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# BlackBird's Bullets #9: from Goodreads giveaway and bullshit jobs to a thousand-year business.
- URL: https://www.peterkos.org/blackbirds-bullets-9/
- Published: 2021-01-06T05:45:00.000Z
- Updated: 2021-01-08T10:07:24.000Z
- Author: Peter Kos
- Tags: newsletter

Welcome to 2021!   
This week you’ll notice how *Happy-New-Year* is replacing the *Hope-you’re-doing-well* as the mainstream e-mail introduction.

I’m not sure what’s the cutoff for the happy-new-year wishes, but I’m hoping it’s at the end of this week. 

According to research, most of the new year’s resolutions tend to wear off before the end of the second week of January. That’s why will only publish my annual goal-setting guide at the end of this week. My policy is, there’s no need to wait for January or New Year — **we can start any day, and I prefer Mondays**. —This gives us **fifty-two opportunities per year to become better humans**. Try new things, see what works, discard what doesn’t.

Set goals for what you can influence, and be hopeful for what you can’t. My hopes are with the vaccine, renewed global optimism, reopening of the economies, and lifting the travel restrictions. This gypsy needs to get back on the road. 

## Here are this week’s BlackBird’s bullets:

- Over the weekend I launched my first [Goodreads giveaway](https://www.peterkos.org/goodreads-giveaway-2021/) promotion for readers based in the US. It’s running till the end of January 2021, and you can enter for a chance to **win one of 100 free Kindle e-books** of [The Elements of Lifestyle: Find Your Enough](https://amzn.to/3ofu9eE?ref=peterkos.org). My book is on **Amazon’s bestseller list** (*#744,630* in the Kindle Store). #AlwaysLookOnTheBrightSide
- This [work rant on the **phenomenon of bullshit jobs**](https://www.strike.coop/bullshit-jobs/?ref=peterkos.org) was published in 2013 and is an awesome read as we’re planning our careers.
- [Another great podcast by Tim Ferriss](https://podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/the-tim-ferriss-show/id863897795?i=1000503699662&ref=peterkos.org):

> "The **power broker in your life is the voice that no one hears**. How well you revisit the tone and content of your private voice is what **determines the quality of your life**. It is the master storyteller, and **the stories we tell ourselves are our reality**."   
> — Dr. Jim Loehr 

I sent this quote to my daughter, and she digs it (are today’s teenagers still using this expression?) — and I can attest that it’s true. Most of the techniques that dr. Loehr mentions helped me achieve my goals.

- As an author who published the 1st book merely ten days before turning forty, I fully agree with the notion that [i**t's never too late to "become" yourself**.](https://hbr.org/2019/05/the-art-of-blooming-late?ref=peterkos.org)  
“Unless your job requires repetitive, routine tasks, being a specialist isn’t an asset. **Having a wide range of skills and experiences is more beneficial because it allows you to be nimble and creative**.”
- Business crisis survival lessons from [a thousand years old Japanese shop.](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/business/japan-old-companies.html?ref=peterkos.org)

  
I wish you to be nimble and creative in 2021 by Staying Hungry; Staying Foolish.   
Peter K.

[Join the pursuit of Finding Your Enough. ](https://www.peterkos.org/#/portal/signup) 

If you haven’t done so yet, **consider [subscribing](https://www.peterkos.org/#/portal/signup)** to this [BBB](https://www.peterkos.org/bbb-blackbirds-bullets/) Newsletter. I share a medley of **5 carefully curated bullet points** within a 500-word radius **each Wednesday**. You’ll get a list of my fresh articles plus a selection of **clever** **stuff** across **productivity**, **personal** **growth**/**development**, **leadership**, **self-care**, and other topics **for the modern professional**. 

Like this writing? –Please share it with your friends!

[The Elements of Lifestyle: Find Your Enough (English Edition)Shared via Kindle. Description: If you’re tired of living on a passive autopilot, I’ve got something for you. The Elements of Lifestyle is a story on living a joyous life by: - applying intentional life design - following the path of kaizen — small, increme...![](https://read.amazon.com/kp/img/Icon-60@3x.png)![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41BiKGBkcHL._SL500_.jpg)](https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B08M6BW5YY&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref%5F=cm%5Fsw%5Fr%5Fkb%5Fdp%5Feaz6Fb4QK7AS1&tag=blackbird2020-20&ref=peterkos.org)

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