Liviu Munteanu, Cristea Mateescu 8, Bucharest (2025)

23/10/2025

Here's what I've learned from watching talented people sabotage their own careers:

They treat authenticity like it's some sacred, unchanging thing.
Like they emerged from the womb with a complete professional identity that must never be touched.

I get it.
There's something appealing about the idea that being real means staying exactly as you are.

But watch what happens to people who cling to this belief...
You'll see them stuck in
the same conversations,
the same meetings,
the same roles...
while seemingly less talented colleagues glide past them.

The thing is, authenticity isn't about being frozen in time.
It's about knowing which parts of yourself are non-negotiable and which parts can bend, adapt, or even transform entirely.

Think about it this way:
A tree stays rooted but grows toward the light.
It doesn't apologize for changing shape.

Most of us have been taught that adaptation equals fakeness.
So we reject opportunities that feel foreign, turn down challenges that don't match our current skill set, and wonder why our careers plateau.

But here's what the people who keep advancing understand:

1️⃣ They know their core values like a personal constitution
2️⃣ They adjust their approach based on the situation
3️⃣ They share deliberately, not just impulsively

You don't need to choose between being genuine and being strategic.
The best professionals are both.

22/10/2025

You're not less confident than your colleagues.

You're just comparing your inside to their outside.

That person who speaks up in every meeting?
They feel the same doubt you do.
They just act anyway.

The colleague who took that big project?
They're probably wondering if they're qualified too.

Here's what no one tells you about confidence:
It's not about feeling fearless.
It's about taking action while feeling afraid.

You've been watching other people's highlight reels and comparing them to your behind-the-scenes footage.
That's not fair to you.

Stop asking:
"Why aren't I like them?"

Start asking:
"What do I actually want?"

Your colleagues aren't more talented.
They're not more deserving.
They're just better at moving forward despite uncertainty.

And that's a skill you can build.

Start small:
- Speak up once per meeting
- Share one idea before someone else does
- Take on one project that scares you

You don't need to become someone else to succeed.
You need to become more of who you already are.

The world doesn't need another version of your confident colleague.
It needs more of who you already are.

21/10/2025

Ever had that Sunday night feeling where your stomach drops thinking about Monday morning?

Yeah, me too.

There's this weird thing that happens when your work pulls you in directions your gut says are wrong.

The money shows up in your account every two weeks, but something inside you gets a little quieter each day.

We make excuses.

"It's just until I pay off my loans."
"Everyone compromises somewhere."
"At least I have insurance."

But here's the thing about values:

They're like a splinter.

Ignore them long enough, and they get infected.

I've watched people transform their careers, and honestly, the ones who stuck it out did three things differently:

1️⃣ They got real about what actually mattered to them

Pay attention to your energy.
It doesn't lie.

2️⃣ They investigated companies like detectives

Your detective work now saves heartbreak later.

3️⃣ They started small, right where they were

No dramatic resignation letters.
Just tiny acts of rebellion:
- Speaking up when something felt off.
- Volunteering for projects that mattered.
- Suggesting better processes.

These small moves?
They build courage muscles.

Your values aren't some luxury item you can't afford right now.
They're oxygen.

Without them, everything else suffocates...

The work that's calling you?
It's not going away.

15/10/2025

Your skills aren't dead in the water.
But that voice in your head telling you to panic?
That needs to go.

I've watched so many professionals freeze up when their industry gets turned upside down.
One minute, they're the go-to expert everyone calls.
The next?
They're refreshing LinkedIn like it holds the secrets to their survival.

The spiral starts fast:

What if I'm already behind?
Should I throw it all away and learn to code?
Do my fifteen years of experience mean anything now?

Four things that actually work when the ground keeps shifting:

1️⃣ Treat every disruption like free market research
2️⃣ Keep your eye on the big picture while tweaking your approach
3️⃣ Pick up one genuinely valuable skill every few months
4️⃣ Only stress about what you can actually influence today

The professionals crushing it right now aren't necessarily the youngest or the ones with the fanciest degrees.
They're the ones who stayed curious while everyone else was busy being terrified.

14/10/2025

Feeling stuck in your career?

Here's what I've noticed:

Most of us spend our twenties ping-ponging between jobs that sound good on paper.
We chase the salary,
the impressive title,
or whatever our folks thought we should do.

Fast forward a few years...
and we're still wondering what we're supposed to be doing with our lives.

The thing is, it's not that there aren't enough opportunities out there.
It's that we barely know ourselves well enough to recognize the right one when it shows up.

You can't aim for something you can't even picture, right?

So here's what actually works when you're trying to figure this out:

1️⃣ Get honest about who you are
What makes you lose track of time?
What makes you want to hide under your desk?
Try those personality tests everyone talks about - StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs, whatever.
But also ask people who actually know you.
They see things you miss.

2️⃣ Do your homework like it matters
Because it really does.
Read actual job postings.
Watch those day in my life videos on YouTube.
Talk to people doing the work - most will chat if you approach it right.

3️⃣ Find someone who's been there
Mentors are everywhere once you start looking.
Their stories about what really happens day-to-day are worth more than any career guide.

4️⃣ Try before you commit
Volunteer somewhere.
Pick up freelance work.
Shadow someone for a day.
Nothing beats actually doing the thing, even briefly.

5️⃣ Check in with yourself regularly
Every few months, see how it's going.
Course-correct when you need to.
Your path will shift as you learn more about yourself.

Your ideal career isn't playing hard to get...
You two just haven't been properly introduced yet.

09/10/2025

Ever watched concrete slowly choke out a garden?
That's what happens when companies slap Band-Aids on bullet wounds and call it purpose.

You know the routine.
Beach cleanup photo ops while the supply chain bulldozes through wetlands.
Diversity galas followed by promotion meetings in windowless rooms where the same voices make the same choices.
Education donations paired with quiet lobbying against student debt relief.

It's theater, and everyone can smell the fake smoke.

Real impact doesn't work like sprinkles on a cupcake.
You can't just dust good intentions over broken systems and expect magic.
The whole recipe needs to change.

Look at Patagonia – sure, they give away 1% of sales.
But they also built repair cafes, bankroll environmental lawsuits, and audit their factories like hawks.
Their values don't just live in the marketing department; they're woven into every spreadsheet and supply contract.

The difference?
They tore up the concrete first.

Here's how to stop wasting your talent on purpose-washing:

1️⃣ Match your skills to problems that keep you up at night
2️⃣ Find teams where budgets tell the real story, not just the website copy
3️⃣ Fight for numbers that matter – outcomes, not busy work
4️⃣ Push systems that reward substance over performance art

Your career can move mountains.
But mountains don't grow through concrete.

Stop settling for companies that treat purpose like a marketing campaign.
Find the fertile ground where your work can actually take root.

The world has enough corporate gardens.
It needs more wild forests.

06/10/2025

Resilient people don't stick to playbooks.

They adjust responses in real time.

You see...
Life has this funny way of stripping away our masks when everything goes sideways.

I've watched friends crumble when their carefully laid plans fell apart.

I've also seen others who seemed to thrive in the middle of complete chaos.
Not because they loved the mess.
But because they knew how to work with it.

Here's what I've noticed:

It's rarely about having nerves of steel or some magical positive attitude.

The people who bend without breaking?
They're emotional shape-shifters.
When one approach isn't working, they try another.
Then another.
They're constantly reading the room.
Even when that room is their own mind.

Remember the last time everything felt up in the air?

Maybe it was a job loss,
a relationship ending,
or just one of those seasons where nothing made sense.

Did you keep hitting the same wall with the same hammer?
Or did you step back and think:

"Ok, what else can I try here?"

Most of us get stuck in our default settings.
We either put on our boxing gloves and fight the uncertainty,
or we crawl under the covers and wait for it to pass.

Both approaches will wear you down faster than you'd think.

But there's a third option:

Treating uncertainty like the weather.

You don't fight a thunderstorm.
You adjust.
You grab an umbrella,
change your route,
maybe even find some beauty in the lightning.

The trick isn't waiting until you feel ready.
It's taking one messy, imperfect step while everything still feels wobbly.

What's been sitting in your maybe someday pile because it feels too uncertain?
Pick the smallest possible piece of it and do something today.
Trust me on this one.

01/10/2025

You know how that stress feels like, right?
Having tons to resolve by the end of tomorrow without actually knowing how to do it?

Every evening, my stomach would churn.
Tomorrow felt like walking into a battlefield.

You know that feeling, right?

The weight of another day pressing down before it even starts.

Here's what everyone gets wrong about daily dread:
They think it's normal.
Like we're supposed to wake up every morning feeling defeated before we even get out of bed.

But I figured out something that changed everything.

It's not about tomorrow being terrible.
It's about walking into it unprepared, letting the day control you instead of you controlling it.

Three simple things turned my mornings from survival mode into something I actually want to wake up for:

1. The night-before ritual that works

Write down 2-3 things you want to accomplish tomorrow.
Not a massive list.
Just 2-3 things.
Then decide which one gets your best energy first thing in the morning.

2. A 15-minute morning reset

A few minutes of just sitting still and thinking about what's going right in your life.
A few moving your body - even if it's stretching on your living room floor.
And a few reading something that makes you feel capable.

3. One real win before chaos hits

Pick something that actually moves your goals forward.
Work on it before checking messages or social media.
Then celebrate like you just scored the winning goal.

Your morning mood sets the tone for everything that follows.

A rough start turns into a rough day, which turns into a rough week.

These small rituals gave me back something I didn't realize I'd lost:
The power to choose how my day begins.

So...stop letting tomorrow ambush you.
Make it work for you instead.

30/09/2025

That voice in your head just talked you out of another chance.
You know the drill:
You see something good, get that little spark of excitement, then immediately start playing out every way it could go wrong.

Meanwhile, someone braver hits send on that email you've been drafting for three days.

So many people self-sabotage like this, over and over.
They spot something perfect for them.
They feel that initial rush
Then, they let their mental bodyguard take over.

Next thing they know, they're scrolling LinkedIn, watching someone else celebrate the exact opportunity they talked themselves out of.

Here's what's wild:

Your brain genuinely thinks it's doing you a favor.
It's trying to save you from embarrassment, rejection, all those uncomfortable feelings.
But somewhere along the way, that protection turned into a prison.

The trick isn't shutting up that voice entirely.
Good luck with that anyway.
It's more about catching yourself before you spiral into paralysis mode.

I've found three quick resets that actually work when you're stuck:

1️⃣ The Reality Check Breath

Six slow breaths, but make those exhales longer.
Physically drop your shoulders (they're probably somewhere near your ears right now).

Ask yourself:
"Is this voice trying to protect me or just being mean?"

Then remind yourself:
"This is just uncertainty, not the apocalypse."

2️⃣ The Observer Shift

Instead of
"I'm going to mess this up",
try
"I'm having the thought that I might mess this up."

Sounds small, but it creates just enough distance.
Then flip it:
"If I practice this once, I'll probably feel 30% less nervous."
Test that theory immediately.

3️⃣ The Two-Minute Dare

Set your timer for exactly two minutes.
Take one tiny step toward whatever's scaring you.
When it beeps, you get to decide:
Keep going or take a break.

Either way, you kept your word to yourself, and that matters more than you think.

Your inner critic gets loudest right before the good stuff happens.
Don't give it the final vote this time.

___

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.

26/09/2025

That layoff email that landed like a punch.
The project where everything went sideways despite your best efforts.
Hitting send on something important and hearing... nothing.

Your biggest career failure?
It's not a mark of shame.
It's proof you survived something that could have broken you.

We all get trapped there sometimes.
Stuck in that mental replay loop, watching everyone else move forward while you're frozen in place.
That voice in your head becomes a broken record of what-ifs and should-haves.

But here's what I've learned:

That failure isn't your final grade.
It's your raw material.

Think of it like this:
You've got a pile of uncomfortable, messy experiences sitting there.
Most people try to bury them or pretend they never happened.
Smart people turn them into fuel for what comes next.

Here's how I'd approach it:

1️⃣ The 72-Hour Reset

Let yourself feel the sting, then get clinical about it.
Write down exactly what happened and pull out three real lessons.
Skip the blame game.
Just collect the data.

2️⃣ The 4-Week Sprint

Turn those lessons into something tangible.
Pick one skill that matters and actually learn it.
Build something small but real.
Actions speak louder than explanations.

3️⃣ The Daily Momentum

Just 30 minutes a day cuts through the noise.
Send three thoughtful messages to people who matter.
Ask one person for honest feedback.
Small wins have a funny way of sn*******ng.

Your story isn't written in your victories...anyone can succeed when things go well.
It's written in how you handle the moments when everything falls apart.

Time to write that next chapter.

25/09/2025

The ground keeps shifting under your feet, doesn't it?
That expertise you spent years building?
It feels fragile now.

Every morning brings news of some tool, some disruption that makes you wonder if you're already behind.

Here's what I learned:

You can't outrun change.
But you can outlast it.

The secret isn't predicting what's coming next.
It's becoming the kind of person who thrives regardless.

Think less fortune teller, more Swiss Army knife.

Four pieces to this puzzle:

1️⃣ Start with what doesn't break.

Your ability to listen deeply, solve messy problems, bounce back from setbacks.
These never expire.

2️⃣ Learn like a sprinter, not a marathoner.

Pick one skill, give yourself four weeks, build something real.
Ship it.
Get feedback.

3️⃣ Work out loud.

Stop hoarding your process like a trade secret.
Share your rough sketches, your failed experiments.
Your network wants to champion you, but first they need to see what you're capable of.

4️⃣ Guard your energy like treasure.

Know your burnout signals.
Set boundaries that stick.
Track what you actually control:
- hours practiced
- things shipped
- people helped

Your career isn't a ladder you climb.

It's a reputation you build, project by project, conversation by conversation.

Start building.

___

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.

24/09/2025

Most careers happen by accident.

Here's how to build yours on purpose:

That job posting catches your eye?
Seems decent enough, right?

You bookmark some career guru's LinkedIn wisdom.
When they offer you a promotion, well...
Who says no to that?

Except now you're standing in the middle of your professional life wondering how the hell you got here.

It's like following a GPS that keeps recalculating...And you've lost track of where you actually wanted to go.

Here's what I've learned:

Forget the sweeping five-year master plan.
Those things are career fiction anyway.

What you need is something much simpler:
A living, breathing 1-year focus.

Something you actually check in on every week, not something gathering digital dust in your Notion app.

This approach has worked for me and dozens of people I know:

1️⃣ Pick one direction that genuinely lights you up (not what sounds impressive at dinner parties)
2️⃣ Double down on two things you're already naturally good at
3️⃣ Choose exactly one skill to get better at this quarter
4️⃣ Break it into ridiculously small weekly actions that you can't talk yourself out of

Stop scrolling job boards waiting for your dream role to magically appear.
Start creating it instead.

Lay one brick today.

Liviu Munteanu

23/10/2025

22/10/2025

21/10/2025

15/10/2025

14/10/2025

09/10/2025

06/10/2025

01/10/2025

30/09/2025

26/09/2025

25/09/2025

24/09/2025

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