Plan or action?

Something that is OVER is always a bad thing...

Mr. A has too many plans for his future. He has a lot of interests and scenarios. He imagines each scenario in his own head, sometimes even until the next 40 years. He spends too much time crafting his ideal future that he forgets to take actions right at this very moment. He is over-planning it. In his mind, the formula is
plan 70% + action 20% + luck 10% = SUCCESS!

On the other hand...

Mr. B just doesn't seem to care at all with his future. He has no idea on what he wants to do next, the kind of job that he wants to do, the kind of industry that he wants to break into. He's giving himself a bunch of excuses, like, "Oh, I still have time. Don't worry, my parents can support me!", "I'm an easy-going person. I can go with the flow.", or "I still wanna have fun." In fact, he is afraid of taking the responsibility for his own future. He doesn't want to come out of his comfort shell. He is too carefree. In his mind, the formula is,
Plan 10% (or even none) + Action 20% + Luck 70% = SUCCESS!

These two extreme examples are the dual magnetic that has attracted me (and probably the rest of my graduating friends) with its own rationals. Sometimes, you want to have a solid plan to achieve your dreams and to craft an ideal future. Sometimes, you'll just get tired of planning, you feel like acting on it, and hoping that luck will bring you to the right path. Neither Mr. A nor Mr. B has a chance of success if they still hold on to the extreme formula.

If you don't plan and figure out what you love doing (or at least assume that you love doing it) as a careerpath, how can you expect someone to help you get a job? Maybe you'll go for anything that arrives on your lap and makes several mistakes before you arrive at the right path (right job). But wouldn't it be nice to have a rough idea of the kind of job that you want to do, the kind of person that you want to become, without having a lot of detours or making a lot of mistakes?

If you have a solid plan but no luck, that's probably because you are not trying hard enough to act on it and to really achieve something. Despite having all the plans and scenarios clearly pictured in your head, you can't find the golden opportunity at the right time. You thought that all the luck in this world has been sucked away from you. You felt that there are more doors being closed than being opened.

What should you do?

We should change the formula,

Plan 30% + Action 50% + Luck 20% = SUCCESS!

There's nothing too much in this formula. But definitely to act on a plan and go out there meeting people are the better choices than just sitting around browsing the net and youtube-ing all day *wink*. You will gain your luck (20%) by taking action (50%) on what you've planned (30%).

Examples of planning:
-Pick up some books of self-development or personality
-Figure out what you like doing (it's an excruciating process)
-Start dreaming big (anything you want)
-Start writing down your goals and remind yourself each day
-Start developing strategy to reach those goals

Examples of taking actions:
-Send out those resumes!
-Call up your potential employer
-Talk to friends
-Talk to your professors/supervisors
-Talk to the career service center
-Talk to your friend's friend
-Talk to your parents' acquaintances
-Build up your network
-Start reading useful books (career development, etc)
-Polish your current skills
-Start taking up additional courses to gain some new skills (if you can afford it of course)
-Start learning how to 'sell' yourself in interview *hixhix, difficult...*
-If you want to have your own business, start finding ways to acquire sufficient capital!

Examples of luck:
-Your friend's grandma has an old friend who has a son-in-law who happens to be the good friend of the CEO of Company X and you ask him to refer you. What a coincidence! :P
-One of your seniors ask you after a volleyball game, have you found a job? We have one opening for fresh graduate. Are you interested? I can refer you.

However, luck usually comes after you're certain about the career path that you want to pursue. While usually a fresh graduate like me, won't know for sure which field is the most suitable, how can we have the luck?

Well folks, just one moral of the story today:

Please don't become the extreme Mr. A or Mr. B. They're not using the correct formula! Please don't take your own future for granted! Do the necessary planning and then just go for it!


Cheers,


Sien

PS: I know I have neither the right nor the credibility to say this since I still have these whole questions myself,"I'm not exactly sure of the one field that I want to pursue. I love this and that. I think I'm good at this and that. I can become this and that. I think I have the skills, blablabla. What are the basis of my decision? What is my number one interest? Which field that I really want to enter? Do I have the skills and potential to do this job? I need to choose one and focus! Gosh, this is hard!"