too much. And, it's flexible.
Engineering is always changing. So,
there are always opportunities to
learn different things. And since
engineers are pretty good at learning, there's no reason to limit your
studies to engineering. A surprising
number of older engineers like to
take up completely different pursuits
like music, art, or photography.
This discussion may seem off
the point. How does this help you get
that promotion? What I'm trying to
show is that goal setting is part of
human nature. We do it all the time,
but often don't realize that's what
we're doing. When we say we want
something, we are setting a goal. It's
important to have specific goals so
that you can direct your energy in
the most efficient manner. Success
is about competing and winning. Not
everyone will win.
Note, some people don't want to
compete. They are happy to just do
their job and get their paycheck.
There's nothing wrong with this.
Their lifestyle is just vanilla. This
laid-back approach is a form of
success, too. They have what they
want. They've reached their goal.
Remember, your success is what you
think it is. Successful people are satisfied with themselves and satisfied
with their life.
Paying for it
Would you rather be rich or
happy? An interesting recent poll
showed that Americans tend to
choose "happy" while Asians tend to
choose "rich". You have to decide the
worth of your goal. How important is
that raise or promotion? Are you willing to work an extra 10 hours a
week?
You can see that determining
what it costs to achieve a goal is
closely linked to your plan. We'll look
at them separately, but realize that
there are trade-offs between them. In
fact, it's very common and reasonable to change a goal once you realize what it will cost. (You can be a "B"
student with a social life or an "A"
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