No Fears, No Excuses

What You Need to Do to Have a Great Career

Larry Smith

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780544663282
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

"Smith convincingly shows how individuals of any age and in any industry can chart a course to a great career by drawing on prior success stories."— Publishers Weekly

Over the past three decades, Professor Larry Smith has become something of a "career whisperer" for his students at the University of Waterloo. His stunning TEDx talk on finding your calling has been viewed by more than six million people and counting. This book captures the best of his advice in a one-stop roadmap for your future. Showcasing his particular mix of tough love and bracing clarity, Smith itemizes all the excuses and worries that are holding you back—and deconstructs them brilliantly. After dismantling your hidden mental obstacles, he provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how to go about identifying and then pursuing your true passion. There's no promising it will be easy, but the straight-talking, irrepressible Professor Smith buoys you with the inspiration necessary to stay the course.

"Have you ever had a conversation with someone about your life that leaves you feeling so elated that you have goosebumps? This is a typical result of how I feel after chatting with Larry."—M. Azam Javed, Tesla

"Had it not been for the time I was able to spend with Professor Smith during my university years gaining his advice on career success, I would not be where I am today."—Mike McCauley, Google

"Larry Smith has hit on the new millennium's major career issue."— Booklist

"Larry Smith has created the road map young people need to not only follow their passion but do so sensibly and with integrity."—Gail Vaz-Oxlade, #1 bestselling author of Debt-Free Forever

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

abuse, 164

action

importance of, 140–42, 230–32, 240

myth of immediate, 29–31

reaction versus, 8–10, 29–31, 231–32

age

athlete limits of, 198–99

entry-level in older, 46, 48, 99

as excuse, 159–60

experience outdated and, 4–6, 9, 12–14, 53, 194–95

sampling interests time and, 62–63

agile employment, 194–95

ambition, fear of, 217–19. See also action

analysis

emotional balance to, 40–43, 216–17

hopefulness or, 77, 158–59

mental flexibility and, 34–35

paralysis by, 29, 43–44, 161–62

passion lacking, 67–72

passion search lacking, 38–39, 41, 217

sampling interests by, 55–56

apprenticeship, 26, 71, 96, 101

artist’s block, 199–202

athletes, 198–99

authenticity, 135, 139

B

backup plan, 21–25, 202–5

balance

emotion-logic, 40–43, 216–17

work-life, 181

benchmarks, 145, 244

boredom, 48–49, 60–61, 63, 130–31

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 28

business

family, 56, 186–88

starting, 99–100, 102–3, 179, 206, 217–19

C

career. See also great career

family time and, 181–88

personal passion or, 44–45, 60

retirement, 20–21, 166

stalled, 132, 146–47, 220–21

strategy versus path, 12–14

work versus, xii

career mistakes. See mistakes, common career

career path. See also passion search

of author, xii–xiii, 60, 214–15

career st...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Introduction
• FINDING YOUR PASSION
• Why Good Work Is No Longer Good Enough
• Why “Safe” Jobs Are a Myth
• How Logic and Evidence Will Find You Work You Love
• The Most Common Career Mistakes
• CREATING YOUR CAREER PLAN
• Getting Yourself Ready
• Find Your Edge
• Sell Yourself by Selling Your Idea
• Execute and Revise
• CONFRONTING FEARS AND EXCUSES
• Anatomy of the Excuse
• How Great Careers and Loving Families Go Hand in Hand
• The Bottom Line of Great Careers
• When Your Passion Collides with Your Fears
• Conclusion: Taking Action
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix: Preparing Your Plan
• Index
• TEDx Talk: “Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career”
• About the Author
• Connect with HMH
• Footnotes