Do I Look Like a Guy With a Plan?

December 10, 2009
miproconsulting
Blog

Here’s some excellent business advice for the organization as well as the individual from Charlie Hoehn. It centers around two basic precepts: (1) instead of calling something a failure, call it an attempt; and (2) the basic grist for the success mill is just doing things.

My favorite part of The Dark Knight is when the Joker is talking to Harvey Dent in the hospital, and he says: “Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just DO things… I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are.”

And therein lies the best career advice I could possibly dispense: just DO things. Chase after the things that interest you and make you happy. Stop acting like you have a set path, because you don’t. No one does. You shouldn’t be trying to check off the boxes of life; they aren’t real and they were created by other people, not you. There is no explicit path I’m following, and I’m not walking in anyone else’s footsteps. I’m making it up as I go.

It’s worth your while to read the whole thing.

(Via Kottke)