Hi there,

The whole idea of a new year full of potential is top of mind for me. I wrote earlier about taking time to know more about who you are. I think this is a better first step than typical resolutions.

I coach people in doing this as a part of helping people in their career and helping leaders as well. The idea is simple enough. You want to come up with 3-5 words or phrases that remind you of that more true and fulfilled version of yourself. Then, you write those phrases or words down on paper and put that paper where you will see it every day.

The idea behind physically placing the paper is it now becomes a physical reminder. When it is physical it can do a much better job of evoking that version of yourself. For leaders I sometimes advise them to put it on a door frame leaving their office, or looking at it before they step into a meeting.

If you want to get started, try imagining some day in the future. On that day you do your regular activities and whatnot, but you also wind up going through a number of scenarios that have recently stressed you out or could have gone better. Only this time, they went great. Write down a few words to describe who you are in those moments.

Now distill it down to 3-5 words or phrases and you're done!

As for the career coaching, more youtube videos have gone out, so please check them out and let me know if you'd like me to make a video reviewing your resume or answering a career question.

The very first person I ever helped with their career texted me this morning, and while we were catching up he said a few things that really stood out to me. First, he mentioned that the one developer skill that has done the most for him has been Test-Driven Development. So much so that he said he just got a 20% raise and that was a huge factor as to why. The other thing he said that it took time to realize was that the resume I taught him to build is a little google doc that is worth six figures.

Here I am trying to figure out how to build a course on resumes and this guy just laid it out so perfectly for me.

Anyway, hearing things like this is pretty validating and keeps me going!

ICYMI

🗒️ What Might We Learn From Parler?

Parler had a fascinating history full of security vulnerabilities, rapid scale, and an even more rapid shutdown.

In some regards, it’s like the story of Icarus, who failed to heed good advice and fell to his death.

People’s reactions to Parler’s shutdown will vary, but a rare take I will explore here is: What if it could happen to us?

Click here to read more

Enjoy,

Ryan Latta