How To Do Great Work?

a BORROW SMART MONEY CONCEPT
How To Do Great Work?

Working with and coaching students, adults, and retirees, this question comes up in many ways.

Much like a borrower asks questions without knowing what question they are really asking... I find many students ask this question without often knowing what they are really asking.

The video shares some of the highlights, then my favoite points, and a link to read the article below.

My Favorite Points:

1. Choosing Work: Select work that aligns with your natural aptitude and deep interest. Don't worry excessively about its scope for greatness, as ambitious individuals often underestimate this.

2. Working Process: Develop a habit of working on personal projects. Choose projects that are excitingly ambitious and will evolve in importance as you grow.

3. Curiosity: Let your curiosity guide you. Focus on what you are excessively curious about, as this drives great work.

4. Learning and Discovering: Aim to reach the frontiers of knowledge in your chosen field. Notice gaps and ask questions about overlooked aspects.

5. Chasing Outlier Ideas: Pursue unconventional ideas, especially those ignored by others but that excite you.

6. Hard Work: Hard work is essential. Choose work that you're deeply interested in to naturally drive your effort.

7. Motivation: The most powerful motives are curiosity, delight, and the desire to impress. The combination of these is particularly potent.

8. Finding New Ideas: Generate new ideas through various means like reading, meeting people, asking questions, and optimizing for interestingness.

9. Overcoming Constraints: Don't be afraid to switch fields if you discover something more exciting. Make sure your work is something people actually want.

10. Avoiding Pitfalls: Be wary of pretentiousness, fashion, fear, and other distractions. Stick to genuine interests.

11. Work Habits: Work hard on exciting projects without overplanning. Understand the nature of exponential growth and the power of consistency.

12. Intellectual Honesty and Earnestness: Be intellectually honest and earnest. This approach helps in seeing new ideas clearly.

13. Avoiding Affectation: Don’t try to be someone else or work in a distinctive style. Focus on doing the best job possible.

14. Originality and Creativity: Originality is a habit of mind. It comes from working on something slightly too difficult and expressing ideas in their most general form.

15. Choosing Problems: Originality in choosing problems to solve is often more critical than in finding solutions.

16. Copying and Learning: Learn from both positive and negative examples. If you copy, do it openly and selectively.

17. Collaboration: Seek out the best colleagues and learn from them. Collaborate, but maintain your individuality.

18. Maintaining Morale: Keep high morale by viewing life optimistically and considering setbacks as part of the process.

19. Role of Audience: An audience, no matter how small, is crucial for morale and motivation.