Are you in the position of your dreams? No? Well what are you doing about it? Are you playing on your phone during down time instead of educating yourself on something for work? Are you surfing the internet or Facebook instead of teaching yourself a new skill? I know it’s easy to get distracted by all of the technology today. There is always something more interesting than work or educating yourself on something to help you at work, but is any of that stuff paying your bills, putting food on the table or supporting your children? Why is it so easy for us, myself included, to waste precious energy and time on stuff that brings us down instead of sucking it up and investing in ourselves by being our best every day!
I know its cliché to say DO YOUR BEST and it might seem like common sense but as Voltaire says, “Common sense is not so common”. How many times can you honestly look yourself in the mirror each night and say I did the best job I could do today. I know for me it’s not all the time. It’s not for anyone. That’s why we need to remind ourselves every day to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. No success comes out of comfort zones. You were hired for a reason, because you have the tools to be successful at the position you were hired for. The question is then… Are trying your best?
You may say that you don’t like the job you are in right now. If you don’t like the current job you are in, here are your three options.
- Quit and find something else.
- Get let go for not doing the job you are capable of, or not showing up to work.
- Do your absolute best you can do and prove yourself worthy of a promotion to get out of the job you don’t like and into something you are passionate about.
When I went to Marine Corps boot camp the very first thing I was taught was an amazing life lesson. As I’m getting screamed at the drill instructor yelled, “The fastest way off this island is to graduate and become a Marine”. Same goes for those in business. The fastest way to your dream position is to do the best you can at your current position even if you don’t like it. Stop wasting time doing the minimum to get by. You are only hurting yourself.
Here are 3 things you can do starting tomorrow to make a difference in your career.
- Know the hot topic items
- What is it that your boss is passionate about? What is your boss talking about the most lately? What is it that your organization seems to be focusing on at the moment? If you can’t identify them on your own then ask your boss for them.
- Take those hot topic items and drive for results without being asked
- A couple of years ago I had the privilege of having a one on one with one of the top executives in my organization. I asked him what the #1 trait was of some of the most successful people that have worked for him. He said, “I would have to say people who have identified what needs to be done and they get it done without being asked”.
- Educate yourself
- We don’t live in the pre-internet times anymore. Then you had to go to a library or school to learn something. Today you can teach yourself anything! Seriously, try it! Go to Google or YouTube and type in something you’ve always wanted to learn. Now invest in yourself and learn it.
- Ask your boss what skills could be useful to learn for the organization and learn those skills instead of wasting your valuable time.
Are you doing your absolute best every day? Be honest and stop making excuses for yourself. You are capable of being great. You just have to decide to be great.
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Dale
A Workplace Playbook 
Thank you Dale, another insightful and on point thought – OORAH! Thank you for your service to our country, we are forever thankful!
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This is a great insight! However I do feel that the workplace has evolved with times, and though we should be held to a standard, everything shouldn’t so militant. I agree on educating yourself and feel that us as people shouldn’t become stagnant in any position because room for improvement is always available. We are in a era of technology, and with technology we have unlimited resources to help us advance and better ourselves (i.e Facebook, you-tube, LinkedIn, google). Now if we are looking at where we are today then i would agree that none of these are putting food on our tables or helping take care of bills in a current state, but it allows and also opens up insight on different things that could position ourselves for the future. I could be speaking from a “self” standpoint and do understand each case is different, but I also would like to challenge anyone of leadership to take the time to get to know their employees and get a better understanding as to what goals drive them to better understand what positions they desire, whether it be moving up in this company or positioning ourselves for greater opportunities elsewhere . marine Corps also taught to know oneself and seek self improvement! Improving ourselves often requires taking different paths and exploring different revenues. technology is the best revenue for “millennial’s” to teach and position ourselves for success. Although it may seem a little eccentric, I will say that there’s definitely method to madness
GREAT READ!
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