Author Archives: Kit Prendergast

September 2010: Portfolio Life

Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose & Passion After 50, by David Corbett, 2007.
I reach for this book all the time to recommend to others but also as an inspirational guide for myself. I love that Corbett is writing from a historic customhouse in the Boston Harbor (my roots) and is speaking to the same principles that I have incorporated into my coaching practice over the years.
Corbett draws on research and his own extensive work with professionals to advocate that the strongest career trend occurring now is the desire for one to seek meaningful work that makes a positive difference in our world. It doesn’t get any better than that! It’s a great book!
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September Tip 2010: Changing Your Mindset

Are you willing to experiment with shifting your life perspective? To move from a linear life vision to a muti-faceted vision takes a major change in how you see yourself and your world around you.

Start with slowly moving away from traditional expectations of “what should happen when” in your career and personal life. Challenge yourself to consider adopting a “portfolio lifestyle” which is a balanced mix of work, learning, recreation, family and community contribution. Sounds interesting?

Here are five shifts in your thinking to start with . . .

  • Give yourself permission to be optimistic
  • Seek out change – stretch your comfort zone daily
  • Slow down to think and allow yourself to imagine
  • Take responsibility for designing your own next chapter
  • Be curious about everything and willing to learn anything
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July 2010: Why We Make Mistakes

Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average, by Joseph T. Hallinan, 2009.

This is an absolutely intriguing book. I’ve never seen a book that really explores why we all seem to make decisions that in retrospect were clearly wrong – and then we go and do it again!

Hallinan shares the research into how we can “walk and chew gum but not much else”; why the “grass does look greener” every  time and why people insist that San Diego is west of Reno. Hallinan has a wealth of real life stories and you will see yourself in many of them.

Keep this book by your bed and treat yourself to a good laugh just before you turn off the light. And maybe you’ll find yourself making some mental shifts and avoiding a mistake or two.

 

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July Tip 2010: Resist the Temptation to Multi-Task

In reading this month’s book, Why We Make Mistakes, I was struck by the insightful chapter on why multi-tasking simply does not work and why it leads to so many mistakes. Somehow “multi-tasking” has become the buzz word for being a super performer but is it really? Do you know that it takes between 9 – 15 minutes to refocus when you have been interrupted from a task!

The research (and our own observations confirm) that we simply can’t do several things at once and do them well. We make mistakes and the enjoyment of being able to complete a task or experience a moment is significantly reduced. And we become so stressed feeling we’re not getting anything done well. So resist the temptation to multi-task by practicing each day and making a personal commitment to be the best that you can be by being truly present in the moment. Here are some ideas . . .

  • “Chuck” your time (set aside a block of time to concentrate on one task)
  • Don’t read your email early in the morning (it’s so distracting!)
  • Be more realistic about how much time a task will take (a huge challenge for me)
  • Close your eyes when talking on the phone (love it!)
  • Take at least 3 things off your list today (you can’t do it all & that’s okay)
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June 2010: The Outliers

Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell, 2008.

Wow, this book really opens your eyes to what makes highly successful people so… successful! I have read it over and over because it is absolutely fascinating.  We usually think of highly successful people having genetics and lots of luck but actually the true story is very different – much more complex and interesting than it first looks. Based on extensive research, Gladwell exposes some fascinating commonalities between extremely successful people including Silicon Valley billionaires, professional ice hockey players, New York lawyers, the Beatles and the Asians at math.  The chapter on why commercial airlines crashes occurred is enough to convince you to never fly again!

But my takeaway is Gladwell’s research undeniably confirms that it’s the opportunities that young people are exposed to that make all the difference in the world.  It’s their family, their community, their culture and even their birthplace and birthdates that initially open doors for them.  And then it is their willingness to seize those opportunities and with dedication, support and more doors opening that true success is achieved.  It inspires me to double my efforts to open more of those doors for both our young people in Northern Nevada but also adults in our community.

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