Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism on the Road to Success
Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism on the Road to Success

Author: Mark McGuinness

Publisher: Lateral Action Books

Published: 2012-10-21

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 0957566425

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"Read this book and you will be bulletproof!" Steven Pressfield, best-selling author of THE WAR OF ART and TURNING PRO If you want to achieve something original and meaningful with your life, you MUST learn to deal with rejection and criticism. If you're an artist of any kind your work will be rejected by editors, curators and other gatekeepers. And each time you put it in front of the public, you expose yourself to criticism. If you're an entrepreneur you face rejection by (potential) customers, partners and investors. Those same people won't hesitate to criticize you if they are unhappy (justified or not). If you're chasing your dream job you'll receive your share of rejection letters. And once you land the job, taking flak when things go wrong is part of the deal. If you're an athlete or sports player it's a battle to get on the team. And you'll hear about it from all sides - your coach, your team-mates and (so-called) supporters - if they think your performance isn't up to scratch. If you're a campaigner for change you face inertia, resistance and hostility from everyone with an investment in the status quo. No wonder most people choose not to rock the boat. Between them, rejection and criticism can rob you of your dream. Many people set out on their chosen path full of hope and inspiration, only to turn back because they couldn't deal with the emotional impact of crushing rejections and vicious criticism. If you want to avoid joining the legions of also-rans, you'll need to find practical, effective ways to deal with rejection and criticism. Anyone who says 'don't take it so personally' doesn't understand what it's like when you are hit by a major rejection or biting criticism. At least to begin with, it's almost impossible NOT to take it personally (for very good psychological reasons). To deal with rejection and criticism, you need to acknowledge the pain - and find ways to bounce back from the impact. In short, you need to develop resilience. In Resilience, Mark McGuinness explains why your reactions to rejection and criticism are completely understandable - and how to deal with them effectively. Through stories from his own experience, as well as those of famous people who faced rejection and criticism on the road to their success, he will show you that you are far from alone in suffering from rejection and criticism. And he draws on years of experience as a coach to give you practical advice that has been road-tested with hundreds of people facing similar challenges to you. You will learn: Why rejection and criticism hurt so much Several ways you may be making rejection worse (without realising it) How to keep going in spite of multiple rejections Why your inner critic is (potentially) your best friend When to ignore the critics - and when to listen Whether (and how) to respond to insults and abuse Why success is harder than it looks - and how to deal with it This is not a theoretical book - it's packed with practical tips and techniques you can apply to your own challenges right away. Whether you're just setting out, in the middle of your journey, or dealing with the unexpected challenges of success, Resilience will show you how to keep moving forward. Resilience will take you a few hours to read; its lessons will help you for the rest of your life. Topics: resilience, creativity, rejection, criticism, success

Option B
Option B

Author: Sheryl Sandberg

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2017-04-24

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1524732699

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build. Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy. Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B. We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.

Motivation for Creative People
Motivation for Creative People

Author: Mark McGuinness

Publisher: Lateral Action Books

Published: 2015-10-15

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 0957566468

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“This is a How To manual at the highest level from a man who has lived the life and has watched and worked intimately with hundreds of others who’ve done the same. Indispensable reading for anyone in a creative field who is seeking to achieve not just a flash of brilliance but a lifelong career.” Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of The War of Art “I love my work so much I would do it for free.” Many creative people have uttered these words in a moment of enthusiasm—they express the joy of creative work. But they also hint at some of the pitfalls that lie in wait for creatives . . . In one sense, creative people have no problem with motivation. We fall in love with our creative work and pursue a career that allows us to do what we love every day. Psychological research confirms what we know in our hearts: we are at our most creative when we are driven by intrinsic motivation—working for the sheer joy of it, regardless of rewards. Focusing on extrinsic motivation—such as money, fame, or other rewards—can kill your creativity. If you don’t feel excited by the task in front of you, it’s impossible to do your best work, no matter what rewards it might bring. You may be determined not to sell out, but selling yourself short can be just as damaging. And when it comes to public recognition, comparisonitis and professional jealousy can consume far too much of your creative energy. Working for love is all well and good, but if you’re a creative professional you can’t ignore the rewards: you need money to enjoy your life and to fund your projects. You may not need to be famous, but you do need a good reputation within your professional network. And if you’re in a fame-driven industry you need a powerful public profile, whether or not you enjoy the limelight. There’s a precious balance at play—get it wrong, and you could seriously damage your creativity and even your career. For the past twenty years creative coach Mark McGuinness has helped hundreds of creatives like you to overcome these challenges. In his latest book, Motivation for Creative People, Mark helps you rise to these challenges and create a fulfilling and rewarding creative career. All the solutions he shares have been tested with real people in real situations, including ways to: * stay creative and in love with your work—even under pressure * overcome Resistance to tackling your creative challenges * reclaim your creative soul if you wander off your true path * stop selling yourself short—and start reaping the rewards of your creativity * attract the right kind of audience for your work * cultivate an outstanding artistic reputation * avoid destroying your creativity through attachment to money, fame, reputation, and other rewards * surround yourself with people who support your creative ambitions * avoid getting stuck in unhealthy comparisonitis or professional jealousy * balance your inspiration, ambition, desires, and influences in the big picture of your creative career Motivation for Creative People is the perfect guide to figuring out your different motivations and how they affect your creativity and career. The book is packed with practical advice and inspiring stories from Mark’s own experience, his transformative work with coaching clients, and famous creators and creations—including Stanley Kubrick, Dante, The Smiths, Shakespeare, kabuki drama, and Breaking Bad. If you are serious about succeeding in your creative career—while staying true to your inspiration—read Motivation for Creative People

21 Insights for 21st Century Creatives
21 Insights for 21st Century Creatives

Author: Mark McGuinness

Publisher: Lateral Action Books

Published: 2018-08-25

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 1916471404

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Insights to help you thrive as a creator amid the demands, distractions, and opportunities of the 21st century. Mark McGuinness has spent 21 years coaching creative professionals to achieve their artistic and career ambitions. In this book he shares 21 of the most powerful insights that have emerged from coaching conversations with hundreds of creatives - as well as from his own practice as an award-winning poet. Whether you are a fine artist, a performer or entertainer, a commercial creative, or a creative entrepreneur, many of your biggest challenges are the ones that are familiar to all creative professionals: * Finding—and staying true to—your deepest sources of inspiration * Carving out time to produce great work amid the demands and distractions of 21st century life * Balancing creativity, money, and your professional ambitions * Giving yourself a break from the relentless perfectionism of your Inner Critic * Creating your own security in an uncertain world * Believing in your vision when people around you just don’t get it * Deciding whether to approach publishers, record companies or other middlemen, or to “go direct” to your audience * Attracting an audience from scratch, or breaking into a tightly networked industry as an outsider * Dealing with rejection, criticism, and plain unvarnished failure * Dealing with fear and anxiety—about your work, about your audience, about the critics, about failure, and even about success Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by a 21st century creator is the one it’s easiest to overlook when you’re preoccupied with the demands of the day: How can you chart your course and make meaningful progress when you set out on an original path, where there is no conventional career ladder, no job security, and the usual rules don’t apply? This book tackles these challenges head on, and it provides answers you won’t find in books of traditional career advice: 1. Everything is powered by love 2. Reach for the stars 3. Something old, something new 4. Your creativity is your security 5. Forget the career ladder—start creating assets 6. Personal development is professional development (and vice versa) 7. Your struggle is a clue to your superpower 8. There are four types of work (and one matters more than the others) 9. Desire beats discipline 10. Your motivations are always mixed 11. Play the game you want to play 12. Pick two out of money, fame and artistic reputation 13. Find your medium, choose your media 14. Stay small, go global 15. Learn from the best in the world 16. Don’t let the crappy part put you off 17. Be thankful for your Inner Critic 18. Hustling is part of your job 19. Stop trying to earn money—start creating value 20. You can have all the excuses you want 21. Courage may be the missing ingredient Mark has deliberately kept this book short, so that you can burn through it in one sitting for a burst of inspiration. Or keep it handy on your phone and consult it in the quiet moments of your day, or on those days when you need to dig deep for motivation.

Why Startups Fail
Why Startups Fail

Author: Tom Eisenmann

Publisher: Currency

Published: 2021-03-30

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 0593137035

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If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.

I Thought It Was Just Me (but it Isn't)
I Thought It Was Just Me (but it Isn't)

Author: Brené Brown

Publisher: Avery

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1592403352

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First published in 2007 with the title: I thought it was just me: women reclaiming power and courage in a culture of shame.

Resilience (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Resilience (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)

Author: Harvard Business Review

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

Published: 2017-04-18

Total Pages: 79

ISBN-13: 1633693244

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How to be resilient in a professional setting. How do some people bounce back with vigor from daily setbacks, professional crises, or even intense personal trauma? This book reveals the key traits of those who emerge stronger from challenges, helps you train your brain to withstand the stresses of daily life, and presents an approach to an effective career reboot. This volume includes the work of: Daniel Goleman Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld Shawn Achor This collection of articles includes “How Resilience Works,” by Diane Coutu; “Resilience for the Rest of Us,” by Daniel Goleman; “How to Evaluate, Manage, and Strengthen Your Resilience,” by David Kopans; “Find the Coaching in Criticism,” by Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone; “Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters,” by Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld and Andrew J. Ward; and “Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure,” by Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan. How to be human at work. The HBR Emotional Intelligence Series features smart, essential reading on the human side of professional life from the pages of Harvard Business Review. Each book in the series offers proven research showing how our emotions impact our work lives, practical advice for managing difficult people and situations, and inspiring essays on what it means to tend to our emotional well-being at work. Uplifting and practical, these books describe the social skills that are critical for ambitious professionals to master.

The War of Art
The War of Art

Author: Steven Pressfield

Publisher: Black Irish Entertainment LLC

Published: 2002-06-03

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 1936891042

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What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece? The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success. The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline. Think of it as tough love . . . for yourself.

DIY MFA
DIY MFA

Author: Gabriela Pereira

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-07-08

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1599639343

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Get the Knowledge Without the College! You are a writer. You dream of sharing your words with the world, and you're willing to put in the hard work to achieve success. You may have even considered earning your MFA, but for whatever reason--tuition costs, the time commitment, or other responsibilities--you've never been able to do it. Or maybe you've been looking for a self-guided approach so you don't have to go back to school. This book is for you. DIY MFA is the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. By combining the three main components of a traditional MFA--writing, reading, and community--it teaches you how to craft compelling stories, engage your readers, and publish your work. Inside you'll learn how to: • Set customized goals for writing and learning. • Generate ideas on demand. • Outline your book from beginning to end. • Breathe life into your characters. • Master point of view, voice, dialogue, and more. • Read with a "writer's eye" to emulate the techniques of others. • Network like a pro, get the most out of writing workshops, and submit your work successfully. Writing belongs to everyone--not only those who earn a degree. With DIY MFA, you can take charge of your writing, produce high-quality work, get published, and build a writing career.