Finding Work You Love
January 23, 2006I’ve just been reading an inspirational essay by Paul Graham … How to do what you love. There’s so many quotable lines in this it’s hard to single any out, but here’s one of my favorites:
It’s hard to find work you love; it must be, if so few do. So don’t underestimate this task. And don’t feel bad if you haven’t succeeded yet. In fact, if you admit to yourself that you’re discontented, you’re a step ahead of most people, who are still in denial. If you’re surrounded by colleagues who claim to enjoy work that you find contemptible, odds are they’re lying to themselves. Not necessarily, but probably.
Keep searchin, keep on searchin, this search goes on, this search goes on!
Contrasting Customer Service Experiences
January 21, 2006I took the puppy to the local Vet this morning for a health check, just to make sure everything is OK. Not only did the Vet put my mind at ease by assuring me that we had a great pet, he didn’t charge me for the visit. Remarkable! Now there’s a Purple Cow! He knew that I’d be needing a VET again in the near future, and by taking this approach, almost guaranteed that I’d go back there next time.
This type of customer experience was a stark contrast to the recent treatment my clients and I have been getting from well know, multi-national Anti Virus software vendor, who are uncompromising, unsympathetic and immune from answering telephone calls.
It’s a Girl!
January 21, 2006A new addition to the Cook family:
“Storm” 9 week-old, female Boxer.
No, I’m not in W.A.
January 19, 2006West Australia is gearing up for tropical Cyclone Daryl, which is expected to intensify over the next 24 hours.
They’ve just named a cyclone after me!
On job security
January 17, 2006The only security you will ever have is confidence in your talent, skills, and knowledge. If you are secure and self-aware, you will always be in demand. Even the most tenured and highest performing employee in a company faces the risk of being fired. The minute a company’s profits evaporate, so do the jobs. As we have seen in the cases of Enron, WorldCom, and others, profits can evaporate for a number of reasons that are outside of your control. Security only comes from controlling your own destiny.
