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Focus with a laser on the things that achieve the most results

Published: Sunday, 03 March 2013

Am I working towards a larger life goal?  Am I learning anything?  Does this help keep a roof over my head?

I focused on a number of activities while I was at uni:  Nudge, mew, Robogals.

At one point in uni, I even considered setting up 10 organisations while at uni.  Five non-profits and five for-profits, so that I could leave uni having had all that experience!

But then I realised that I would learn so much more just by focusing all my efforts on one thing, doing that very well, then handing that over gently to the next generation.

Robogals was going the best - already with 12 chapters and in 4 countries by that time, and so I decided to stick with that.

I stopped all my extra-curricula activities except Robogals, and achieved even more amazing results.

To optimise your efforts, focus on the things that achieve the most results.

Don't career plan

Published: Saturday, 02 March 2013

No one knows what will happen in the future.  Just do your best at what you're doing now.  Then consider your options at the end of this project.  Something perfect for someone with your experiences will pop up as an opportunity then.

The unglamourous work you love

Published: Thursday, 28 February 2013

I love the process of getting an idea, making a plan around it, and then bringing it to the world.  It usually involves a lot of emailing, fleshing out a plan, meeting with people, learning, designing, daydreaming…

It's not very glamourous, but I just love it so much, and find it so invigorating.

And then if I've done it successfully, good things happen in the world to a lot of people.

And if I've done it unsuccessfully, then I look at what went wrong, and I try again.

It's the whole process of always trying to improve myself, learn more, and then see the impact of that on the world, that gets me excited.

And that's why people tell you to follow your passions.  Because you're going to be spending most of your time working on unglamorous things with a bunch of people who are working on their own unglamorous tasks to make a bigger project happen.  And if you don't enjoy that, well then life's not going to be very fun.

But no one sees that.  All people see is the glamour and glitz of winning awards, receiving publicity, and hobnobbing with celebrities.  But all that glamour takes up such a tiny fraction of it all.  And is just a lot of filming and camera flashes to capture a tiny fraction of time, and then distributing that far and wide.

The work you do though, and bringing that to the world - that takes ages.  And no one would want to capture it, because it's so unglamorous - just doing the same tasks over and over again.

So follow your passions and do what you love.  Because living a successful life isn't about fame or awards or external kudos.  A successful life is one where you live each day striving to make yourself better in an area you're passionate about.

Tune out everyone

Published: Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Being concerned with what people think about you makes you unable to contribute your best work to the world.

When to launch

Published: Tuesday, 26 February 2013

I was thinking about my business idea and wondering when would be the right time to launch, if to launch and how.

It was really doing my head in.

I was going around and talking to people about it.  Asking for their feedback.  Changing my plan every couple of days.  Asking more people.  Changing it again...

But always, I would revert back to the same plan, formed through months of thought, planning and research.

Then I realised over the weekend, that there was no right time or right way to launch my company.

Rather than just speculate as to whether I would pursue that company or not, I believed in the idea, the potential of the industry, and I believe in myself.

So I chose to launch.

And that meant that rather than me going around and asking people for their feedback on my potential company, I go around and ask people for their feedback on my company that I'm launching.

More Articles ...

  1. My relationship with money
  2. Everything is perfect
  3. Why everyone dolls out the same advice
  4. No amount of hoping and praying can substitute hard work
  5. Show up

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About Me

Marita ChengForbes named me a world's top 50 woman in tech & 30 Under 30. I founded Robogals and Aipoly and was Young Australian of the Year 2012. Currently working on robotics company Aubot. I'm the youngest Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and I give speeches around the world.

I tweet @maritacheng and I'm on Facebook.

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