Your Sorting Hat: On discomfort as fuel, knowing what matters and one courageous step
Career Tuesday
Careers, Life and Questions (Aug 12, 2025)
Wish you a Happy Career Tuesday!
3 Career Ideas
I.
"Turn Discomfort Into Fuel.
When something feels awkward or out of place - don’t run away. Lean in. Growth waits behind discomfort, not comfort. Start with a 15-minute sprint into the uneasy zone and build from there."
II.
"Build in Public, Even Quietly.
You don’t need a spotlight to gain momentum. Share progress - your challenges, pivots, prototypes - with one peer, mentor, or just your own journal.
Visibility doesn’t demand grand gestures. It starts with honest, visible small steps."
III.
"Reframe Ambition as Small Acts.
Ambitions are often cast as lofty goals. What if it begins with a micro-action—a 5-minute skill tinker, a single question asked, one networking note sent?
Let your ambition compound from quiet consistency."
2 Life Quotes from Books
I.
Jedidiah Jenkins, travel writer and memoirist, on self-trust in To Shake the Sleeping Self:
"It’s funny how the things that matter - the truth, your joy, your people - only come into focus when you stop trying to be impressive."
Source: Book: Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins
II.
Matt Haig, British author, on hope and presence in The Midnight Library:
"You don’t have to understand life. You just have to live it. The more you think, the more you realize that every life is a possibility. So live the one you’ve got."
Source: Book: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
1 Question
What small, courageous step can you take today that tomorrow you’ll look back at and say: “I'm glad I began that”?
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Until next week,
Devashish Chakravarty
Author of YourSortingHat
Columnist for Careers at The Economic Times