Hey friends,

Hope you had a good weekend.

Here’s this week’s 1-1-1.

1 Doodle

Usually, we can't get a job on our first application. When it comes to job hunting, I see three types of ways people react:

Some take that first rejection as proof of their inability and get so upset that they stop right there. Someone I was coaching once told me, "The job was perfect, and the job description was exactly like all the skills I have. I was a perfect fit, I put so much energy into it, and now it failed. I got rejected. I'm a failure."

Others don't give up and try again. But they don't analyze themselves. Instead of checking why they aren't getting interviews, they apply for as many jobs as they can in a very short period of time. Some get ghosted, some get automatic rejections, and if they're lucky, maybe a human-written one. Then they try again, repeating the exact same mistakes.

Then there are those who are resilient like the second group, but they focus on incremental improvement each time. They try a batch of applications, wait, and adjust their resume and cover letters. If they land an interview, they analyze it afterward. If they fail, they use it as constructive feedback and adjust instead of taking it as an attack on their identity.

This week's doodle is a reminder of the contrast between the first and third groups: how being optimistic versus pessimistic changes our actions toward an achievement. Failure doesn't define who you are. What you do after failure shapes who you become.

1 Do

Think about a goal you're currently working toward. What's one small change you can make to your actions today that will bring you closer to that goal? It doesn't have to be a big change. Just one incremental improvement.

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1 Direction

The next time something doesn't work out, instead of telling yourself, "I'm not good at this," try adding one simple word: "I'm not good at this YET."

That one word shifts your attention from what you can't do to what you can improve. You may not be where you want to be today. But you're not there yet.

That’s all for this week.

Warmly,

- Ehsan /a-🌞/

P.S. If this newsletter made you think of someone, feel free to forward it to them. They can read all past newsletters here and subscribe if they like.

P.P.S. I recently made a video on My Favorite Workplace Productivity Habits. You can watch it here.

P.P.P.S. Feel free to reply and say hi. I always enjoy hearing from readers.

P.P.P.P.S. I put together 23 common interview questions, each with a strong answer, a weak answer, and an explanation of why each works or doesn't.

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