3 secrets for being more successful at work
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t’s no surprise to some that people who dislike their boring-but-safe, 9-to-5 jobs tend to be unsatisfied and unsuccessful in their careers.
I believe that’s true because the first ingredient to success is doing what you’re passionate about.
We all need money to get by, but if you ever have the opportunity to take a chance and do what you actually love, take it.
If you don’t like what you do, you will tend to have an aversion to doing what it takes to be very successful. Without passion, it’s almost impossible to distinguish yourself. If you keep your boring and safe job, you can keep your boring and safe income, but I don’t know how happy you’ll be.
Years ago, I would have told you I was crazy for thinking that I’d have such an adventurous career. However, the reality is that nothing is out of our reach, for me or for you.
Through trial and error and after decades of experience as a successful businessman and radio show host, I’ve uncovered three reliable tips for achieving success.
3 secrets for success
Find a mentor who can help you develop 20/20 foresight.
- Imagine having the ability to skip ahead and possess the unique set of skills that comes with already having earned your first fortune. Had I known what it would take to earn my first million before I’d earned that knowledge, it would have come much quicker and easier. I recommend developing a relationship with a mentor, who can also help you fast-track success.
- Choose someone who’s already successful so that the advice isn’t some form of wishful thinking. Ideally, find someone who has experienced hardship in life.
Acknowledge that failure is life’s greatest teacher.
- One of the biggest reasons why personal experience is so valuable—and why an ideal mentor has experienced some measure of failure—is because that’s where the most valuable lessons usually lie.
- Our first success is often fleeting and, meanwhile, one’s ego tends to get out of control. Then it all comes crashing down as flawed character traits surface and sabotage what took so much hard work to build. It’s our failures that positively mold the most important features of our character—including humility and gratitude. It’s when we experience and overcome failure that success becomes a sustainable possibility.
Use to-do lists to provide direction for achieving goals.
- Among the abundant academic and self-help literature intended to help aspirational people achieve goals, there is one proven and reliable tool that sets the gold standard like nothing else: a to-do list.
- To-do lists act as cheat sheets for keeping your busy mind focused on what needs to be addressed at any given time. We all need to multitask to an extent, and having a list will keep you straight. Because I’m adding to the list regularly, I enjoy crossing out tasks that have been accomplished.
- An added tip for a to-do list: do first what you like doing least. Even very disciplined people push off what they dislike. But if you get in the habit of accomplishing unattractive duties in the morning, the rest of your day can be that much more pleasant.
What other secrets have you discovered for being more successful at work?
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Today’s LeadBIG guest contributor is Parviz Firouzgar, entrepreneur, radio show host, and philanthropist who provides food, clothing, and education to needy children around the world.
Image source: Dreamstime
