It’s not often known, but the pursuit of happiness typically refers to the pursuit of material wealth. But Thomas Jefferson used this phrase to include other important things, such as, say, civil rights.

Anyways…

A while back, I tripped on my friend’s blog post about a career guide gone manga. The book seemed interesting enough that I immediately picked up a copy.

Unfortunately, despite its 15 dollar price, an unthinkable sum for most mangas, it wasn’t a very long read. I finished the book in about the same time as a regular manga, making its entertainment time to money ratio quite bad.

Yet, as a book for career ideas and concepts, it was a good read. If you want to go cheap, just read this. But I definitely recommend the manga as well.

For those of you who want an even shorter short cut, Pink’s advice in Johnny Bunko is…

1. There is no plan.
2. Think strengths, not weaknesses
3. It’s not about you.
4. Persistence trumps talent.
5. Make excellent mistakes.
6. Leave an imprint.

Translated, that means…

1. Life is too complex to plan its entirety.
2. Concentrate on your strengths and what you enjoy.
3. Be selfless.
4. Do I have to rephrase “never give up”? Or is “I don’t believe in the no-win scenario” more your cup of tea?
5. Don’t make stupid screw ups. Like show up to work high on crack or something.
6. Don’t let history forget your name.

Anyways, even after spoiling the whole book, I’d still consider reading it. The story and manga make it an easy read and it’s advice worth considering. For me, it was all just acknowledgement on how I consider my career and life itself, but sometimes it’s nice to hear some confirmation too. We may have vivid dreams of becoming millionares and all, but that all needs to be in balance with the happiness we can attain during that pursuit.