Losing your way

Money as a tool for motivation is limiting at best, and the 'carrot and stick' approach many managers use to motivate employees is will actually achieve the opposite effect of what was intended.

‘If, then’ rewards or conditional rewards are when we promise to give something to an individual when they complete a certain task.

These rewards can have a negative impact on motivation as the employees lose the will to work on that task for the sake of working.

There is no such thing as the key to success.

However, being ambitious, lucky and persistent can really work. While nothing guarantees success, finding what you like and trying to become good at it are definitely important steps in that direction.

There is a certain temptation we all feel when it comes to other people's success: check out exactly how they made it u to this level.

Nevertheless, this is not really the appropriate approach, as each individual has its own path in life: so better focus on your goal and how you plan to achieve it.

You have conscious control of about 10% of your brain. Most of your judgments, prioritizations, decisions, and actions are happening in your subconscious. Many of these processes are running on default programs to maintain the current position.

One reason change is hard is that you're often working against these defaults. You can change the defaults by giving your brain a concrete goal.

A well worked out goal sets the compass in your subconscious. It's not going to change your bad habits instantly but will serve as a guide when you make a choice.

When your brain is set on a course, it helps those default programs work for you instead of against you.

As a whole, our working lives are more like niches. There are numerous professions, but the path for success in many professions are extremely narrow.

The more defined a field, the narrower the relevant dimension of competition.

• For big spaces, the problem is exploration. Finding the right combination of elements is more important than becoming the best in a single skill.
• As the space shrinks down, the problem is optimization. Excellence here is about winning and outperforming the competition.

Happiness can be thought of as a retirement portfolio. You want it balanced with short and long term investments.

Those in pursuit of purpose miss that there is value in the sum of positive emotions we experience every day. If you're only goal-oriented, you forgo today's joy for a perceived better future. But, chasing tomorrow might not give you the happiness you desire.

You can do several things to enjoy your life day-to-day. Positive psychology techniques of gratitude is generally a short-term solution.

More importantly is to optimize your environment so you're more likely to be happy long term.

• It used to be that when you left a job, you were seen as a traitor. Now companies make efforts to ensure people leave on good terms. They have programs that keep the door open in case employees want to return.
• Not only is there less risk in letting your manager know you're looking, but there may also be upsides. Your boss may want to figure out how to keep you.
• If staying with the company isn't realistic, you may find ways to continue to work with the company. But the conversation may be uncomfortable and be far worse if you suspect your manager won't be understanding.

• This conventional wisdom is not always realistic. You may need to relocate because of your spouse's job, for example.
• Staying for only a short term no longer hurt a resume. 32% of employers expect job-jumping. Millennials are especially prone to brief stays at jobs. 70% quit their jobs within two years.
• Gaps in job history are no longer seen as problematic either, but you have to show that your time off wasn't a waste of time.
• However, you should avoid jumping around if you can because of the emotional drain of finding a new place, new friends, and reproving yourself.

The truth is that we often think we are practicing one thing, but later find that we are not really accomplishing our goal.

Several studies show that students are not able to perform on tasks that their classes should have prepared them for. For example, studying economics, but then not able to do better on questions of economic reasoning. Physics students that fail to solve a problem that differs slightly from those taught in class.

When you examine case studies of people with major accomplishments, you might expect some involved technique they used that others were not smart enough to notice. But often, they only did the real thing.

Polyglots are able to speak a language because they spend a lot of time speaking it. Playing on apps alone doesn't count.

Even if you replace a “bad” habit with a better one, sometimes the original vice will have a stronger biological “reward” than its substitute. This is where the importance of having an intrinsic motivation comes into play.

If that is the case, find as many benefits to the change as you can and try to use them as extra motivation.

The more you suppress your thoughts, the more likely you are to think about that thought or even revert back to that bad habit. Instead of trying to stop doing something,  it’s easier to do something else.

Late bloomers don't realize they're good at something until they're about fifty. It's not that they start late; It's that they simply aren't much good until late in their careers.

Young Cézanne had rare endowments, but he couldn't draw. Cézanne required decades of practicing before he could master his ability.

Prodigies like Picasso, who created a masterpiece at age twenty, tend to be "conceptual" in the sense that they start with a clear idea of where they want to go, and then accomplish it. Picasso once said that he could hardly understand the importance given to the word 'research.'

But late bloomers tend to work the other way around. Their goals are imprecise and their procedure experimental. They build their skills gradually throughout their careers, improving slowly over long periods.