A long time go there was a villager who left his village to go into the city and to meet some family of his.
It was a time when the city was introducing electricity to homes, and the house that he stayed in was recently fitted with electric lights
As you can imagine, this villager found this the most amazing thing in the world! Every time he touched the switch, the light came on. Touched the switch again, the light went off.
For a person who was used to just candles and lamps his whole life, we can imagine how fascinated he was by this.
He decided to take this miracle home with him. What he did was, he found an electric store and he bought a light bulb, a light fitting, and a switch.
On his return home, he called the entire village and he said to them, “this is what I found in my travels to the city. I saw this miraculous situation where you just touch that button and the light comes on. There’s no need for lamps, there’s no need for candles, there’s no need for fires. And and this is a true miracle!”
Naturally, everybody wanted to see it, so he decided to give them a show. He attached the light fitting to the ceiling of his lounge, and stuck the switch onto a wall. He was ready for his big reveal.
When he was done he called the entire village, and he said to them, “today you’re going to see a miracle. And that miracle is going to be the miracle of light!”
He was quite a showman this villager. He stood at the switch smiling, and as everybody watched with eager anticipation, he slowly raised his arm towards the switch, paused briefly when he touched it, and then he finally pressed it.
What do you think happened?
Nothing.
Why? Because this guy only brought with him the parts of the lighting systems that he could see, only the visible parts of the lighting system. He couldn’t see that behind the switch there’s cabling that goes all the way to the light. He couldn’t see that there was a power station somewhere that was supplying power to the house, and that power is coming into the switch and through the switch to the to the light bulb.
And so his light didn’t work, obviously.
Now this is the first chapter of my book and I decided to start with this story for a very good reason. And that reason is because there are millions of people out there who are just like this villager. They have lightbulbs that just would not ignite.
You are likely one of them.
But I don’t mean it in a literal sense. By lightbulbs I mean skills, abilities or passions. You might be one of those millions of people who have a university degree, or some valuable skills, or a passion for something, and you are wondering: how do I make this light up?
In other words, how do I make a successful career out of this? How do I land my dream job, or start a successful business around these skills, abilities or passions?
How do I navigate the uncertain times we live in, a time of technology and artificial intelligence, a time of rapid change? How do I find success despite all the challenges?
Are you one of those people?
Maybe you are a web designer. Or you are a chef, an artist, a writer, a carpenter or a lawyer.
Maybe you have a passion for gardening. Or you are concerned about the environment. Or you want to tackle world hunger. Or you are crazy about health and fitness.
Maybe you been through formal studies at a university; or maybe you’ve just built up your skills informally through years of practice. Maybe you have nothing more than a passion for something, with no qualification or experience.
It doesn’t matter. What matters is, how do I light it up?
You could be anyone, in any walk of life. Maybe you are in school, wondering about your career.
Maybe you are in a job, but you find yourself stuck in a rut. You are not happy, and you want a change. You dream of something else, but you just don’t know how to get it.
Maybe you are a single parent who wants the freedom to spend more time with your kids.
Whatever your current place in life, whatever your age, you have a burning question.
How do I light it up?
With all the doom and gloom in the media, you might even be wondering, “is there even a place for me in the future? Will I be able to earn a decent living?”
I have some terrific news for you: yes, there is a place for you, and yes, you CAN translate your skill, qualification, ability or passion into a very successful and rewarding career.
But how?
This book is all about that. Its aim is to show you:
- That your current skills, abilities and passions are great, but not enough to ignite your career.
- That you need an additional set of skills that you were not taught at school or university.
- What those skills are, and how to use them to achieve your dreams.
So let’s get going, ok?