Stay foolish

For the next 5 minutes, let’s elevate your career.

In today’s email:

Steve Jobs in is his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address said, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

We stay relevant at work when we are motivated to try new things. Stasis is a career killer. We don’t need new job titles or more money to be moving forward.

Staying foolish means we’ll ask the ‘dumb question’. We’ll explore things from first principles. And be much more interested in achieving the right outcome than simply being right.

Staying foolish encourages others to test things with us. There’s safety exploring multiple thoughts. It’s playful, fun, and creative.

Mary Oliver, the Pullitzer Prize-winning poet, wrote, “When I am among the trees… they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily.”

Nature improves our mood. We relax and have greater access to our long-term memory and creativity. A conversation in a park inspires our best selves.

Where better than a park bench to meet with a colleague and brainstorm?

Franklin’s 6 daily time blocks:

5am-8am: Rise, wash, plan the day, study, and breakfast.

8am-12pm: Work

12pm-2pm: Read, review finances, and dine.

2pm-6pm: Work

6pm-10pm: Tidy up, supper, music or diversion, conversation, and reflection.

10pm-5am: Sleep.

Franklin started his day with, “What good shall I do this day?” He finished with “What good have I done today?” Time blocking helped him accomplish a lot. And have rest and leisure.

A bucket list focuses on significant things we want to experience or achieve. If the list is useful, thinking about it will bring a sense of excitement.

A reverse bucket list focuses on significant things we have experienced or achieved. Thinking about it can bring a sense of satisfaction and happiness. It also makes us more resilient to setbacks.

What would be on your reverse career bucket list?

What have you done that’s added a lot of value to clients or colleagues?

Lewis Hamilton (1985 — ) was born in Stevenage, England. He became a karting champion by age 10 and joined McLaren’s Young Driver Programme at 13. Hamilton made his Formula One debut in 2007. He won his first world championship in 2008 with McLaren and won another 6 championships with Mercedes.

Hamilton has won the most pole positions and races in F1 history and equalled Michael Schumacher’s 7 championships. F1 correspondent Lawrence Barretto said of him, “…he has maintained that unrelenting strive for perfection – and it’s made him F1’s greatest ever driver.”

The global audience of F1 has grown because of Hamilton. In addition to his exciting driving style, he is known for his fashion, music collaborations, and passion for art. In 2021, Hamilton launched and pledged £20 million to Mission 44. This empowers young people to follow careers in STEM, motorsport, and related industries.

Hamilton was listed in the 2020 issue of Time as one of the 100 most influential people. He was recognized with a knighthood in 2021 for his achievements in motorsport and philanthropy. Hamilton continues to race at Ferrari.