NicoleFinke.com

One martial arts myth says Thai fighters used to kick banana trees 100 times each day as part of training in order to condition their shins. I’m not sure if this actually happened, but this story and its underlying idea ring true today with clarity of vision.

When it comes to kicking trees, there is no shortcut or easy way out. You either display discipline, putting in the 100 painstaking kicks each day, or you don’t. Likewise, you can’t build that amazing career of your dreams overnight. There are some luck-based success stories out there, but they’re few and far between. Creating and sustaining success takes discipline day in and day out as you work toward your goal. This takes tremendous focus. You have to know what you want because if you don’t have vision what’s the point of kicking that tree every day?

Establish your career vision and go for it, but this is only the start. From there, pick one small thing you can do every day to make progress. It doesn’t have to be the same thing over and over like kicking a tree, but it should be a never-ending advance toward the end result. Whether it’s through reading, networking, blogging, or any other means of career advancement, without fail commit to doing SOMETHING every single day; this is one area in which instant gratification just plain doesn’t happen.

It’s painful at times, and often hard to see progress, but if you remain consistent you’ll get there eventually and soon enough you’ll be kicking bigger and tougher trees.

In college, we’re all surrounded by the idea of “building your resume.” What puzzles me about this is the emphasis on getting leadership positions. Many students think that as long as they were an officer in a group, they’re set with “leadership experience.” I’m not saying leadership positions aren’t a good thing, but they can’t be the goal. The goal is what you actually do with an organization; that’s real leadership. There are two goals I have to help me focus in on what’s important in being part of an organization:

1) Evolve. What matters is how you contribute to an organization. This means upholding and extending the group’s vision and seeing where improvements can be made. It’s not about what’s expected from you, it’s what you do beyond that. Give the organization a point! Something to rally around and be proud of.

2) Evolve others. Enabling group members reflects upon your leadership; taking all the credit might help some “status” in theory, but in reality it undermines the group. The best leaders are those who nurture new leaders; don’t be afraid to let others take ownership in the vision or to help them succeed. Some officers have an idea engrained that others succeeding make them somehow less successful. This is opposite of the point; an organization is better off as there is more success among the members.

The bottom line is that evolution is key to finding and keeping a “point” to everything that an organization does, and caring more about that evolution than personal credit. Stop wasting time in meetings wondering “What’s the point?” Either find the point or evolve the organization to create it. This gives real value to your resume; the real world doesn’t care how many hours of meetings you sat through or what you took credit for, what matters is why you were there and what difference you made.

Last year in class we were given the breakdown of 4 personality types most of us generally fit. Most of us have traits that overlap or put us in multiple groups, but basically there’s one we fit better than the rest. There’s the focused “driver” who is result-oriented and likes to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible. The detail-oriented “analyzers” question everything and add a new depth of thought to discussions. The “amiable” group pays close attention to the needs of others and generally keeps the peace, while the “expressive” group refers to those fun-loving, life of the party types.

Why does this matter when it comes to blogging? I’m constantly confronted with the stereotype that all bloggers are essentially the same and if you don’t fit some predetermined mold then blogging isn’t for you. I don’t buy it. Regardless of what personality type(s) you fit blogging can add to the way you see the world.

If you’re a driver-type, blogging is an irreplaceable part of your career. Building an online presence is key in today’s job markets and a blog can get you one step ahead of the competition. Displaying your work online and writing posts that show who you are add weight to your credibility. Consider your blog a career investment.

For the analytical thinker, blogging is a way to see the world from a new perspective. Instead of noticing an ad, article, or problem and then moving on, blogging brings the questions “How can I fix this?” and “How does this connect to something else I know?” into everyday thought. This capacity translates not just into blog posts, but into how you solve problems and see the world around you.

Those who fall into the amiable category can find purpose in creating a blog as well. When you pay attention first and foremost to the needs of others, finding ways to express your own opinion can be difficult, but a blog is the perfect place to do it. After all, those who observe are usually best at seeing ideas in a new light but don’t always share these ideas.

An expressive-type person is generally considered to be the blogger stereotype. If you’re enthusiastic and love meeting new people, what better way to do so than finding others of common interest through blogging communities?

While you may start blogging for one reason, all the reasons combined will continue to make it worthwhile. Through blogging, one single activity can boost your career, improve critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing skills, create new relationships across the globe, and serve as a form of self-expression. So I challenge you, ask yourself: What type are you?

It’s simple advice, really. Most of us want to find success in our careers. The definition of “success” differs from person to person, but we all have goals in mind. Our level of effort can drive success and is important to get from Point A to Point B, but how is it possible to create a career that grows constantly?

Obviously our effort must be maintained, and Seth Godin puts this best, explaining how we create our own “luck.” The essential element to continual success builds off effort: never get comfortable. Whatever effort you’re currently giving, it’s critical to ask yourself, “What next?” Building your career requires constant assessment and evolution. It makes sense; to keep your career moving, you have to keep moving!

So if you spend time reading, networking, blogging, studying, or in general creating the career you want, you’re already well on your way with effort. Now is the time to ask yourself that simple question “What next?” and start finding ways to evolve.

At this point it seems like everyone knows our economy is in a crisis (unless you’ve been living under a rock). With a $17 billion bailout to GM and Chrysler as the latest step of government intervention, President Bush stated that it was better to hand over the $17 billion than to face a worsening recession. I’m not exactly an expert, but I’m not convinced this is the answer even if I understand why it’s being done.

First, the U.S. auto industry is already considered to be a dying industry. The U.S. department of commerce released automotive industry trends, and the state of decline is not unnoticed.

• GM market share fell 10% between 1990 and 2005 (from 36% to 26%)
• Ford fell from 24% to 17% in the same period
• Chrysler holds 12.86% of the current market

Foreign auto makers have taken distinct portions of the U.S. market due to reasons ranging from reliability to price, but the bottom line is the U.S. auto industry is in trouble.

So why bail out this industry? The auto industry, from parts manufacturing to car production etc., employs 1 in 10 people in the United States. That’s incredible. In my tiny Nebraska hometown we hold true to that statistic through parts production in the area. If the U.S. auto industry would tank completely 800 out of the 8,000 people of our population would be out of work. In this worsening economy, especially in rural areas with limited options, this is unthinkable.

As difficult as it is to face though, the industry is in decline either way. Maybe it does need to be propped up now during the current crisis, but is there really any “good” time to allow 1/10 people to lose their jobs even if it’s inevitable? I think now is the time to plan ahead and figure out what can be done to create jobs that have a future for those employed in the automotive industry because unless there are some dramatic changes that a $17 billion bailout can’t provide, it looks like they’re probably on their way out anyway.