TED Video: Why you will fail to have a great career

[Tim]

I thought this was quite relevant after Mark's last blogpost. I've seen videos like it before, and they were probably better, but this one has quite a unique style.

http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_smith_why...areer.html

[Edmond Dantès]

Great one. Thanks for posting.

Here is my favourite TED talk about what success means. I really like John Wooden's definition and it fits very well into the postmasculine philosophy...give it a try

http://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_on_...ccess.html

Subtitles availabe, the german one is well translated....

[Mark]

John Wooden was the man. A total zen-like approach to coaching sports, and arguably one of the most successful coaches in American sports history.

[IdEngager]

The greatest coach in American sports history. I kick myself for never actually getting to meet him while he was still here!

[Tim]

Yeah I've seen that Wooden one, unbelievable. There are certain guys (like him and Jordan), when you read them or watch them speak, that not only is what they're saying so powerful, but even more so is how deeply they obviously believe what they're saying.

[Mark]

Watching footage of Jordan play to me is indescribable. There's a charisma to him on the court that I've never seen another athlete have in any other sport. You can't take your eyes off him, even when he doesn't have the ball. Everything he does looks so effortless and unconscious.

[Tim]

Maybe we should have a thread for Postmasculine heroes; guys who in some way (though in cases like Jordan, not all), embody traits that we think we as men want to emulate.

---

Heroes might be a bad word now I look at it; it could imply a certain degree of worship. But role models at least. I'm off to start that thread.

[Zac]

I love Tim's idea. Role models are so huge.

[TheBoss]

The problem with follow your passion type advice is that the rest of the world does not give a shit about your dreams and your passions. If you can find way to monetize your passion then that's great. You might be a passionate about being a painter, but if nobody wants to pay you for your paintings, then you're shit out of luck.

[Tim]

Well that's the thing isn't? You might have to go without money from it for a while, or not make anything from it. If it's going to be the latter then you can't do it for a career, but you can still follow it as something you love. And if you do plan to make it a career, then no, there's no guarantees you won't fail and be disappointed. But what this guy is trying to say is there that if you don't go for it there is a guarantee; you will be disappointed.

[Matty]

Definitely an interesting video. I don't disagree at all with what the speaker is saying, but I think a lot of what holds our generation back from pursuing a great career stems from choice; namely, too much of it. With such a plethora of options, and being told constantly that we can do anything we want from a young, the multiplicity of paths our lives can take can be downright terrifying, and finally pulling the trigger on one can be a struggle. Here's another TED speaker on the issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsC...ure=relmfu