Category Archives: Career

A Few New Year’s Resolutions for 2012

Posted on by Kenway Du
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Every new year that rolls around, you probably spend ten minutes writing up a list of resolutions that is comprised mostly of stuff you wrote down last year.

Which is normal. You get that surge of motivation that this year is going to be different. You’ll be more productive, try new things, and step on the stair-master.

If that hasn’t worked before, try this: think about all the lessons you’ve learned in 2011 and make a point to apply them for the next 365 days. Here are some of my lessons that can use to give yourself a head start:

1) What’s done is done. Focus on next steps.

It’s easy to dwell on your mistakes. It’s better to focus on fixing it or learning from it. You can’t be perfect, so stop killing yourself over it and move forward. Don’t miss out on opportunities because you’re regretting your mistakes.

2) Stay calm.

My manager frequently reminds me that “It’s only toilet paper, nobody’s gonna die over it.” Needless to say, I work in then pulp and paper industry. Anyway, his point was quite clear. Unless somebody’s life is on the line, you have the capacity to stay calm. Trust me.

3) Be nice, just because.

There is a lot of contradictory advice on how to be successful. Most people, especially in the corporate world, will tell you that being nice won’t get you anywhere. But that’s not quite true. What they mean to say is that you have to be assertive, be ruthless in your pursuit, and do what it takes to get things done. Don’t mix the two ideas up. I know plenty of successful people who are not assholes, and I’m sure you know some too if you think about it.

Use my 3 resolutions to give you a head start on your list. I’ll post my entire list once I figure it out (I know, delayed as always).

Happy new year and all the best. Remember, this is your year.

Limitless: Are You Your Own Motivation?

Posted on by Kenway Du
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Over the past weekend, I was finally able to watch the film Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, and Abbie Cornish.

I won’t spoil the movie, but to give you a synopsis, the title character Eddie Morra is a writer who struggles to motivate himself to make anything in his life happen.
He runs into his successful ex brother in-law and is given the secret to that success – a new chemical drug. As the old saying goes, “We only use 20% of our brains at any given time.” This drug allows you to access the other 80%, and having this access results in monumental success. The rest of the movie gets very clever that even if I give a spoiler, it won’t be spoiled.

This film unexpectedly motivated me more than anything else has within the last year. How do I access my 80%? What is my metaphorical drug?

This week has been a productive week. I’ve been thinking more clearly, more calmly, and more focused.
When I’m confronted with a task, my attitude is not tired and bitter, but energetic and inquisitive.

My drug, quite simply, is me. It is the possibility of being able to break that 20% brain-usage ceiling and acknowledging that I have the capability to push those limits.
Corny, but just believing that you can break those boundaries allows you to break those boundaries.

 

Give it a try. Push through that 20%. Find your drug. You might see that you already have it.

On Conan O’Brien’s Dartmouth Commencement Speech

Posted on by Kenway Du
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Most people think of Conan O’Brien as a comedian who was shafted from his spot on NBC. Well – he’s still that. But if you’ve been following him over the past year, Conan has overcome great adversity to come out on top. He imparts the wisdom that he learned to the Dartmouth graduating class of 2011. Here are some of his notable words:

“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.”

Sometimes we get caught up in being assholes just for the hell of it. Maybe we want to get ahead in the corporate world. Maybe we want to get on the subway first. And although an asshole can be more intimidating and seem more powerful, nobody wants to help him. So above all, be kind. Pair kindness together with hard and honest work and be ready to draw in opportunities as well as people you want to be around.

 

“Disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment, you can gain clarity. And with clarity comes conviction and true originality.”

Disappointment sucks, but it forces you to assess your situation. In the face of disappointment, we end up standing still and thinking “what the hell went wrong?”. Clarity. And after enough disappointment, you shake your head and tell yourself that you’re never going to let this happen again. Conviction. Then you take matters into your own hands and you mold solutions based on who you are as a person. True Originality.

 

“Whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that’s okay.”

This line spoken so matter-of-factly hits home hard for me, as I’m sure it does many of you. When I was young I wanted to be a scientist. One year I dared to dream that I would be a basketball player. Then highschool came and I wanted to be a computer programmer, but instead I went to UofT for Marketing, followed by a year of crafting myself to be a videographer. And now, I’m not sure what I want to be. And that’s okay. Because you will never know what you were meant to be until you become it.

 

“It is our failure to  become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy but if you accept your misfortunate and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound reinvention.”

We’re obsessed about chasing perfection, the ultimate unattanaible ghost. What is your perceived ideal? The pinnacle of rich, sexy, successful, hated by many but loved by more, kind but powerful, considerate yet untouchable. Whatever your perfect self is, you’ll never reach it no matter how close you get. You’ll fall somewhere in between, and even though you may think this is not supposed to be who you are – and here’s the kicker – this is who you are. The beauty is that once you accept it, doors of opportunity for personal growth open up and who knows, you may become someone better than your previously percevied ideal.

 

Coco, you’re a smart guy. I appreciate the way you delivered the message without bullshit. To me, the message is loud and clear: stick to your guns and be yourself.

Things will happen once you accept your situation and once you accept who you are.

It’s Okay to Work in a 9-5 Cubicle Job

Posted on by Kenway Du
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After reading some blog posts about finding your vocation in life, I realize that my beliefs and values were a little skewed. I used to think that corporate 9-5 jobs where you’re stuck in a cubicle is no way to live. And I would encourage those people to find what their true passions are in life and pursue it, because nobody grows up wanting to become a cubicle junkie hacking away at the Excel sheets, right?

What I didn’t realize is that a vocation or calling isn’t about something you were born to do. A vocation is more about something that excites and interests you regardless of how much it pays and whatever challenges it brings. A vocation utilizes your unique set of talents and skills AND (because the and is important) is driven by passion.

For example, let’s say your passion was for helping kids and families in poverty and that you were skilled in crunching numbers. A vocation for you could be analyzing data on the state of poverty in Toronto in order to make decisions that will help reduce the poverty rate. But what if this job involved you sitting in a cubicle to analyze the data and send out e-mails to connect with other similar organizations? Does this make it any less of a vocation for you? Probably not.

The cubicle, the 9-5, the Excel sheets – these are just small things in your environment. Sure, they may not be glamorous for some of you but if you’re in your calling, these things won’t matter.

Of course, I still encourage cubicle workers who DON’T like their jobs to go and find your vocation. And do it now, while you still have time.

On Sharing and Contributing Your Ideas

Posted on by Kenway Du
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I’m starting to come to grips with the fact that I’m merely on the outskirts of the video production industry. And after a few years of producing video, I admit that I expected myself to be more successful – not only in terms of money, but also in terms of my portfolio, network, and exposure.

On my path of personal growth, I’m beginning to realize where I went wrong and what I’ll have to focus on to change my life around.

Sharing and Contributing

This issue was hard for me to deal with, even though I understood it in a logical sense. But whenever I learned or gained something valuable, I kept it to myself. And it’s ironic because my values are quite the opposite on an issue like a nation’s wealth (if the rich shared more then there wouldn’t be such a gap between the wealthy and the needy). But I held onto the little knowledge that I had gained because I was afraid of being exploited if I shared; that maybe someone with more resources could take my ideas and act on them quicker and more effectively, leaving me in the dust.

While I’m nowhere near where I want to be with sharing my ideas, I am not only understanding the concept but taking action as well. I’m doing it by writing (privately and publicly), tweeting, filming, and meeting up with others in the industry and outside.

Isolating Yourself

If you are unwilling to share and contribute, you are essentially isolating yourself. Because of poor exposure, nobody will know who you are and will not have much reason to talk to you. More importantly, people would rather ignore you because of your selfish attitude.

Sometimes you will run into people who will take your ideas and use it for their own benefit without any credit to you. All I can say is either act on your own idea first or prepare to do it better. Not the best advice, I know. I’ll update you guys if I figure out a better solution.