I swing by Sally Hogshead’s blog on occasion. She doesn’t post much, but when she does she lets it fly.
Since May, I’ve been letting my career rove to and fro. Consciously, I chose to make no plans or goals, do no outreach or inquiry, and instead, simply respond to the clients and opportunities that presented themselves.
This experiment led me to people and places and possibilities that I’d normally never encounter. I became a brand manager for a celebrity, outlined a new book concept, developed two reality TV shows, and created a new kind of speaking program that’s marketing + entertainment. And that was just October.
While I don’t often recommend being a spectator to your own career, at certain points you have to consciously choose to roam. Your career is robust. Don’t overprotect it, or shelter it, or underestimate it. Don’t let it get too precious.
A career, like most things in life, can’t be simultaneously developed and preserved.
Radical Careering is, of couse, a self-help book. Its very purpose is to get you to stretch. While it’s heartening to see the author of the philosophy live her message, it’s also hard to believe that it might work in one’s own life. For instance, doing no outreach and just letting what comes come, would most likely result in disaster (at least economically) for me and just about everyone I know. Yet, being open to possibility is certainly great advise.
Bottom line, to be a successful radical careerist, one must be fearless and one must believe. It works for Sally Hogshead, and without question she believes it can work for you.