Haruki Murakami is one of the celebrated authors of all time. One of his endearing characteristics is his ability to bridge a connection about things that ordinary people may perceive has no correlation. Or, how his imagination has set no boundaries and his reader will just go “that’s insane” while reading his novel. This is the reason why we will create a connection from this book and turn it into career advice (yes, it is not that complicated).
The title of the book is “What I talk about when I talked about running” is a mere 180 pages memoir but brimming with inspiration from Murakami’s journey not only as a runner but as a writer as well.
Do not worry, we are not here today to write a review about one of his book but rather be a source of your weekly career advice. Regardless if you are a professional in search of a career change, a fresh graduate looking for work, or even someone who is considered successful in your chosen path but, feeling a huge gap inside waiting to be filled in, then this post is for you!
On having doubts about the right moment to start.
“Just as I have my own role to play, so does time. and time does its job more accurately than I ever do”.
“At any rate, that’s how I start running. Thirty-three. That’s how old I was then, still young enough, though, no longer a young man. The age that Jesus Christ died. The age that Scott Fitzgerald started to go downhill. That age may be a kind of crossroad in life”.
We always impose invisible roadblocks on the things we always wanted to do and blame that either we are too old to start, or we do not have enough time. Mind you, those are only flimsy excuses for as the old saying goes; “if there’s a will, there’s a way”. With that in mind, go ahead and keep nurturing yourself with things you’ve wanted to learn sports you have wanted to try, or places that you’ve always wanted to visit. Remember, the worse thing that can happen is not failing, but regret for not even trying. Also, as what Murakami had mentioned, time does its job more accurately than we ever do.
On improving our skills.
“You make do with what you have”
“Writer’s who aren’t blessed with many talents – those who barely make the grade need to build up their strength at their own expense. They have to train themselves to improve their focus, to increase their endurance. And while they are getting on at this, they may actually discover real, hidden talent. What made this good fortune possible was all the training they did”.
“I raise the bar and by clearing each level, I elevated myself”
Talent is not the only ingredient you need to rely on in order to succeed. Yes, talent might be a huge chunk of it but it is not the whole package. We might have a colleague whom we admire since it seems he or she can make things easy at work with stunning results. You can also achieve that too! But, it needs dedication and hard work. Nothing springs out overnight. Constantly train yourself to improve for the better. If you rely solely on talent without enriching it, exhaustion will take its toll and you will be left with sub-par results of your previous work.
On losing or winning our daily struggles in life.
“Typical mid-distance runners, unsuited for long-distance running. Compared to them, I’m pretty used to losing. There are plenty of things in this world that are way beyond me, plenty of opponents I can never beat”.
“In most cases learning something essential in life requires physical pain”
“They (pertaining to muscles) remember things and endure, and to some extent, they improve. But they never compromise, they don’t give up”.
Another word that should go hand-in-hand with motivation is acceptance. We need to accept the fact that there is always someone better, younger, more talented, and so on than us. And that’s okay! If you wake up everyday thinking on how to beat the competition as a mindset, then, you are in for a huge disappointment. You should strive rather, be a better version of yourself.
And as for the pain part? Remember when you didn’t manage to get that job offer that you’ve always wanted or closed a deal with a “we must have this client at all cost”? We tend to recall certain lessons in life when it is strongly embedded inside us. We can definitely take down invisible notes, strategize on the comeback and even create a better version of the original plan.
I definitely hope that you manage to pick up a few lessons and career advice here and there with this post. Are you ready to search for that dream job or take your career to the next level? Check out our previous post and let us know how we can help you more in the comments section below.
Feature image credit: essencesportswear.com
