If you’re the kind of person who craves success in life, then you probably already know that it is cumulative, the sum of your daily choices. It’s the little things you do each day that bring you closer and closer to the success you desire.
Every day, there is something you can do to make a difference in some area of your life. Here are 5 seeds you can sow today and each day, that will yield a harvest for you in your career:
1. Define what career success means to you. A goal is nothing if it’s not measurable. It’s not just enough to talk about success. What does career success mean to you? How will you know when you’ve attained it? What should have happened by then and how should you feel about it? Open your journal, notepad/memo pad, or compose an email to yourself, and write down what success means to you. The process of thinking and writing it down will bring clarity and strengthen your purpose.
2. Outline what you need to do to succeed. What steps should you take daily, weekly, monthly and yearly to reach your goal? Do you know people who have attained what you’re aiming for? How did they do it? Think of it in terms of an actual destination by public transport. How do you get from where you are to the bus stop, will you take a tricycle or a bike? Is there a shuttle bus? How much will it cost? At the bus stop, what should you listen for? When you alight from this bus, will you have to take another one to get to where you’re going? If yes, is it a walking distance to your next bus or will you have to take a bike again? Are you to remain on the side of the road where the bus dropped you, or cross to the other side? How much do you estimate you’ll spend to get here? You need a career map if you will succeed. Otherwise, chances are you’re just wandering, and few people succeed by travelling blindly or just deciding to “see where the road leads”. There’s usually a measure of deliberateness involved.
3. Go the extra mile. Each and every day, find a way to go the extra mile in your career. Doing barely enough or merely what’s required is no way to stand out. It’s already crowded in that place where everyone is doing the barest minimum. The extra mile, however, is never crowded, and this is where you can shine. When you do those small extras to move your project or organization forward, or just to help your boss or your client, whether or not you’re getting paid for it, you’re building yourself. Your career muscles are strengthened every time you stretch beyond what’s expected of you, and even though it looks like you’re doing that extra for free, you are the real winner in the end.
4. Learn something new. All that stuff we heard about the day you stop learning being the day you start dying is true. Never let a day go by where you haven’t learnt something about your industry/field that you didn’t know before. Be serious about it, and put routines in place to ensure you actually do it- open yourself up to knowledge. It could be reading a chapter or even a page of a book that will advance your career, following an expert in your field on Twitter, or reading an article from a thought leader in your industry; whatever it is, make daily learning a part of your life, and of course don’t be a hearer or reader only. You must act on what you learn, otherwise it’s all pointless.
5. Keep a success log. When something works out well, write it down. When you achieve a goal, take note of it. You want to remember what you did right, and you also want to remember what these little successes felt like when the tough times come around. A success log will help you find small success formulas you can keep repeating, and also help you maintain a good attitude whenever you encounter bumps along the way- you did it before, and you can do it again!
Take these five little tips seriously, and commit to them every day of your life. The difference will be undeniable.