Googling my Future
Some websites that may be of help for you too:
1. Stop Worrying that your Twentysomething is Lost
"Today success is personal. It’s about using the years of emerging adulthood to figure out what works for you. This is time to experiment - try things and quit them and try other things. This is a time to have gaps in resumes, red in bank accounts, and a suitcase packed, ready to go at a moment’s notice. These are symptoms of someone who is learning a lot and growing a lot.
Personal growth looks a lot like being lost. Lost is okay. Who wouldn’t be with twenty years of schooling and no preparation for adult life? People grow more when they are lost then when they are on a straight path with a clear view of where they are going."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/11/15/stop-worrying-that-your-twentysomething-is-lost/
2. Why being an "Average" Freelancer might just be Enough
"In a society where everyone is trying to be exceptional or remarkable, the outcome is likely to be one of two things:
1. Nearly everyone fails because, by definition, if too many people are “exceptional”, then exceptional becomes the norm
2. The few who do succeed often feel more isolated and estranged from their peers than before
Therefore you have a group of people who never quite feel good enough, hold themselves up to those who are exceptional and will always find themselves wanting; and you have a group or people who are exceptional yet often feel misunderstood and consequently are often lonely!"
http://freelanceswitch.com/general/why-being-an-average-freelancer-might-just-be-enough/
3. The Fame Motive
"People with an overriding desire to be widely known to strangers are different from those who primarily covet wealth and influence. Their fame-seeking behavior appears rooted in a desire for social acceptance, a longing for the existential reassurance promised by wide renown."
"But increased self-consciousness can plunge almost anyone into rumination over soured relationships or lost opportunities, psychologists find. And famous people in particular are forced to judge themselves against ideals set by others."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/health/psychology/22fame.html
4. Is Grad School right for You?
"If you still think you might be best off at grad school, then here’s a checklist of things you should do before you apply:
1. Try other jobs first.
2. Determine if an advanced degree is necessary.
3. Take the passion test."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2005/08/01/is-grad-school-right-for-you/
5. Change is Good for Stoking Your Passion
"Once you find that passion, it’s enticing to keep doing the same thing that you’re good at; the work world encourages this, because once people know you are good at something, they will ask you to do it all the time. But after a while, your learning curve plateaus, your personal growth sputters, and then your passion dissipates."
"The problem with finding work that makes you passionate is that we are all passionate about a lot of things that don’t mesh well with work. Sex, for one thing, is something we love to do but don’t do for work."
"And next time someone calls you a job hopper, stand up tall and proud, and tell them it’s a new workplace, and strategic job hopping is a new way to create a passionate career."
http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2006/12/24/change_is_good_for_stoking_your_passion/
6. 5 Steps to Taming Materialism, from an Accidental Expert
"Daniel Gilbert says that we think some changes will be terrible - like losing a limb - but in fact we are great at adapting to circumstances that don’t change. This is true of putting stuff in storage. You quickly learn to live without it."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/08/07/5-steps-to-taming-materialism-from-an-accidental-expert/
7. The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/05/the_nine_bigges.html
8. How Much Money Do You Need to be Happy? Hint: Your Sex Life Matters More
"But even if you wait until you enter the workforce, it makes sense to switch from one entry-level job to another; no seniority and scant experience means you have little to lose. So it’s an ideal time to figure out what will make you happy: Use a series of jobs to observe different professions at close range to see if YOU think they make people happy."
For those of you who like a tangible goal, David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College says, “Going from sex once a month to sex once a week creates a big jump in happiness. And then the diminishing returns begin to set in.” He adds, to the joy of all who are underemployed, “It’s true that money impacts which person you marry, but money doesn’t impact the amount of sex you have.”
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/08/03/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-hint-your-sex-life-matters-more/
9. Shoot Me, I'm An UnderAchiever!
"There's some freedom in not being owned by corporate America, but what I'm figuring out is for everything, you pay a price. How many of you really aim toward being happy and being fulfilled in all levels of your life? How many of you just accept that somethings are the way they are and at least you have a paycheck? I've always aimed for the happy place and figured waitressing would be okay for just a little while. It's better than working in an office. Or is it?"
... this girl sounds like me HAHAhttp://mayerain.typepad.com/maye_rain/2007/07/shoot-me-im-an-.html
10. Gifted Underachiever
http://www.brainy-child.com/expert/gifted-underachiever.shtml
11. Motivating an Underachiever
http://www.aish.com/family/mensch/Motivating_an_Underachiever.asp
12. Motivated Underachiever
http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Motivated_Underachiever
13. Why a Clinical Psychologist is your Best Choice for Counseling and Psychotherapy
https://psychologydoc.com/ocpa_psychologist.htm
14. Sacred Space
http://www.sacredspace.ie
15. Forget the soul search; just do something
"Gilbert says, “We should have more trust in our own resilience and less confidence in our predictions about how we’ll feel. We should be a bit more humble and a bit more brave.”"
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/05/15/forget-the-soul-search-just-do-something/
16. Relish Uncertainty - It's what makes Life Interesting
"So I stayed in school for the summer, and during that time I learned to cope with ambiguity. I realized that the only way to lead an interesting life is to encounter uncertainty and make a choice. Otherwise, your life is not your own - it is a path someone else has chosen. Moments of uncertainty are when you create your life, when you become who you are."
"Uncertainty does not end with the job hunt, though. Every new role we take means another round of instability. Even fifteen years after college, when I start a new job I am nervous. But now I remind myself that I am lucky to be nervous - because big opportunity and nervousness go hand in hand."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/09/04/relish-uncertainty-its-what-makes-life-intersting/
17. Stumbling on Happiness: Daniel Gilbert
just noticed I've been quoting some "Daniel Gilbert" a lot so I decided to Google him too. :)
http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/blog/
18. How to Figure Out What You should be Doing with Your Life
So you look around and see who is doing what part of that well. And you pick the sacrifices that they made. Because no life is perfect, but all lives have some things to offer. Be clear on what you're choosing and what you're giving up, and don't pick anyone's life if they tell you they have everything: they're lying.
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/01/15/how-to-figure-out-what-you-should-be-doing-with-your-life/
19. Bad Situations Breed Creativity
The least creative people I know are those who knew exactly what they wanted to do after college, and did it, and never turned back. No existential crisis. No begging parents for dinner money. Just pure focus. The reason feeling lost is good is that it’s the time you figure out what you’re passionate about. Passion sweeps you off your feet when you’re meandering. You can’t get swept off your feet when you’re moving fast, when you have a plan, when you’re already going somewhere. You need a foggy focus to find passion. Most people who are creative will tell you that they didn’t pick their form; it picked them. The form your creativity will take will show itself during a time you are lost.
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/01/18/bad-situations-breed-creativity/
1. Stop Worrying that your Twentysomething is Lost
"Today success is personal. It’s about using the years of emerging adulthood to figure out what works for you. This is time to experiment - try things and quit them and try other things. This is a time to have gaps in resumes, red in bank accounts, and a suitcase packed, ready to go at a moment’s notice. These are symptoms of someone who is learning a lot and growing a lot.
Personal growth looks a lot like being lost. Lost is okay. Who wouldn’t be with twenty years of schooling and no preparation for adult life? People grow more when they are lost then when they are on a straight path with a clear view of where they are going."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/11/15/stop-worrying-that-your-twentysomething-is-lost/
2. Why being an "Average" Freelancer might just be Enough
"In a society where everyone is trying to be exceptional or remarkable, the outcome is likely to be one of two things:
1. Nearly everyone fails because, by definition, if too many people are “exceptional”, then exceptional becomes the norm
2. The few who do succeed often feel more isolated and estranged from their peers than before
Therefore you have a group of people who never quite feel good enough, hold themselves up to those who are exceptional and will always find themselves wanting; and you have a group or people who are exceptional yet often feel misunderstood and consequently are often lonely!"
http://freelanceswitch.com/general/why-being-an-average-freelancer-might-just-be-enough/
3. The Fame Motive
"People with an overriding desire to be widely known to strangers are different from those who primarily covet wealth and influence. Their fame-seeking behavior appears rooted in a desire for social acceptance, a longing for the existential reassurance promised by wide renown."
"But increased self-consciousness can plunge almost anyone into rumination over soured relationships or lost opportunities, psychologists find. And famous people in particular are forced to judge themselves against ideals set by others."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/health/psychology/22fame.html
4. Is Grad School right for You?
"If you still think you might be best off at grad school, then here’s a checklist of things you should do before you apply:
1. Try other jobs first.
2. Determine if an advanced degree is necessary.
3. Take the passion test."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2005/08/01/is-grad-school-right-for-you/
5. Change is Good for Stoking Your Passion
"Once you find that passion, it’s enticing to keep doing the same thing that you’re good at; the work world encourages this, because once people know you are good at something, they will ask you to do it all the time. But after a while, your learning curve plateaus, your personal growth sputters, and then your passion dissipates."
"The problem with finding work that makes you passionate is that we are all passionate about a lot of things that don’t mesh well with work. Sex, for one thing, is something we love to do but don’t do for work."
"And next time someone calls you a job hopper, stand up tall and proud, and tell them it’s a new workplace, and strategic job hopping is a new way to create a passionate career."
http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2006/12/24/change_is_good_for_stoking_your_passion/
6. 5 Steps to Taming Materialism, from an Accidental Expert
"Daniel Gilbert says that we think some changes will be terrible - like losing a limb - but in fact we are great at adapting to circumstances that don’t change. This is true of putting stuff in storage. You quickly learn to live without it."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/08/07/5-steps-to-taming-materialism-from-an-accidental-expert/
7. The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/05/the_nine_bigges.html
8. How Much Money Do You Need to be Happy? Hint: Your Sex Life Matters More
"But even if you wait until you enter the workforce, it makes sense to switch from one entry-level job to another; no seniority and scant experience means you have little to lose. So it’s an ideal time to figure out what will make you happy: Use a series of jobs to observe different professions at close range to see if YOU think they make people happy."
For those of you who like a tangible goal, David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College says, “Going from sex once a month to sex once a week creates a big jump in happiness. And then the diminishing returns begin to set in.” He adds, to the joy of all who are underemployed, “It’s true that money impacts which person you marry, but money doesn’t impact the amount of sex you have.”
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/08/03/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-hint-your-sex-life-matters-more/
9. Shoot Me, I'm An UnderAchiever!
"There's some freedom in not being owned by corporate America, but what I'm figuring out is for everything, you pay a price. How many of you really aim toward being happy and being fulfilled in all levels of your life? How many of you just accept that somethings are the way they are and at least you have a paycheck? I've always aimed for the happy place and figured waitressing would be okay for just a little while. It's better than working in an office. Or is it?"
... this girl sounds like me HAHAhttp://mayerain.typepad.com/maye_rain/2007/07/shoot-me-im-an-.html
10. Gifted Underachiever
http://www.brainy-child.com/expert/gifted-underachiever.shtml
11. Motivating an Underachiever
http://www.aish.com/family/mensch/Motivating_an_Underachiever.asp
12. Motivated Underachiever
http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Motivated_Underachiever
13. Why a Clinical Psychologist is your Best Choice for Counseling and Psychotherapy
https://psychologydoc.com/ocpa_psychologist.htm
14. Sacred Space
http://www.sacredspace.ie
15. Forget the soul search; just do something
"Gilbert says, “We should have more trust in our own resilience and less confidence in our predictions about how we’ll feel. We should be a bit more humble and a bit more brave.”"
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/05/15/forget-the-soul-search-just-do-something/
16. Relish Uncertainty - It's what makes Life Interesting
"So I stayed in school for the summer, and during that time I learned to cope with ambiguity. I realized that the only way to lead an interesting life is to encounter uncertainty and make a choice. Otherwise, your life is not your own - it is a path someone else has chosen. Moments of uncertainty are when you create your life, when you become who you are."
"Uncertainty does not end with the job hunt, though. Every new role we take means another round of instability. Even fifteen years after college, when I start a new job I am nervous. But now I remind myself that I am lucky to be nervous - because big opportunity and nervousness go hand in hand."
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2003/09/04/relish-uncertainty-its-what-makes-life-intersting/
17. Stumbling on Happiness: Daniel Gilbert
just noticed I've been quoting some "Daniel Gilbert" a lot so I decided to Google him too. :)
http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/blog/
18. How to Figure Out What You should be Doing with Your Life
So you look around and see who is doing what part of that well. And you pick the sacrifices that they made. Because no life is perfect, but all lives have some things to offer. Be clear on what you're choosing and what you're giving up, and don't pick anyone's life if they tell you they have everything: they're lying.
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/01/15/how-to-figure-out-what-you-should-be-doing-with-your-life/
19. Bad Situations Breed Creativity
The least creative people I know are those who knew exactly what they wanted to do after college, and did it, and never turned back. No existential crisis. No begging parents for dinner money. Just pure focus. The reason feeling lost is good is that it’s the time you figure out what you’re passionate about. Passion sweeps you off your feet when you’re meandering. You can’t get swept off your feet when you’re moving fast, when you have a plan, when you’re already going somewhere. You need a foggy focus to find passion. Most people who are creative will tell you that they didn’t pick their form; it picked them. The form your creativity will take will show itself during a time you are lost.
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/01/18/bad-situations-breed-creativity/