What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

by Tina Seelig

real life is the ultimate open book exam.

Real life

The key to success is the ability to extract the lessons out of each of these experiences and to move on with that new knowledge.

Key to success

Attitude is perhaps the biggest determinant of what we can accomplish.

Attitude

“a well-characterized need is the DNA of an invention.”

Innovation

The key to need finding is identifying and filling gaps—that is, gaps in the way people use products, gaps in the services available, and gaps in the stories they tell when interviewed about their behavior.

Key to need finding

from your kitchen to your career, you can break free of the constraints that might be comfortable but are often limiting.

Constraints

that the world is divided into people who wait for others to give them permission to do the things they want to do and people who grant themselves permission.

Permission

people who get to the top work harder than those around them, they have more energy that propels them forward, and they’re markedly more driven to get there. He notes that in the past people in the inner circle inherited their wealth and access. But today that isn’t the case. The majority of people who claim great success have made it happen on their own. This means that the primary barriers to success are self-imposed. The corollary to this is, as David says, “The biggest ally of superachievers is the inertia of others.”

Superclass

If you want a leadership role, then take on leadership roles. Just give yourself permission to do so. Look around for holes in your organization, ask for what you want, find ways to leverage your skills and experiences, be willing to make the first move, and stretch beyond what you’ve done before. There are always opportunities waiting to be exploited. Instead of waiting to be asked and tiptoeing around an opportunity, seize it. It takes hard work, energy, and drive—but these are the assets that set leaders apart from those who wait for others to anoint them.

Leadership

wonderfully: “If you throw gasoline on a log, all you get is a wet log. But if you throw gasoline on a small flame, you get an inferno.”

Inferno vs log

a successful career is not a straight line but a wave with ups and downs.

Career

Carol Bartz, the former CEO of Autodesk and new CEO of Yahoo!, uses another great analogy to describe a successful career path.8 She thinks you should look at the progress of your career as moving around and up a three-dimensional pyramid, as opposed to up a two-dimensional ladder. Lateral moves along the side of the pyramid often allow you to build the base of your experience. It may not look as though you’re moving up quickly, but you’re gathering a foundation of skills and experiences that will prove extremely valuable later.

Career

Failing, of course, isn’t fun. It’s much more fun to tell the world about our successes. But failures can serve as incredible opportunities in disguise.

Failure

when analyzing a risky situation, it’s important to define the possible outcomes and attempt to figure out the chances of each one. Once this is done, one needs to develop a full plan for each eventuality. Elisabeth says it makes sense to take the high risk/high reward path if you’re willing to live with all the potential consequences. You should fully prepare for the downside and have a backup plan in place.

Risk analysis

If you do take a risk and happen to fail, remember that you personally are not a failure.

Risk reality

In short, being observant, open-minded, friendly, and optimistic invites luck your way.

Being lucky

we can manufacture our own luck by working incredibly hard and focusing on our goals. But we have many other tools at our disposal, including being open to opportunities that come our way, taking full advantage of chance occurrences, paying careful attention to the world around us, interacting with as many people as we can, and making those interactions as positive as possible. Making one’s own luck is ultimately about turning bad situations around and making good situations much better. We dramatically increase the chances that we will be lucky by exposing ourselves to as many diverse experiences as possible, boldly recombining these experiences in unusual ways, and fearlessly striving to get to the stage on which we want to play out our life.

Making luck

With that in mind, there is never a time when you shouldn’t thank someone for doing something for you. In

Thank you note

Essentially, your reputation is your most valuable asset—so guard it well.

Reputation

thinking about how you want to tell the story in the future is a great way to assess your response to dilemmas in general. Craft the story now so you’ll be proud to tell it later.

Handling dilemmas

One of the best ways is to always show appreciation to those who help you. Keep a stack of thank-you notes on your desk and use them frequently. Also, never forget that the world is very small and you will likely bump into the same people time and time again. Protect and enhance your reputation—it’s your most valuable asset and should be guarded well. Learn how to apologize with a simple “I’m sorry.” Keep in mind that everything is negotiable and learn to navigate toward an outcome in which all parties win. Try to play to other’s strengths, making sure they’re doing what they do best. And do the right thing, as opposed to the smart thing, so you’ll be proud to tell your story later. Finally, don’t take on too much, lest you disappoint yourself and those who count on you. Chapter 9 WILL THIS BE ON THE EXAM?

Summary