Liviu Munteanu, Cristea Mateescu 8, Bucharest (2025)

16/09/2025

That sinking feeling hits when you see another must-have skill trending on LinkedIn.

Your decade of experience suddenly feels ancient. Every job description might as well be written in code.

Sound familiar?

Here's the truth nobody wants to admit: chasing every shiny new skill is a fool's game. You'll burn out before you level up.

Most people scatter their energy across whatever's trending instead of asking what actually matters for their next move. They're collecting certificates like Pokemon cards while their core strengths gather dust.

Try this approach instead:

1️⃣ Track your time for one week
You'll be shocked where those hours actually go

2️⃣ Start with your existing strengths
Why abandon what already works for you?

3️⃣ Pick ONE skill gap that's genuinely blocking progress
Not five gaps that might matter eventually

4️⃣ Twenty minutes daily trumps weekend cramming sessions
Your brain needs time to actually absorb things

5️⃣ Find someone doing what you want to do
Their battle scars are worth more than any course

6️⃣ Celebrate the small wins
That confidence boost isn't optional

You don't need to become some mythical unicorn professional who knows everything.

You need to stay relevant without losing your mind.

The skills that got you here aren't worthless. They're your foundation. Smart additions will amplify what you've already built.

Perfect is the enemy of adaptable. And in today's world, adaptable wins.

___

I spent 12 years figuring out the path to a fulfilling career and made all the career mistakes in the book.

You don't have to.
You can MAKE IT BETTER.

Follow me for career insights that make Mondays feel like Fridays.

15/09/2025

That moment when you realize you hate Mondays isn't about Mondays at all.

It's about the 52 weeks stretching ahead, doing work that pays your bills but slowly kills your spirit.

You're competent.
Maybe even respected.
But... something essential is missing.

The thought of switching careers crosses your mind, then immediately gets crushed by a wave of "What if I fail?"

Here's what nobody tells you:

Career change isn't really about finding your dream job.

It's about making peace with not knowing what comes next.

Your brain evolved to keep you alive on the savanna, not happy in a cubicle.
It can't tell the difference between a saber-tooth tiger and a job interview.
Both trigger the same alarm system:
DANGER.
STAY PUT.
SURVIVAL MODE ACTIVATED.

But here's the thing about fear:
It's actually information in disguise.

Scared you'll fail?
Your subconscious knows this move matters to you.

Worried what your college roommate will think?
You're seeking approval from people whose opinions shouldn't dictate your Tuesday mornings.

Terrified of starting from scratch?
You're forgetting that twenty-year-olds don't have your judgment, network, or ability to spot red flags from space.

So many people stay in roles because leaving feels like admitting defeat.
The real defeat is letting fear make their decisions.

When they finally jump, they don't just find the perfect job...
They find themselves again.

The fear never fully goes away.
The trick is learning to dance with it instead of running from it.

Your move.

Want to find out more about this?
Check mindcroud.com - the site is still a work in progress, but it presents a lot of valuable information about what's keeping professionals stuck in soul-draining careers.

10/09/2025

Everyone's waiting for clarity.

Successful people create it.

They wait for the perfect moment that never comes.
Most people see uncertainty and freeze.
They overthink.
..I'm one of them more often than I'd wish for.

But here's the truth:

Uncertainty isn't your enemy.
It's your advantage.

While others are paralyzed, you can move. While they're stuck planning, you can be acting.

Here's how to turn uncertainty into opportunity:

Step 1: Stop seeking perfect information.
Start with what you know right now.

Step 2: Ask different questions.
Instead of
"What if I fail?"
ask
"What if it works?"

Step 3: Take the smallest possible step forward.
Clarity comes from movement, not thinking.

The most successful people I know don't have more information than you.

They just act on less.

Stop waiting for the fog to clear.
Start walking through it.

___

I spent 12 years figuring out the path to a fulfilling career and made all the career mistakes in the book.

You don't have to.
You can MAKE IT BETTER.

Follow me for career insights that make Mondays feel like Fridays.

09/09/2025

Career tests miss your biggest strengths.

Here's what actually works:

Most career assessments tell you what you think you're good at.

Not what you actually excel at under pressure.

Here's what reveals your true strengths:

1. Get your hands dirty with real projects.

Join a hackathon.
Start something new.
Volunteer for challenging work.
Your abilities show up when you're solving actual problems.

2. Collect your wins from different areas.

Look at freelance work, volunteer roles, personal projects.
What do you consistently do well?
What patterns emerge?

3. Ask people who've watched you work.

Colleagues see strengths you miss.
They notice when you stay calm under pressure or solve problems others can't.

Stop waiting for a test to tell you who you are.

Your strengths aren't hiding in multiple-choice answers.

They're waiting for the work you haven't done yet.

___

I spent 12 years figuring out the path to a fulfilling career and made all the career mistakes in the book.

You don't have to.
You can MAKE IT BETTER.

Follow me for career insights that make Mondays feel like Fridays.

08/09/2025

Here's the thing about networking that nobody talks about:

Most of it is complete garbage.

I watch people collect LinkedIn connections like Pokemon cards, thinking somehow 500+ contacts equals career success.
Meanwhile, they're burning out at another generic happy hour, forcing small talk with strangers who forgot their name before the conversation ended.

The real magic happens when you stop hunting for connections and start building something that matters.

Shallow networking feels like this:
• Racing to collect business cards, nobody will call
• Perfecting elevator pitches that sound rehearsed
• Scanning rooms for better people to talk to
• Walking away exhausted and slightly hollow

Actual community feels different:
• Showing up because you genuinely care about the mission
• Sharing stories that make you slightly uncomfortable
• Leading with How can I help? Instead of what's in it for me?
• Leaving energized, with real conversations still buzzing in your head

The difference is obvious once you experience it.
I've seen careers explode not because someone had the most contacts, but because they found their people and contributed something real.

The professionals winning right now aren't networking harder...
They're belonging deeper.

02/09/2025

90,000 hours at work in your lifetime.
Most people waste them chasing the wrong thing.

Here's the harsh truth about hustle culture:

Working harder isn't working.

We've been sold a lie that if we just grind more, sacrifice more, and push harder, we'll eventually arrive at happiness and fulfillment.

But the goalpost never stops moving.

Here's what hustle culture has actually given us:

Trust is broken.
Fewer and fewer managers can actually lead people.

Quality of life is declining.
Nearly half of millennials and Gen Z work multiple jobs just to survive.

Purpose has vanished.
82% of workers are at risk of burning out.

We're promoting people who hit targets but can't connect with humans.
We're working more hours for more years just to maintain the same standard of living.

This has to stop.

We need:

Psychological safety, not just paychecks.
Leaders who think beyond short-term profit.
True belonging, not just team building exercises.

Purpose isn't something you find or achieve.
It's something you practice daily through the decisions you make.

The best part?
When we create conditions for purpose to thrive, companies become more profitable.
Employees perform better.
Everyone wins.

This isn't about working less.
It's about working toward the right things.

90,000 hours is way too long to endure without meaning.

So next time you go to work, ask someone what gives them purpose beyond their job title.
Listen to their answer.
Share yours.

When we focus just as much on how we want to feel as what we intend to achieve, work becomes one part of a life well-lived...
Not the whole story.

02/09/2025

"Follow your passion" is terrible career advice.

Here's what actually works.

The data doesn't support passion at all.

90% of students are passionate about sports, arts, and music.
Only 3% of jobs exist in those fields.

Even when people match passion with work, they often burn out.
Studies show passionate salespeople actually died younger than average.

Your interests change completely every 5-10 years anyway.

So what works instead?

Do what's valuable.

Focus on getting good at something that genuinely helps others and makes the world better.

Research shows two key ingredients for life satisfaction:

1. Achievement - getting really good at something through hard work.
2. Fulfillment, which comes from Meaning - striving to do something greater than just making yourself happy.

How to do this:

Explore first.
Test different things in the real world.
Build skills that are in high demand across many areas.
Find big, pressing problems that have been neglected.
Apply your skills there.

The truth?

Focusing on helping others makes it easier to be successful.
People want altruists to win.

Imagine you're on your deathbed looking back at your career.

Would you rather say "I made a lot of money" or "I built mental health programs that saved dozens from su***de"?

Stop focusing so much on your own interests. Start asking what you can do for other people.

You've got about 90,000 hours in your career.
Don't waste them chasing passion that changes with the wind.

Do what's valuable.
Fulfillment will follow.

21/08/2025

Not getting what you want is the beginning, not the end.

I used to tape my rejections to my wall...

Three years of "no" from companies I thought I wanted to work for.

Each one stung...
Each one made me question my path...

But time has a way of revealing things.

I found my way somewhere unexpected.

Somewhere better.

The roads that closed forced me to build my own.

The things that didn't work out taught me more than the things that did.

And now I see rejections differently.

Not as judgments of my worth, but as redirections toward what's truly meant for me.

I know...some of you who read this will start accusing me for overselling the idea that YOU CAN build a career that makes sense everyday.
And that's ok...

But the thing is...

Your story isn't over when something doesn't work out...
That's just when it gets interesting.

The closed door isn't the universe saying no.
It's the universe saying "not this.”

19/08/2025

Your career is more than some fancy title on LinkedIn.

It's about what gets you outta bed when it's still dark outside.

Let's be honest...

Most people chase the wrong stuff.

The corner office.
The promotions.
The skills.

I was and...am one of them from time to time.

That's just the tip of the iceberg you can see.

The real stuff, the 90% that actually matters, is hiding underwater.

Your values.

What drives you when nobody's watching.

The stuff you believe about work deep in your bones.

When you get this, everything shifts.

You stop chasing jobs that just pay bills and start finding work that feels like... you.

Ask yourself:

1️⃣ What actually gets your engine running?

Is it the paycheck and status symbols?
Or doing something meaningful that helps you grow?

Big difference.

2️⃣ What values are your non-negotiables?

Figure 'em out.
Does your job respect them?
If not... something's gotta give.

3️⃣ What's that voice in your head saying?

I'm not good enough yet.
Too late to switch now.
Call out those thoughts.
Challenge that.

4️⃣ Do your daily tasks match who you really are?

When they do, work feels different.
Not perfect, but... right.
Sustainable.

Ignore all this inner stuff and you're headed for burnout.

That awful "is this really it?" feeling at 3am.

Stop polishing the visible parts.
Dive deeper.

The career that'll actually make you happy is waiting underneath.

___

I spent 12 years figuring out the path to a fulfilling career and made all the career mistakes in the book.

You don't have to.
You can MAKE IT BETTER.

Follow me for career insights that make Mondays feel like Fridays. 🎯

14/08/2025

Here's the thing about indecision.
It feels so damn productive...

I used to think I was being thorough when I'd spend weeks analyzing a decision.
Turns out...I was just scared.

You're researching, comparing, making pros and cons lists.

But most of the time?
You're just procrastinating with extra steps.

I', still struggling with this one...

I've watched this pattern play out in my own life and in countless others.

We tell ourselves we need more data, more time, more certainty.
But what we really need is courage to pick a direction and see what happens.

What is actually happening:
You're not actually deciding between options.
You're avoiding the discomfort of being wrong.
That stings because it's true...

Perfect decisions are fiction.
Good enough decisions that you act on?
Those are gold.

The most successful people I know share one trait:
They decide quickly and adjust as they go.
Not the other way around.

When you're stuck between two paths, ask yourself:

Which one teaches me something new about myself?
Which one makes me slightly uncomfortable in a good way?

That discomfort you feel?
That's not a warning sign...it's your compass pointing toward growth.

The job you don't apply for stays posted for someone else.
The conversation you don't start never happens.
The idea you don't test remains just that - an idea.

Most decisions are reversible anyway.
But indecision?
That's permanent.

Stop waiting for certainty. It's not coming.

13/08/2025

That voice telling you you're not qualified enough?
It's not protecting you...it just holds you hostage.

So many brilliant people turn down promotions, skip applications, and shrink back from opportunities that were made for them.

Not because they lacked talent, but because that inner critic had them convinced they weren't ready.

Here's what I've learned about silencing the saboteur and building your inner ally:

1️⃣ Catch your critic's greatest hits

Mine loves You're not ready yet and Everyone will figure out you're a fraud.
Yours probably has its own playlist.
Once you hear the patterns, you can't unhear them.

2️⃣ Figure out your critic's personality

Is yours the Perfectionist who needs everything flawless?
The Controller who demands guarantees?
Understanding its style helps you counter its moves.

3️⃣ Train a different voice

Instead of I don't know enough, try I figure things out as I go.
Instead of "What if I fail?", ask "What if I succeed?".
Small language shifts create big mindset changes.

4️⃣ Embrace the 70% rule

Perfect timing is a myth your critic sells.
Good enough to start beats waiting for certainty that never comes.
Most successful decisions are made with incomplete information anyway.

5️⃣ Do something small every day

Send that email.
Make that call.
Apply for that stretch role.

Worst case scenario?..You'll be rejected.
How's that worst than not even trying?

Action is the antidote to overthinking, and evidence builds confidence faster than affirmations.

The people crushing it aren't fearless...
They just refuse to let fear make their career decisions.

What opportunity is your inner critic currently talking you out of?

10/08/2025

Most people make career decisions the same way they pick what to eat when they're hungry.

Impulsively.
Without thinking.
Based on what's right in front of them.

Here's why 87% of employees hate their jobs and what you can do about it.

Your career isn't just about skills or passion...

It's about identity.

Every choice you make is influenced by voices in your head.
Your parents.
Your friends.
Your culture.
Your fears.

Most people don't realize they're following a script written by someone else.

The law student who chose law because mama wanted this fancy career path for her.

The MBA who went back to school to avoid admitting their first job was wrong.

The person who stays in a career because...well...you know:
"I've already spent 5 years (univ + masters) to prepare for this!"

Sound familiar?

Here's how to write your own career script:

Step 1: Recognize your biases

Ask yourself:
Why did I really choose this path?
Who am I trying to please or prove wrong?
What messages did I internalize about what success looks like?

Step 2: Identify your multiple identities

You're not just your job title.
You're a parent, a creator, an athlete, a community member.
How do these different parts of you influence your career choices?

Step 3: Question your assumptions

What careers did you dismiss because they "weren't for people like you"?
What opportunities did you avoid because of anticipated barriers?

Step 4: Embrace the mess

Career development isn't linear.
It's iterative.
Like any good story, it will have plot twists.
So...Stop expecting a perfect path.

Step 5: Own your narrative

Stop letting others write your career story.
Your script is personal.
Your journey is unique.
Your definition of success matters more than anyone else's.

The truth is, even computers can't make these decisions for us.
They're too personal.
Too human...

Your career isn't just what you do.
It's who you are becoming.

What identity are you ready to stop living for someone else?

___

I spent 12 years figuring out the path to a fulfilling career and made all the career mistakes in the book.

You don't have to.
You can MAKE IT BETTER.

Follow me for career insights that make Mondays feel like Fridays.

Liviu Munteanu

16/09/2025

15/09/2025

10/09/2025

09/09/2025

08/09/2025

02/09/2025

02/09/2025

21/08/2025

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14/08/2025

13/08/2025

10/08/2025

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