To stay relevant, recalibrating your purpose and vision to adapt to the new norm is crucial. Whether you are an avid learner of online courses, webinars, podcasts, boot camps – there are ample online resources for any subjects of your interest. To sum it up, here are 3 questions and 3 Professional Development Forum (PDF) videos to reflect and recalibrate your life. Tune in to stay relevant and build resilience in the new normal.
1. Does a 7-year-old understand me?
The most fundamental skill to ‘future proof’ your career across any professional career is mastering the art of communication. The ability to communicate clearly and succinctly is universal when speaking or writing for a different audience. For lawyers, the tools of the trade are words. A good lawyer must develop flexible communication skill, capable of breaking down complex legal issues to digestible information to the client. If you’re in a technical role and need to communicate to your cross-functional team, ask yourself – ‘does a 7-year-old understand what I am saying’? Without downplaying your professionalism, your choice of words and ability to simplify complex issues is a skill to develop.
In this PDF webinar on ‘How to become an exceptional writer’ by Shani Raja, he shared the importance of mastering the art of communicating with the ‘four magical ingredients’ – simplicity, clarity, elegance, and evocativeness. Previously a Wall Street Journal editor, writer at Bloomberg, Economist and Financial Times, and currently an online writing course instructor, Shani has since created a writing program, ‘Writing with Flair’, which is sold on huge platforms, including Udemy and LinkedIn, where his bestselling course have attracted more than 500,000 students from across the world.
2. What is the problem? How can I solve it? Does it ‘spark joy’?
If you’re looking to switch industries or have been sitting at a plateau in your career, it is time to Marie Kondo your life! Ask yourself, ‘what is the problem in the world that you could solve and fill the gap’? Years ago, watching American Idol on TV, I have always admired the confidence the participants exude as they take the bold step to be on stage. Although I am not Simon Cowell, my delicate ears hear out that 9 out of the 10 auditions are usually terrible singers! They probably have been blindly heeding on the advice of ‘follow your passion’ without first assessing themselves. Although singing may spark joy to them; truth is, they may not make a career out of singing.
In this PDF video interview of ‘Don’t follow your passion, become passionate following need by Eddie Woo’, he shared his unique approach to learning, which is fundamental to excel in any field. Eddie is Australia’s most famous Maths teacher with a YouTube Channel (better known as “Wootube“) of more than 1 Million subscribers with over 65 million views. In 2018, Eddie was named ‘Australia’s Local Hero’, in recognition for his contribution to education. He is also the author of “Woo’s Wonderful World of Maths” and host of ABC’s TV show “Teenage Boss”. Even if you don’t enjoy Maths, you would wish that you had a teacher like Eddie Woo.
3. Am I entitled or do I deserve this?
Some say that millennials are the ‘strawberries generation’ as they are easily ‘bruised’. “You’re no genius” – a father’s shutdowns made Angela Duckworth a world expert on grit. As the New York Times bestseller, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth, wrote – ‘the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a passionate persistence’. It is no secret that grit is a trait that you should develop to reach your full potential. Having ‘entitled’ thoughts is not helpful, but with hard work, you would reap what you sow and get what you deserved.
In this PDF Video Interview of ‘Building resilience in the age of entitlement’ by Dominic Soh, he shared how he had to send 526 resumes over 561 days before he finally landed a job, that is anything but smooth sailing. Still, he has never let excuses get in the way of his dreams and has a strong message for young people who is about to enter adulthood. He has spoken on the TEDx stage twice, presented in over 12 countries, trained TEDx speakers and award-winning leaders, ran multiple 100km+ ultra-marathons and interviewed high performers like U.S. Navy SEALs, Olympians, fighter pilots, surgeons and Michelin-star chefs.
Whether you are a job seeker or a business owner in an industry that has been disrupted by COVID-19, you must keep pivoting and strive for skills stacking. Aim to block time out for 30 minutes of learning and personal development per day. In a week, you would have achieved a total of 3.5 hours of effort in developing a new skill. To quote James Clear in the best seller book ‘Atomic Habits’ – ‘To make something not seem like a chore, do it for short periods of time’. I strive to remind myself to aim for consistency over perfection.
So, ask yourself the 3 questions:
- Does a 7-year-old understand me?
- What is the problem? How can I solve it? Does it ‘spark joy’?
- Am I entitled or do I deserve this?
Aivee Chuan
Aivee Chuan is a passionate volunteer at PDF who finds joy in empowering others to realise their potential.
She believes that life is like a sushi belt of opportunities, it’s up to you to grab and load your plate! She strives to keep pivoting as there is no limit to skills stacking. Currently based in Sydney, she is internationally trained in law, with an interest in the technology industry.
Connect with her on LinkedIn to follow her quest to have 100 lunches with strangers: www.linkedin.com/in/aiveechuan.
