Your Sorting Hat: On harnessing envy, stillness and your unique perspective
Career Tuesday
Careers, Life and Questions (Jul 08, 2025)
Wish you a Happy Career Tuesday!
3 Career Ideas
I.
"Envy isn’t shameful. It’s directional.
That colleague you admire (and maybe resent)? They’re a clue.
They may not have your talent or background - but they have something your heart wants. Instead of shame, ask: What exactly am I envious of?
→ Their freedom?
→ Their impact?
→ Their energy?
Now ask: How can I build that for myself - my way?"
II.
"Invisible friction steals your momentum.
The lag before you start a task. The dread of Monday. The awkward project handoff.
These tiny daily frictions feel normal—but they compound.
Remove any one today:
- Automate a repetitive task
- Clarify ownership of a project
- Set up your workspace for flow
When friction drops, speed surges."
III.
"Your most valuable skill is the one nobody can Google.
What’s a skill you’ve built through lived experience—one that’s not taught in any course or certification?
- Navigating ambiguity
- Reading the room
- Holding people accountable with kindness
These skills are invisible on a resume - but magnetic in real life.
Make them visible in your career narrative. They are your edge."
2 Life Quotes from Books
I.
Pico Iyer, travel writer and philosopher, on clarity and stillness::
"Movement makes the world seem vivid, but it’s stillness that allows you to understand it."
Source: Book: Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer
II.
Eula Biss, essayist, on what we owe to each other :
"What is safety, after all, but the soundness of our collective imagination?"
Source: Book: On Immunity by Eula Biss
1 Question
What’s one idea, insight, or perspective you've been quietly sitting on? Who needs to hear it - and how will you share it?
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Until next week,
Devashish Chakravarty
Author of YourSortingHat
Columnist for Careers at The Economic Times