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Abstract

but you have not yet been to? Imagine what you would do in these places and how these might be incorporated into your movie.</li><li>What would be some of the memorable quotes that you would say in the movie? On life wisdom, career advice, creative courage, perseverance, or entrepreneurial success? Write down 4–5 quotes that reflect your philosophy or mindset.</li></ol><h1 id="2cee">Where are your blue oceans?</h1><p id="3d12">In the book titled “Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant” Kim and Mauborgne recommend that you find your own blue oceans instead of competing in the red oceans. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning 30 industries, authors argue that leading companies succeed not by battling competitors, but by charting uncharted territories. Blue oceans are uncontested and fresh market spaces that are ripe for growth. Here are the core messages and suggestions of this book:</p><ul><li>Red oceans represent all the fields or industries that exist today (i.e. the known market space). Avoid bloody red oceans where there is too much competition or rivalry. These oceans are red because vicious competition spills blood.</li><li>Red oceans are red because there are too much competition and blood — everyone is competing with each other. Red oceans leave little room for growth. Each company fights to capture a share of saturated or shrinking industries. It is a bloody war and it is not worth fighting for. Many organizations are going bankrupt in these red oceans.</li><li>Blue oceans are about the creation of new innovations and opportunities that did not exist before. Go to these blue oceans where there is no competition or very little competition.</li><li>Do not compete with rivals — make them irrelevant. Avoid overcrowded fields, do not follow the crowds, and carve your own path.</li><li>Reconstruct boundaries by transcending traditional borders and domains. It is your job to redefine your field, your problem, and your contribution.</li><li>Focus on the big picture, not numbers and jargon. Prioritize breakthrough innovation and value innovation over incremental improvements.</li><li>Reach beyond existing demand. Do not aim at finer segmentation to better meet existing customer preferences. Instead, search for powerful commonalities across noncustomers to maximize the size of the blue ocean. So, your job is to unleash and unlock new demand.</li><li>Build a viable business model to produce and maintain profitable growth.</li><li>Overcome key hurdles that block your implementation of the blue ocean plan. What prevents you? Overcome those barriers.</li></ul><p id="fed3">Robert Lang quit his job at NASA to pursue <a href="https://readmedium.com/he-quit-nasa-to-start-folding-paper-you-wont-believe-what-happened-next-8c5ae4c0fe26">his one true passion in life</a>: The art of paper folding. He wanted to focus on origami full-time and create original origami designs. Lang thought there would be many others who could do laser research at NASA. But, there would be no other person with years of engineering knowledge and experience who would dedicate his life to origami. He felt he was the only one who could do this and it was his true calling. He began his new career as a full-time origami artist and consultant. He became wildly successful in his new pursuit. With a deep understanding of mathematics, engineering, and materials, Robert Lang created folding designs that would revolutionize the field of origami. He established his own game and excelled in it. He has become a legend in the world of origami. He is now one of the foremost origami artists and theorists in the world.</p><h1 id="7e72">How can you find your own journey?</h1><p id="98e6">If you want to make your career and your contribution remarkable, you need to navigate uncharted territories and find your own ‘blue oceans’. You need to build a personal monopoly in what you do. You ideally want to be the only person in the world who does what you do.</p><p id="b6ca"><a href="https://readmedium.com/stop-competing-and-start-creating-your-own-game-3164382b3035">Stop competing</a> against your peers. A competitive mindset harms your psychology and creates negative feelings and stress. Stop assuming that your career is a zero-sum game. You can find and create your own path of value creation. If you do, you will create a much greater pie (i.e.value) for everyone involved. You will create innovation, new jobs, new frontiers, and a better future.</p><p id="3293">Create a roadmap for traveling the road that is less traveled. How will you create fresh ideas that will solve important problems? How will you create a new market? Go out of your comfort zone and traditional boundaries. This involves discovering your best strengths, building on your talents, developing your creative confidence, and finding your own voice.</p><p id="affa">You are far more c

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reative and capable than you give yourself credit for. You need to tap into your unlimited imagination. Develop your confidence to explore new possibilities that others do not see. How can you learn and develop a rare skillset about burning but overlooked issues in the world, in your industry, and in your vocation? How can you develop a rare combination of skills that you truly care about and that people or organizations are struggling with?</p><p id="7bb3">How can you challenge the accepted conventions that hold us back? How can you use your imagination to build an alternative better future? How can you turn pain points into new opportunities? Dare to be different and disappoint mainstream views. Embrace the things that make you different. If everyone around you gets up early, try working between 22.00 and 2.00 am. Do things that are just crazy, but somehow work for you. Embrace <a href="https://readmedium.com/why-you-need-to-celebrate-what-makes-you-weird-b45499fcd308">what makes you weird</a>.</p><p id="d07b">Find your sweet spot. The unique intersection of your passions, skills, interests, and curiosities. Your sweet spot should be focused, unusual, and specific. Find the field that represents your innate interests, not what you think the world wants. You need to find your own niche/genre and establish your own category — your job is to conquer or own this category. Think of this as your intellectual real estate.</p><p id="b841">Try to find the questions that everyone is asking but nobody is answering. What are your biggest problems? How can you address and solve these problems by using fresh perspectives and building on your unique experiences?</p><p id="2647">Instead of just applying for existing jobs, think of yourself as an expert and a consultant and create demand for your unique skill set. Do extensive research on your target organization. What do they need? What can you offer them? How can you best contribute? What can you bring to the table that is different? How can you get noticed by offering something truly unique? What skills or added value can you work on to be the very best? How can you be indispensable for this organization?</p><p id="e832">Start writing online and share your best inspiration, ideas, and practices. Create a community of followers or fans who support you and recommend your work. Reach out to people who do your dream job and get their advice & feedback. Create opportunities to volunteer, learn, and get experience.</p><p id="8303">The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying. You need to invent new ways for value creation and breakthrough innovation. How can you set yourself apart from the competition?</p><figure id="1af3"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*J0b2T1C--k2k0Yc8.png"><figcaption>Image Created by Author</figcaption></figure><h1 id="dd4b">Takeaways:</h1><p id="23df">You need to establish your own game in this life. This means you need to be remarkable and outstanding in what you do.</p><ul><li>Resist the temptation to copy others or follow the crowds. Do not follow popular trends. Do your own unique thing. Embrace what makes you crazy and weird. Dare to be different and disappoint others. Develop a thick skin for criticisms.</li><li>Follow your heart’s desires and find your own voice. Build your own personal system and routines. There has to be something very special about your work.</li><li>Pleasing other people guarantees mediocrity. Do not follow the crowds. Care your own path. Achieve 100% of yourself — your best self.</li><li>Being safe is risky. Be remarkable. Give yourself a lot of opportunities for failure. This means shipping your articles consistently for one year. Do not wait for any returns until you have published 50 articles.</li><li>Spend 100 hours to acquire a rare skill in your industry. Repeat until you have a rare combination of skills.</li><li>Each article you write is an experiment. You can get better in writing only through consistent practice. Do lots of experiments to be successful. Each article you write is an investment and an asset that will keep growing and working for you in the long term. Your assets work hard even when you are asleep.</li><li>Write or create consistently every day. Show up and do your work even if you do not feel like it. Do not wait for inspiration — just start. Inspiration will follow when you trick yourself into work.</li><li>Do hundreds of experiments. Create a library of 1000 articles over five years. Create your own content empire.</li><li>Do not compare yourself with others. This is your journey and you are competing with yourself.</li><li>Play the long-term game and invest in your writing skills. Get better in your craft. Learn how to capture and retain attention. Become a master storyteller.</li></ul><h2 id="6592">Fahri Karakas is the author of Self-making Studio. You can explore more here.</h2></article></body>

How Can You Become The Hero of Your Own Life?

Are you going to be the hero of your own life or are you going to leave that for somebody else? This is one of the most critical questions you need to address to make your life memorable and remarkable. You are the only person who can save yourself. Therefore, you need to step up and become the hero of your own life. This is your key to freedom, power, and happiness.

As the hero of your own life, you need to navigate uncharted territories and find your own adventures. Joseph Campbell calls this “The Hero’s Journey” in his famous classic The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

The hero responds to a call of adventure, departs the familiar world behind, ventures into an unfamiliar world of adventure, experiences failures, hits rock bottom, goes through a series of tests and trials, sacrifices the self, proves his or her own character, and comes back to the hometown after experiencing all the adventures and bringing back the wisdom/learning from the journey.

There are constant calls to adventure in your life, and you need to respond to them. This means you need to leave your familiar territory behind and set sail to new horizons which are full of unknowns and surprises. Growth comes from leaving comfort behind and navigating uncertainty. You can approach life as an adventure game you are playing — which means you can establish your own game and playing field. You can utilize the power of positive thinking and self-confidence to expand your playing field. You can invest in yourself and build on your best strengths to figure out your best contribution. Initiate the change you want to see in the world and be a role model. How can you take action and help others in areas you care about?

Think about the stories of your life and your role as a hero in this journey. How did you give your life to something bigger than yourself? What were the occasions or challenges? How did you rise to the occasion?

You go through the hero’s journey whenever you grow and get out of your cocoon. You are transformed from a caterpillar to a butterfly whenever you leave your comfort zone and navigate uncharted territories. These adventures make you richer and more mature. Your hero mindset helps you transcend above the fears and worries that paralyze you. You need to act within five seconds whenever you make a positive decision. If you think longer, your brain will prevent and paralyze you. There will be a thousand concerns, excuses, and worries if you do not take action right away. The key to dealing with your fears is to acknowledge and analyze them and take precautions as necessary. Which fears are justifiable? Which fears are irrelevant? How can you prepare for negative scenarios?

To move to the next level, you need to fly above your fears. You need to take risks, seize opportunities, and rise above the challenges. You will sometimes fail and learn from your mistakes. All the journeys you take will grow our confidence, skills, resilience, and mental strength.

What if your life is a movie?

I present you with a series of questions to help you address this issue. When I attended Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way Weekend” in London, she shared a fun and creative exercise where you imagine that your life story is made a movie by Hollywood. Respond to the following prompts below:

Write the title of this movie.
What is your success story? How do you describe your impact or legacy?
What are the most significant stories of your life? Why?
Write the main plot of the movie. What is the plot summary? Think about the storylines unfolding in your life. Where are the twists? Do you experience a hero’s adventure?
Who would play you in the movie?
Who are the other main characters? How do they interact? Are there any bad guys?
What are the four skills that your cinema self has, but you do not have yet?
What are the top 5 places you need to travel to as your cinema self, but you have not yet been to? Imagine what you would do in these places and how these might be incorporated into your movie.
What would be some of the memorable quotes that you would say in the movie? On life wisdom, career advice, creative courage, perseverance, or entrepreneurial success? Write down 4–5 quotes that reflect your philosophy or mindset.

Where are your blue oceans?

In the book titled “Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant” Kim and Mauborgne recommend that you find your own blue oceans instead of competing in the red oceans. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning 30 industries, authors argue that leading companies succeed not by battling competitors, but by charting uncharted territories. Blue oceans are uncontested and fresh market spaces that are ripe for growth. Here are the core messages and suggestions of this book:

Red oceans represent all the fields or industries that exist today (i.e. the known market space). Avoid bloody red oceans where there is too much competition or rivalry. These oceans are red because vicious competition spills blood.
Red oceans are red because there are too much competition and blood — everyone is competing with each other. Red oceans leave little room for growth. Each company fights to capture a share of saturated or shrinking industries. It is a bloody war and it is not worth fighting for. Many organizations are going bankrupt in these red oceans.
Blue oceans are about the creation of new innovations and opportunities that did not exist before. Go to these blue oceans where there is no competition or very little competition.
Do not compete with rivals — make them irrelevant. Avoid overcrowded fields, do not follow the crowds, and carve your own path.
Reconstruct boundaries by transcending traditional borders and domains. It is your job to redefine your field, your problem, and your contribution.
Focus on the big picture, not numbers and jargon. Prioritize breakthrough innovation and value innovation over incremental improvements.
Reach beyond existing demand. Do not aim at finer segmentation to better meet existing customer preferences. Instead, search for powerful commonalities across noncustomers to maximize the size of the blue ocean. So, your job is to unleash and unlock new demand.
Build a viable business model to produce and maintain profitable growth.
Overcome key hurdles that block your implementation of the blue ocean plan. What prevents you? Overcome those barriers.

Robert Lang quit his job at NASA to pursue his one true passion in life: The art of paper folding. He wanted to focus on origami full-time and create original origami designs. Lang thought there would be many others who could do laser research at NASA. But, there would be no other person with years of engineering knowledge and experience who would dedicate his life to origami. He felt he was the only one who could do this and it was his true calling. He began his new career as a full-time origami artist and consultant. He became wildly successful in his new pursuit. With a deep understanding of mathematics, engineering, and materials, Robert Lang created folding designs that would revolutionize the field of origami. He established his own game and excelled in it. He has become a legend in the world of origami. He is now one of the foremost origami artists and theorists in the world.

How can you find your own journey?

If you want to make your career and your contribution remarkable, you need to navigate uncharted territories and find your own ‘blue oceans’. You need to build a personal monopoly in what you do. You ideally want to be the only person in the world who does what you do.

Stop competing against your peers. A competitive mindset harms your psychology and creates negative feelings and stress. Stop assuming that your career is a zero-sum game. You can find and create your own path of value creation. If you do, you will create a much greater pie (i.e.value) for everyone involved. You will create innovation, new jobs, new frontiers, and a better future.

Create a roadmap for traveling the road that is less traveled. How will you create fresh ideas that will solve important problems? How will you create a new market? Go out of your comfort zone and traditional boundaries. This involves discovering your best strengths, building on your talents, developing your creative confidence, and finding your own voice.

You are far more creative and capable than you give yourself credit for. You need to tap into your unlimited imagination. Develop your confidence to explore new possibilities that others do not see. How can you learn and develop a rare skillset about burning but overlooked issues in the world, in your industry, and in your vocation? How can you develop a rare combination of skills that you truly care about and that people or organizations are struggling with?

How can you challenge the accepted conventions that hold us back? How can you use your imagination to build an alternative better future? How can you turn pain points into new opportunities? Dare to be different and disappoint mainstream views. Embrace the things that make you different. If everyone around you gets up early, try working between 22.00 and 2.00 am. Do things that are just crazy, but somehow work for you. Embrace what makes you weird.

Find your sweet spot. The unique intersection of your passions, skills, interests, and curiosities. Your sweet spot should be focused, unusual, and specific. Find the field that represents your innate interests, not what you think the world wants. You need to find your own niche/genre and establish your own category — your job is to conquer or own this category. Think of this as your intellectual real estate.

Try to find the questions that everyone is asking but nobody is answering. What are your biggest problems? How can you address and solve these problems by using fresh perspectives and building on your unique experiences?

Instead of just applying for existing jobs, think of yourself as an expert and a consultant and create demand for your unique skill set. Do extensive research on your target organization. What do they need? What can you offer them? How can you best contribute? What can you bring to the table that is different? How can you get noticed by offering something truly unique? What skills or added value can you work on to be the very best? How can you be indispensable for this organization?

Start writing online and share your best inspiration, ideas, and practices. Create a community of followers or fans who support you and recommend your work. Reach out to people who do your dream job and get their advice & feedback. Create opportunities to volunteer, learn, and get experience.

The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying. You need to invent new ways for value creation and breakthrough innovation. How can you set yourself apart from the competition?

Takeaways:

You need to establish your own game in this life. This means you need to be remarkable and outstanding in what you do.

Resist the temptation to copy others or follow the crowds. Do not follow popular trends. Do your own unique thing. Embrace what makes you crazy and weird. Dare to be different and disappoint others. Develop a thick skin for criticisms.
Follow your heart’s desires and find your own voice. Build your own personal system and routines. There has to be something very special about your work.
Pleasing other people guarantees mediocrity. Do not follow the crowds. Care your own path. Achieve 100% of yourself — your best self.
Being safe is risky. Be remarkable. Give yourself a lot of opportunities for failure. This means shipping your articles consistently for one year. Do not wait for any returns until you have published 50 articles.
Spend 100 hours to acquire a rare skill in your industry. Repeat until you have a rare combination of skills.
Each article you write is an experiment. You can get better in writing only through consistent practice. Do lots of experiments to be successful. Each article you write is an investment and an asset that will keep growing and working for you in the long term. Your assets work hard even when you are asleep.
Write or create consistently every day. Show up and do your work even if you do not feel like it. Do not wait for inspiration — just start. Inspiration will follow when you trick yourself into work.
Do hundreds of experiments. Create a library of 1000 articles over five years. Create your own content empire.
Do not compare yourself with others. This is your journey and you are competing with yourself.
Play the long-term game and invest in your writing skills. Get better in your craft. Learn how to capture and retain attention. Become a master storyteller.