Hey there,
In his book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard Professor of Psychology Daniel Gilbert describes what science tells us about how well the human brain can imagine its own future. He also shares how well we can predict which of these futures we will most enjoy.
We insist on simulating our futures in our head because our brains want to feel in control of our lives.
Did you know that we are the only animals that think about the future? Luckily, cows can just go about grazing grass without worrying where their next meal will come from.
Researchers actually counted the thought contents that float in an average person’s consciousness and found that about 12% of our daily thoughts are about the future.
But turns out, humans are a really bad predictor of our future state of emotions. We really suck at it.
This does not mean we make bad decisions. It means that when we think getting married, buying a new house or switching jobs will make us happy or satisfied, we are probably wrong about how we will feel.
So, how do we fix this? How is this related to job search and starting a new career?
Read along for some actionable tips below in this newsletter.
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📅 Predicting your future state of emotions
Continued from introduction.
How do we predict our future state of emotions when making a decision?
It’s pretty simple. A great way to make predictions about our own emotional future is to find someone who has done what we are planning to do, and ask them how they feel.
- Thinking of getting married? Ask a friend who recently got married.
- Thinking of moving to a new country? Talk to someone who already lives there and has moved countries before.
- Planning to start a restaurant? Talk to restaurant owners and the chefs.
- Thinking of studying law? Chat with a lawyer who did the same course you are planning to. study.
How does this apply to you?
If you are reading this, you are probably looking for a new job or transitioning between careers.
How would you know if the field you are choosing is right for you?
Talk to people who are already in the industry and ask them what they like about it, what they hate about it and how they feel daily while working.
How to find people to talk to:
- Use ADPList - Book world-class mentors for 1:1 mentorship for free
- Search for people on Linkedin / Twitter and send them a cold message (expect a 10% response rate, so if you message 100 people, expect 10 people to reply)
- Ask within your network
People love to talk and share their experience. Don’t hesitate to reach out, just do it.
🏢 EntryLevel Digest
In this section, we'll be sharing interesting reads, videos, tips and strange tales related to job search and lifelong learning.
- To Read - What To Do In The First 90 Days of A New Job
Linda lays out a roadmap of tactical things you can do to excel in a new job - spend your first 30, 60, 90 days wisely.
- To Watch - Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Concerned about an upcoming interview? Anxious about speaking up during a meeting? Learn and practice techniques that will help you speak spontaneously with greater confidence and clarity from a teacher at Stanford GSB.
- Job Board - RemoteOk
Looking for a remote job? Check out hundreds of remote opportunities through this portal.
- Cool Tool - iFixit
Guides on how to repair almost any broken thing. Why get a professional to do it when you can fix it yourself? Learn how to replace cracked tiles, fix electronics, repair car headlights, replace batteries and more
That's all folks. Thank you for being a part of our community.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us for any questions regarding our experiences.
Until next time, happy learning.
Ayush Jain
Learning Designer at EntryLevel
