination, confidence, perseverance - old-fashioned qualities of self-improvement. The honesty and self-awareness of superstars like David Gilmour complete that list of valuable qualities. They also value the role of randomness, synchronicity, and lucky opportunities. These stars shine thanks to those qualities. God smiled on them. The opportunities are just ripe. Invisible luck exists.

They don't call it a luck.

If there were no risks associated with fear, we would not need to dream, but instead start realizing it immediately. (Grocery stores are always recruiting cashiers. If you wish to become a cashier, you can make your dream come true immediately. But I bet that is not your dream.)

So how do we reconcile our burning dreams of making a difference, the dream of leading a meaningful, influential and idealistic life with the harsh reality that the world is not always keeping an eye on the difference we want to make or awarding an A for our efforts?

Overcoming these immediate rapids is one of the most important abilities you can practice. If you don't hesitate between two streams, you may not be comfortable in life. If you choose to pursue career heights that are too far away without considering the risks, you may end up like David at the age of 21, having to be hospitalized due to physical weakness. And few people who are teetering near the brink of death are lucky enough to be able to make a spectacular comeback like David did.

If you give in to fear and choose a safe path, or even hesitate and do not clearly define the impact you want to create, the goals you want to achieve, you will eventually regret it. regret. You may be satisfied with your safe and stable income, but your heart may feel restless. No one calls it success.

So, in the opening of any discussion about success, what you need is not a long speech, but believe in yourself, have confidence in yourself, or have confidence in yourself. try harder", as is the standard content of many other books. It must be an honest discussion about how to reach cherished dreams, how to overcome risks and enter the real market smoothly.

The conflict between building influence and choosing a boring life

The more you want to make a mark in the field you love, and the deeper your goals, the higher your potential for risk. This means that your risk of being empty-handed is higher or your efforts will go down the drain and you will be forced to accept failure.

So why does there exist a conflict between choosing a