As the great success coach Jim Rohn says: “success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.” The definition of success and its meaning and application in our lives remains a mystery—success is a subjective topic. Success for me is different than your success, and success for you will be different than success for others.
So, what do we do? How to attain success? What does it take to become the successful version of yourself?
Let us now learn seven steps to increase our chances of success in our careers.
1) Make a decision to go to the top of your field:
There, you have it. Most professional folks never do it. They long for success but never make it a point to develop it into a call — less the written one. The very act of deciding works like a charm to propel you toward the highest peak.
2) Set clear, specific, written goals for your career:
Writing anything down commands the powers of our subconscious mind to start working for us. Clarity is essential, and so is writing your goals down.
3) Focus on contribution:
The act of merely deciding upon and writing down the goals will get you started, but it isn’t enough. You need to take action. It is the bias towards action that separates a true professional from others. Focus on creating value. Let your performance speak for itself.
4) Accept 100% responsibility for yourself:
Step up; and volunteer. Be proactive. You have complete responsibility for who you are and what you do. Jump out of the blaming mindset—instead, say: I accept. Complete your tasks with speed, reliability, and quality, and then ask for more.
5) Look for moments when you can shine:
When you receive a new task to contribute more or explore a new area, instead of digging your neck into the sand, look upon it as an opportunity to demonstrate your ability and to prove to others that you should be paid more and promoted sooner. Uncharted paths have no competition. Be open to opportunities and learn to recognize them when they arrive.
6) Identify your limiting skill:
It turns out that your weakest skill sets a limit on your success. It works like a brake on your performance. Make a decision right now, whatever that limiting skill might be, to master that skill in the months ahead.
7) Resolve in advance that you will never give up:
Persist day and night until you become the success that you’ve dreamed of. The tendency is to get knocked down by the very first occurrence of a setback, but you are different. Take a resolve now not to stop when this happens.
With these steps, you should be good to make your career like a performance ride. Promise me; you’ll work on these steps and work your way up like a charm. Rise and shine, baby, rise and shine.
