There is a structure or blueprint to being a successful person but there is no perfect formula. The design differs for everyone, as guest expert Don Hutcheson explains. It is necessary to dig into who you are and what you are supposed to be doing before attempting to be successful at any one thing.

The first quality all successful people have in common is they take full responsibility for their own self-knowledge and self-awareness, and they avoid mindless conformity. If you start with a solid base of knowing who you are on the inside, you eliminate the guessing which leads to reactions and unsatisfactory career choices.

Other things successful people have in common is they are all on a lifelong journey of learning, and they surround themselves with like-minded people. They read educational resources about how to use their individual talents and how to strengthen their emotional intelligence. People go through what Don calls “turning points” every 6 or 7 years. If they have a continuous mindset to keep getting better, these turning points will enhance their already honed abilities.

To be successful:

• Do research about yourself and your abilities
• Set goals for yourself
• Surround yourself with the right people
• Accept failure and learn from it
• Be disciplined
• Trust your instincts
• Make strategic decisions, not knee-jerk reactions
• Don’t be miserable
• Journal about your experiences
• Seek out people who have the same values!

Book Resources from Don:

What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson

What Color Is Your Parachute? by Dick Bolles

Don’t Waste Your Talents by Don Hutcheson & Dr. Bob McDonald

Don Hutcheson Bio

Don Hutcheson is a lifelong entrepreneur, inventor, author and coach. He hosts the daily podcast, Discover Your Talent — Do What You Love and has interviewed over 350 successful people. By the end of 2016, he will be offering membership groups and courses, which will include experts on topics such as emotional intelligence, salary negotiations and exposing natural abilities.  Don has never had a boss. Instead, he has created six companies in advertising, publishing, coaching and career planning over the last 40 years.

Ben’s Job Search Resources:

Ben shares the blog post How to Tell People What You Do—and Be Remembered by Alexandra Franzen on TheMuse.com. The post is about how you can communicate what you do in simple terms, which begins with the Maya Angelou quote “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Jenna’s Find Your Dream Job Listener Question:

Ben, Jenna and Mac provide feedback to Sue Black’s question - “Is there a great career coach for young, recent college grads?” Jenna recommends career coach Satya Byock from Quarter-Life Counseling in the Portland area and Stacey Marie Ishmael’s BuzzFeed podcast, Another Round.

If you would like the team to answer a job-related question, email it to [email protected] or call her at 716-JOB-TALK. Or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about, send it to [email protected] and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job.

These segments are sponsored by the 2016 edition of Hack the Hidden Job Market Course. The course launches November 1st - lock in your early bird pricing now.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes (http://www.macslist.org/itunes). We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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