tell us what you think

A Bunko Breakfast is a great way to connect with people like you who are trying to figure “it” out. Around the world - (really, I’m not kidding … in Korea, Romania and the US to name a few) folks are gathering to break bread and talk about the “lessons”. Check out the “other” Bunko Blog to see what other people have done at a Bunko Breakfast. Then join us for breakfast and conversation about the lessons of Johhny Bunko and contribute your own widsom. University of Toronto students can register on the Career Centre website starting January 5, 2009, space is limited.

In a comment posted earlier this fall, Hong suggested that it was important to “Leave on good terms”. Even if things were not going great in a job she noted the importance of leaving with bridges intact and that obtaining strong references for future jobs was very important. What other lessons or words of wisdom would you add?

In the Johnny Bunko book, Diana tells Johnny, ” You’re young now, but when you get older and look back at your life you’ll ask yourself a whole bunch of questions. Did I make a difference? Did I contribute something? Did my being here matter? Did I do something that left an imprint?”

When I think - leave an imprint - I think - Randy Pausch. With everything to live for, he was struck with cancer that eventually took him away from his young family. But before he went, he wrote the Last Lecture that inspired and touched millions. He actually did it for his three kids but he generously shared his wisdom with the rest of us.

So, what kind of imprint will you leave?

Since we’ve started giving away the Johhnny Bunko books I’ve had some really interesting conversations with some of you. People have told me about some of their “hobbies” which they have still managed to squeeze in while doing a job to “pay the bills”or handling a full course load. Many students have wondered what program to choose and what kind of work they will be able to do once they graduate. I’ve heard “the dilemma” a lot - as a new grad do you explore or get down to business? Do you go to grad school - and if so, what program?

I’ve met poets, artists and chocolate lovers (you know who you are)! So tell me more about you and what your dreams are. What kind of help do you think you need to achieve your dreams?

Thanks Everfree, for your comments and great questions!

I think you are quite correct in saying that being a hard worker and being optimistic are not mutually exclusive. I can say this with great confidence because I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people who have both of these characteristics in abundance (you know who you are!).

The optimum way to answer a question like “Are you lucky” in an interview is a combination of both. This way you demonstrate your understanding of what it means to be a hard worker and the importance of being optimistic to contribute a positive influence to your workplace.

In response to your question under the post Persistence trumps talent; how do you know when to stick with something or when to get off the horse (great analogy!), it comes down to your own commitment to what you are doing. I have known people who have turned a hobby into a career, but the hobby was an essential part of who they are as an individual. I think that can be the determining factor. That is, the degree to which the activity/hobby is essential to your self-actualization. A friend and former colleague became a jazz singer after pursuing singing as a hobby for years. He worked different jobs to support his love and need to sing. Is he working really hard? Yes, probably harder than ever. Is it worth it to him? It might depend on the day you ask the question! But I expect he would answer - yes, it is worth it.

When was the last time you were congratulated for making an excellent, whopping mistake? If your experience has been anything like mine, your mistakes and failures have not always been met with thunderous applause! Our early exposure to making mistakes, being blamed or embarrassed for our goof-ups, teaches us quickly that this is something we’d like to avoid as often as possible. But in doing that, we also learn to play it safe, not to take risks. As a result, we allow our fear to interfere with our potential to achieve great things.

Did you know “a bunko” means - “to make a mistake from which the benefits of what you learned exceed the costs of the screw-up.”

So maybe a better question to ask is; when did your last “bunko” teach you a really great lesson that you wouldn’t have learned if you’d played it safe? Think of the greatest inventions, many were achieved due to a fluke or a mistake. We remember Thomas Alva Edison for his great successes - the light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture camera. But guess what? Not all 1,093 patents he held were for successful inventions! There were plenty of bunkos to go with the home runs!

Michael Eisner talks about how at Disney, creativity and failure were both encouraged and making excellent mistakes led to some excellent ideas!

So be brave……go forth and make some excellent mistakes and learn some excellent lessons!

Thanks Dan, from Road Trip Nation, for the great comment last week! One of my favorite sites! I think it is awesome that you guys are supporting students by giving them an opportunity to get out there to do fantastic video interviews and then share the wisdom with the rest of us!

Great news! Road Trip Nation is accepting applications for this year’s road trippers until December 22! (Yup, imagine yourself behind the wheel of one of those GREEN RV’s!) Visit RTN for more information.

Lesson 4: Persistence trumps talent

What is that about? You mean if I just hang in there and don’t give up, I’ll do better than someone who is more talented or has more innate ability than me? YUP, many times that’s what it means. Talent alone won’t get the job done. If you don’ stick with it, if you give up, then where are you? No where!

It takes some ability AND persistence to get to where you want to go. Many successful people say it was their determination to acheive a goal that gave them the courage to jump at an opportunity or take a risk that brought them closer to their goal. Sometimes just sticking to it and putting one foot in front of the other is what is needed to get you through those times of doubt.

In an interview from RoadTrip Nation, Kate White Editor-in-Chief Cosmopolitan Magazine describes how her dream of being a writer and her determination gave her the grit to take on assignments that she really didn’t think she could do. View this video by clicking on RoadTrip Nation on the Blogroll and find Kate’s interview by searching under “interests” - writers.

How persistent are you? Wanna find out? Take the Grit Survey found on the Authentic Happiness website.

Lesson #3 It’s not about you

It’s about making a contribution that’s bigger than one person, for the greater good of others. Diana tells Johnny that “most successful people improve their own lives by improving others’ lives. They help their customer solve its problem. They give their client something it didn’t know it was missing. That’s where they focus their energy talent and brainpower.”

So how is this done? One amazing example is happening today - October 17, 2008 - Me to We day.

What is Me to We day? Well, it’s a rally of thousands of kids - middle, high school and other young people here in Toronto and in communities across the country. They are gathering to celebrate success and generate enthusiasm for taking action to make the world a better place. Wow!

Through their organization - Free the Children - brothers Craig and Marc Keilburger have created incredible change. They have witnessed the distressing conditions of the worlds impoverished children and are working with children and young people to build schools, clean water wells and provide health care for those in need around the world. Their philopohy of we instead of me truly demonstrates how all gain when we realize it’s not about me!

What’s a strength?

How many times have you been asked by an interviewer to talk about your strengths and weaknesses? How do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are?  For that matter what does that really mean anyway?

Marcus Buckingham (depicted as a bobblehead doll in the JB book)  says that a strength is something that you do that makes you feel strong. Conversely, a weakness is something that you do that takes your energy away. Ironically, this can actually be something you are skilled at but just don’t WANT to do!

How do you identify your strengths?

Think of a time when everything was going right and you were at your supreme best. What were you doing, where were you, who were you with? What words describe you at that moment? These are some of your strengths!

When you are operating at your peak, doing something you love, chances are you are using all your strengths. That’s why you are able to operate with so much energy and focus. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (also in JB as a bobblehead doll) would call this FLOW. It is the “mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”

Martin Seligman (also a bobblehead doll in JB) has done a great deal of work studying happiness. He suggests that when people use their innate strengths most of the time, they feel fulfilled and happy. So the trick is to identify your unique strengths and look for ways to use them most of the time. Visit the Authentic Happiness website and take Seligman’s VIA Signature Strengths Questionaire. The results will probably validate the words you used to describe yourself when you were at your best!