Back when Jason Seiden announced that he was giving away copies of his book, How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What’s Left of Your Career, I knew that I wanted to snag some for you faithful readers of The Job Quest!
I wrote to Jason, explaining that the purpose of this little blog is to provide information and resources to job seekers, and would he PLEASE consider sending me some copies of his book. Lo and behold, he agreed. So I have been waiting in eager anticipation of their arrival.
When I came home yesterday after taking my little ones for their H1N1 vaccinations (and if this was a mommy blog, I would really get into the wailing that was heard at the doctor’s office), I saw a brown box sitting by my front door.
Could it be? Yes! The shipment of How to Self-Destruct books had come! (Perfect timing, Jason — I needed the lift after the drama at the clinic.)
I tore open that box and cracked open one of the books. I’ve gotten about halfway through it, and I would describe it in this way:
- Funny!
- Chock-full of great career advice
- An easy read
For a better analysis than that, read this great book review of How to Self-Destruct.
To share the love, I’m giving away four of these little beauties!
To enter, you must answer the following question:
How in your professional or personal life have you averted failure?
Averting failure can be as simple as not succumbing to it even if it feels like you are staring it in the face. Here is an example of how I averted failure in my life:
I have talked about a time when I agreed to have an employment agency place me with an organization that held an affiliation that ran counter to my personal beliefs. The placement ended up not working out because of that difference, and the employment agency chose to not place me again. Yes, it was frustrating, but I needed a job! I went to another employment agency, and they put me in a temporary position that lasted four months.
As I was nearing the end of my placement, I applied for and got a job with an amazing organization! I spent the next four and a half years there and really developed professionally because of the experiences I had.
See? It’s pretty easy to find ways we have averted failure.
If you want to have two additional entries into this giveaway, you can do the following:
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Start following me on Twitter @TheJobQuest (if you are already following me, you are eligible for this entry if you leave a comment)
Please note: for the Twitter activities to count, you must indicate in your comments that you (a) are following me on Twitter and/or (b) have retweeted this post.
Entries for this giveaway will be accepted until 9:00 pm Pacific Time on Monday, December 7.
Ready, set… Go!
The way I have averted failure is getting up every morning and getting ready to take on the day. Try to make appointments every day and working my schedule. Not letting the fact that I don’t have a job get me down. I have been working on bettering me. And that is how I am averting failure. Merry Christmas.
Thanks for great comment, Bob. You are very right that taking on every day when you are looking for work is averting failure. Keep going!
I avert failure by pushing myself to be present to people, even when it is hard to do so. In an age with so much technology, we “listen” to each other less. People notice and appreciate when you are really present to them, and that often translates into more business.
That is a really good point, Michelle!
With Twitter, you can just do a quick retweet to send on an article or thought that you like, and with Facebook, you just have to make a click that you “like” a comment someone makes. The real interaction is so limited as a result. Really being present does take an effort and can make a difference in avoiding failure.