IT Professionals

To be successful in IT, it's not enough to develop your technical skills.

You must develop yourself.

Over the next 30 days, I'll be writing a daily essay on skills that will help you realize your IT career potential.

Follow along and level up.

/Thread 💻👇
Day 1 - The Surprising Skill That Can Help IT Professionals Create Opportunities

There is a surprising skill IT Professionals can develop that will:

>Help you learn better
>Create opportunities
>Increase your influence
>Leave a legacy.

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I am writing these atomic essays as part of the @dickiebush Ship 30 for 30 program.

This cohort-based program is an excellent way to start or improve a writing habit.

ship30for30.com
Day 2 - The Trust Building Power of Listening

In a world where everyone is too focused on making noise and being heard, be the different one.

Be the one who listens.

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Day 3 - On The Importance of Shipping

Don’t let your best ideas die in your head.

An amateur comes up with ideas. A professional creates.

They Ship.

Be an IT PROfessional…and Ship!

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Day 4 - Make Your Job a Mission Instead of a Profession

You may not have your dream job.

But you always have the choice to love the work you do.

Choose to see your job as a mission and any job can be a source of joy.

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Day 5 - Think Like a Lion

Do you want to:

>Get important stuff done
>Focus on your priorities
>Stop procrastinating
>Achieve your goals

It's easy...

Think Like a Lion!

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Day 6 #ship30for30 - The Simple 5 Step Guide to Starting a Mindfulness Meditation Practice

Meditation is one of the most valuable and rewarding practices you can implement.

The good thing is it's easy to start and maintain a practice.

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Day 7 #ship30for30 - Stoicism 101

The Philosophy of Stoicism is making a comeback. People are finding that practicing Stoicism brings a sense of peace and control into their lives.

Practicing Stoicism WILL make you a stronger and more tranquil person.

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Day 8 - An Ode to Imposter Syndrome

I think Impostor Syndrome is a good thing. As a matter of fact...

I love Impostor Syndrome.

It is a signal that you are on to something good. A sure sign that you are facing an opportunity for growth.

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Day 9 #ship30for30 - Thoreau's Secret to Success

What is the secret to a successful life?

Henry David Thoreau gave us the answer over a hundred and sixty years ago in one of his most famous quotes.

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Day 10 #ship30for30 🛳️ - Developing the Skill of Gratitude

Gratitude is more than an attitude, it is a skill.

And like any skill, gratitude can be developed with regular practice.

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Day 11 #ship30for30 🛳️- Live Every Day Like a "Mini-Life"

A great life is nothing more than a collection of great days. Want a great life? Make each day great.

Live every day like a "mini-life".

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Day 12 #ship30for30 🛳️ - Read With Intention

I love reading.

I guess you can say I am a voracious reader.

But I am also an intentional reader.

I believe you have to give a book time and space to teach its lessons.

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Day 13 #ship30for30 🛳️ - How to Create Your Own Luck

How can you create your own luck?

Create more opportunities. The more opportunities you have, the better your chances of getting "lucky".

Lessons on luck from Naval Ravikant @naval

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Day 14 #ship30for30🛳️- An Ode to My Unread Books

My bookshelf is my sacred place.

But it can be a source of stress. I have A LOT of unread books.

But instead of feeling stressed about them.

I have decided to love my unread books.

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Day 15 #ship30for30 🛳️ - Farewell to Supersition
The outcomes of our lives are determined by the choices we make.

Not the things we do based on superstition.

I’m done with it.

I’m relieving myself of the burden of superstition.

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Day 16 #ship30for30 🛳️ - Become a Decision Making Machine

The ability to make the right decision at the right time is a superpower.

These thought exercises from Tim Ferriss @tferriss and Derek Sivers @sivers , will improve your decision making. Image
Day 17 #ship30for30 🛳️- What Gets You Out of Bed?

"What keeps you up at night?"

Is one of my least favorite questions.

I would much, much rather have someone ask me:

"What gets you out of bed in the morning?"

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Day 18 #ship30for30 🛳️- Unselfish Action is The Best Action

There is nothing more rewarding than doing something good, just for the sake of doing it.

The best people do good things without expecting anything in return.

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Day 19 #ship30for30 🛳️- Go First!

On the first day of a college class years ago, I sat down next to a fellow student.

After a few moments of silence, I turned and introduced myself to him.

That simple introduction started a chain of events that shaped my entire life. Image
Day 20 #ship30for30 🛳️- Can Being Negative Make You More Positive?

Be positive!

That is the message you hear all the time.

But sometimes what you actually need is a little negative thinking to help you feel more grateful and happy. Image
Day 21 #ship30for30 🛳️- Riding The Bus of Mindfulness

Before Mindfulness, I was a passenger at the back of the bus. The ride was bumpy.

Then I discovered Mindfulness and I realized I could change seats. And make the ride much smoother. Image
Day 22 #ship30for30 🛳️- Practicing Joy

Want more joy in your life?

It's easy... Just practice.

Joy is a skill.

And like any other skill, it can be improved with practice.

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Day 23 #ship30for30 🛳️ - We Don't Need a Map. We need an Atlas.

I recently read the excellent book The Underdog Paradox by @jamierusso.

It had so many great lessons about overcoming adversity. But the one that really stuck with me was:

"We Don't Need a Map. We need an Atlas." Image
Day 24 #ship30for30 🛳️- Going Down the Rabbit Hole of Gratitude

The most dangerous thing about a negative thought is that it leads to another one.

And another, and another.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

You can choose to go down a rabbit hole of gratitude instead. Image
Day 25 #ship30for30 🛳️ - Nets to Help You Capture Your Days

If you don't intentionally seize your days, they will pass by, virtually unnoticed.

Until one day you look back and wonder.

"Where did my life go?"

Don't let this happen to you. Image
Day 26 #ship30for30 🛳️- The Stoic Principles of Objectivity, Unselfishness, and Acceptance

I am a huge fan of Stoicism.

My favorite Stoic quote from Marcus Aurelius contains three important principles of Stoicism:

-Objectivity
-Unselfishness
-Acceptance Image

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More from @mcgillmd921

24 Jan
Pound for pound, Atomic Habits by @JamesClear is the most information packed book I’ve ever read.

If you measure a book’s worth by the sheer volume of highlights and notes. It’s the most valuable book I’ve read.

Here are my main take aways from this great book.

/Thread ⚛️⚛️⚛️
“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.” @JamesClear

Where you are heading is more important than where you are.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” @JamesClear

Goals are meaningless without effective systems to accomplish them.
Read 11 tweets
16 Nov 20
IT Professionals...

To reach your potential you must work on yourself harder than your technical skills.

You have to build your soft skills.

Over the next 30 days, I'll be writing a daily atomic essay on improving your soft skills.

Follow along and level up.

/Thread 💻👇
Day 1 - Soft Skills for IT Professionals

evernote.com/l/AD6k8Awq2VVF… Image
Day 2 - What Are Soft Skills and Why Should I Care About Them?

evernote.com/l/AD6G2O2LE6RC… Image
Read 31 tweets
4 Oct 20
Read the excellent Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson @EricJorgenson.

This booked is packed with @naval wisdom and insight.

Read it on Kindle.

"Yellow" highlights are the good stuff. "Red" highlights are the great stuff.

Here are my Red highlights.

/Thread 👇👇👇 Image
"Figure out what you’re good at ,and start helping other people with it. Give it away. Pay it forward." - @naval

Love the spirit of generosity in this statement.
"Don’t take yourself so seriously. You’re just a monkey with a plan." - @naval

Naval does not pull punches and always puts things into perspective.
Read 10 tweets
21 Sep 20
The Art of Negotiating — For IT Professionals

We are all negotiators.

All day, every day, we are in the midst of negotiations — whether we know it or not.

As IT Professionals, we are no different.

Some tips on improving your negotiating skills.

/Thread 👇👇👇
In IT, we have our own unique set of negotiation partners: vendors, co-workers, employees, and employers.

With so much time spent in negotiation, it is well worth our time to learn the principles behind negotiation, and how to become better negotiators.

Here are a few tips.
Separate People from the Problem

At the beginning of each negotiation, remind yourself that these are real people you are negotiating with.

They are not much different from you. They deserve your respect and empathy, the same as you deserve theirs.
Read 9 tweets
17 Sep 20
A great life is nothing more than a collection of great days.

Want a great life?

Make each day great.

How can you make each day great?

Treat it like a mini-life.

How?

/Thread 👇👇👇 Image
Treat each "phase" of your day as a "phase" of your life.

From waking in the morning, to going to sleep at night, our days have fairly consistent phases that are comparable to phases of life.

Make each of these phases special, and you have created a great "mini-life."
Waking = Birth

You are born again!

You have a fresh start.

Start this mini-life with gratitude.

-The moment you wake, immediately smile.
-Summon feelings of gratitude for this new mini-life. Image
Read 8 tweets
11 Sep 20
Listened to the @SamanthaRyNZ Save Planet, Get Rich podcast with Naval Ravikant @naval.

Naval was on fire. It took me two hours to get through an hour long podcast. I had to keep pausing to take notes.

Here are my main take-aways from this excellent podcast episode.

/Thread👇 Image
"If it is not making you happier, or healthier, or calmer, or having better relationships, or wealthier, then what good is it? It's useless. You can safely discard it." @naval

Great perspective on what to pay attention to and what to safely ignore.
"It is very easy for self-improvement to degenerate into self-conflict, and self-conflict to self-misery." @naval

It is great to improve and develop yourself. Just make sure you are coming from a place of self love and respect.
Read 10 tweets

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