5 Tips for a Successful Career

I Agree With You That It Could Be More…

You might be thinking that there are undoubtedly more than five things that will lead to a successful career. You’re right. There are. But who’s going to read “137 Things to…?” So, yes, this could be more, but it doesn’t HAVE to be. If you do these five things consistently, you will advance and succeed, regardless of what you are doing and regardless of how you define success. And by the way, if you are a leader, you would absolutely be thrilled if all of the people you lead did these five things!

As with EVERYTHING I share, this isn’t theory. This is truth that I’ve lived, observed, and seen come to fruition for many of those I’ve mentored. It’s also simple. Not to be confused with easy. Nothing of lasting value is easy. The steps might be easy to do, but doing it over the long haul is never easy for anyone.

Be Patient With The Process

The proverb says “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished” (28:20). For the sake of this paragraph, “faithful” means staying true to your aim, and “punished” means you bring a poor result on yourself. Everything that applies to your development in any aspect of your work, or in support of your work, will be a process. This is the beauty of fundamentals. The steps are doable. They are learnable. BUT…most people want the result faster than it comes, and when that instant/fast gratification doesn’t happen they give in to their lack of patience and change gears too fast. They either stop doing the basic fundamental and search for a different way or they stop doing the specific endeavor and look for a new path. Both of these result in a failure to grow, learn, and progress, and lead to essentially having to start all over again. I’m no genius. Of this I am quite sure. All I have done my entire career (once I learned this😊) is do the fundamentals over and over in learning and practice and staying on task. A step at a time is what matters. Sometimes it’s forward, sometimes, sideways, sometimes backwards, down, up, etc. Each step grows you whether you can see it, or feel it, or not. Successful people feel like quitting all the time…and then they don’t.

Worker Harder Than You’re Paid For

Your level of pay should have nothing to do with how hard you work. Ask anyone who has developed anything of value and they will tell you that they were “underpaid” for a long time. That’s how it works. You have to earn your way in everything. You do whatever it takes. There is no such thing as “that’s not my job.” Self-employed or as an employee, there is no task that is beneath you. You do everything and you do it the best you possibly can. The faster this becomes part of your personal fabric, the faster your pay will increase. You demonstrate value and then you begin to be compensated for it. Not the other way around.

Work Hard on Yourself

Roughly 30 years ago, I heard Jim Rohn say “work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” He didn’t mean work less hard on your job, he emphasized developing yourself. This was so you could be BETTER in doing your work. I teach my client companies and those I lead in business, that cultivating your interpersonal and productivity competencies is what compounds your skill in the work you do. Since these are skills that are not taught in formal education, you (and your company) gain a substantial competitive advantage when you work on these. This also breeds more confidence and engagement. And this is just the start. Soon you are at a heightened level of self-awareness, and applying your strengths at an entirely new level, and whatever process you are working becomes easier for you to work. You can do this in 15 minutes per day (this is how I did it). Just remember it’s a process and work on it a day at a time, and over time it will compound your progress in whatever endeavor you are working in.

Take Care of Health and Relationships

Unless your ONLY measuring tool for success is the amount of money you make, these two things are going to be the foundation for how far you go in your pursuits, and how much joy you experience in the ride. This is the rock that you will build your life and career on. Focus is essential for high productivity. That can ONLY be achieved for any length of time (daily or lifespan) through feeling physically vibrant and having thriving relationships. If either are missing for any measure of time, you will not go very far for very long, because you will be too focused on how to get these. The flip-side, which is well-documented, and detailed in my book 3 Circles Living, is WITH these two things in abundance, you are an attractive, magnetic, positive FORCE to be reckoned with, and you will have so many opportunities for success you will create an entirely new (and extremely desirable) problem😊.

Embrace the Tough Times (Show up)

You, and your work, are going to go through all kinds of rough spots. This is when you show up, work hard, be a positive light, and move through until the water smooths out again. By doing what I have already said, you will be in a position to shine when the times are tough. This is when you prove that what people have been positively perceiving about you, is not only true, but you are even better than they thought. In this way, difficult times become a springboard for you. This doesn’t mean you have to like it when things are hard, it just means that you smile and push and lead and win. And you will.

I hope you take these five to heart, and I would encourage you to share this with other people you care about or who are your professional colleagues. Certainly, there’s other stuff that matters. But I can tell you from experience and proof, that if you are solid in these five things, you won’t need much else to go as far as you want.

This video talks a little more about developing your true competitive advantage…