So Good They Can't Ignore You

by Cal Newport

Compelling careers often have complex origins that reject the simple idea that all you have to do is follow your passion.

working right trumps finding the right work.

I am suggesting that you put aside the question of whether your job is your true passion, and instead turn your focus toward becoming so good they can’t ignore you. That is, regardless of what you do for a living, approach your work like a true performer.

If you want to love what you do, abandon the passion mindset (“what can the world offer me?”) and instead adopt the craftsman mindset (“what can I offer the world?”

“The key thing is to force yourself through the work, force the skills to come; that’s the hardest phase,”

The craftsman mindset, with its relentless focus on what you produce, is exactly the mindset you would adopt if your goal was to acquire as much career capital as possible.

You need to get good in order to get good things in your working life, and the craftsman mindset is focused on achieving exactly this goal.

great work doesn’t just require great courage, but also skills of great (and real) value.

Working right, therefore, still trumps finding the right work.

Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate practice demands.… Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. That is what makes it “deliberate,” as distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting of tennis balls that most people engage in.

The good news about deliberate practice is that it will push you past this plateau and into a realm where you have little competition.

If you’re not uncomfortable, then you’re probably stuck at an “acceptable level.”

Results-Only Work Environment (or, ROWE, for short). In a ROWE company, all that matters is your results. When you show up to work and when you leave, when you take vacations, and how often you check e-mail are all irrelevant. They leave it to the employee to figure out whatever works best for getting the important things done. “No results, no job: It’s that simple,” as ROWE supporters like to say.

Giving people more control over what they do and how they do it increases their happiness, engagement, and sense of fulfillment

“You’re either remarkable or invisible,” says Seth Godin

Working right trumps finding the right work.