In the last few weeks, I’ve shared with you tips for boosting your career. Part 1 comprised tips 1-10 and Part 2 comprised tips 11-20.
Here’s the last installment. I hope you find these tips helpful!
Do and Don’t Tip #21. Do keep your work separate from your personal life. Don’t bring your personal problems to the workplace.
This was the advice I got from the HR Director in one of my first jobs, and I did take it to heart. It cannot be helped that problems arise outside the workplace, but if you want to succeed in your job, then you shouldn’t let these distract you.
Focusing on the task at hand and keeping in mind that your employer or client relies on you to get the work done correctly and on time can make it easier for you to momentarily put aside your personal concerns.
It’s actually easier when you work in corporate. You can always file for a leave if you need time to deal with some problems. When you’re a freelance worker or an entrepreneur, your clients won’t care whether you’re undergoing some personal issues. They, too, have deadlines that are dependent on your work output.
In this sense, work has sort of served as therapy for me. Because I put my employer’s or client’s needs before my own issues, I no longer have time to mope around or cry. Even if I’m feeling down, I push myself to start working already and just cry later. By keeping my mind busy, I get to avoid dwelling on problems that I probably don’t have immediate solutions to anyway. At the same time, I end up having happy clients who know that they can rely on me.
Do and Don’t Tip #22. Do take care of yourself. Don’t overwork.
This was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. As an achiever (according to my StrengthsFinder test results) and a workaholic, I felt the need to always be productive. I feel guilty whenever I take the time to rest or have fun. I reasoned that athletes are very disciplined with their training. They train everyday to the point that they sacrifice their personal time, but then this allows them to achieve their goals. I figured that if I could be just as disciplined at working—even if it means giving up some personal time—then I’d surely be able to achieve my goals.
Well, I did achieve them, but then I realized that I was no longer happy. I was always so tired and stressed out to the point that I was no longer fun to be around with. I was also putting my health at risk. As a friend pointed out, something has got to give—either my health or my job.
I know that it’s hard to have full control over workloads and work schedules because you have to comply with your employer’s work processes, but you just have to find ways to achieve work-life balance whenever you can. However, if the nature of your work doesn’t allow for this, then perhaps you have to think of a solution that’s not necessarily tied to your current job.
For me, the solution was entrepreneurship. It took me years to realize that as long as I was working for others, I would always be tied to their processes and requirements, which may not necessarily be healthy for me. I realized that if I can’t find a job that will allow me to have “a life,” then I should create that job for myself.
One of the great advices I got from one of the businessmen I met was to build your business around your lifestyle and not to adapt your lifestyle to your business. All this time, I’ve been adapting my lifestyle to my employers’ or clients’ work processes, which was why I ended up being too stressed out and unhappy.
As an entrepreneur, I now get to do things my way, that is, establish work conditions around the lifestyle that I want—one that allows me to work by doing what I love to do and still allow me to have enough “me time.” I also realized—contrary to my past beliefs—that you don’t have to work more to earn more; you can actually work less and earn more 🙂 I now put myself first, but surprisingly, this doesn’t hinder me from further advancing in my career. In contrast, it even leads to more and better opportunities.
Do and Don’t Tip #23. Do seek the help and expertise of others. Don’t think that you know everything.
One of the best ways to learn is by seeking the help of experts and by learning from their experiences and from the knowledge and wisdom they impart. They’ve likely already encountered things you’re just about to experience, so they would know how best to handle various types of challenges. Learning from their mistakes will also prevent you from making the same mistakes.
Even if you have a lot of knowledge and experience yourself, you still don’t know everything they know and you can’t possibly experience everything they have. Seeking help and advice from others is an easy and quick way for you learn things that would otherwise take you years to learn on your own.
Do and Don’t Tip #24. Do help others succeed. Don’t undermine anyone.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, helping others succeed will also help boost your career. By sharing your knowledge with or mentoring others, you establish yourself as an expert, or at least someone who’s very knowledgeable, in your field. People will start relying on your expertise and leadership. Do note that expertise is one of the five types of power in leadership. If your colleagues know you’re good at what you do, then you’ll be better able to get their cooperation in team projects and the like. It will also make it easier for you to earn their respect and trust.
Some people have advised me that I shouldn’t share what I know too much, as this may make me “dispensable.” I disagree, though. I believe that even if you share what you know, the other person still wouldn’t know the subject matter as well as you do, and your experience is something that no one can take away from you.
If you’re in a leadership position, helping the members of your team succeed will motivate them to further improve their performance and will make them want to keep working with you. Their success will also reflect on you, as it will imply good leadership.
Some resort to undermining their colleagues to get ahead. However, people eventually notice this, and the repercussions can lead to problems at work rather than to career advancement. This can also lead to burned bridges.
Do and Don’t Tip #25. Do learn from your mistakes. Don’t give up.
Embrace your mistakes. Learn from them instead of being ashamed of them because they will help you improve. There are many things that you cannot learn without making mistakes.
When I was first starting the marketing initiatives for my startup, I made a lot of silly, stupid, and laughable mistakes, but with no prior experience or knowledge in running a business, there was really no one and nothing to teach me what I should and should not do. Only my mistakes made me realize the proper way of doing things.
I also remember when I was a freshman in college. I had no prior background on computers, so I was amazed at my classmates who were so good with them. I later learned that while in high school, they always tinkered with their computers at home, which resulted in their machines bogging down a lot. Well, if they had not tinkered with their computers so much and made so many mistakes while doing so, then they probably wouldn’t be as good with them as they were.
I know it can get frustrating when you keep making the same mistakes. Don’t give up. Be forgiving of yourself. You are not perfect, but this doesn’t mean that you’re not capable of achieving your goals. Be patient with yourself. One day, you’ll realize that you needed to make all those mistakes to get to where you wanted to be.
Do and Don’t Tip #26. Do take risks. Don’t play it safe.
People are often scared to leave their comfort zone, whether that’s their current workplace, their residence, or their current job. They’re afraid to take risks or go into the unknown for fear of failure or of not knowing what awaits them. However, if you’re always scared to try different things or to make a change, then you’re bound to stay where you are, and it may lead to slow or no career advancement.
On the other hand, if you boldly go after opportunities and have the courage to explore and try new things, then you may find that there’s something better in store for you.
A company I worked for was laying off employees, as it was about to close down. One employee in every team would be chosen to stay, along with the manager, to complete the remaining tasks. I was chosen to stay, but I asked my boss to include me in the layoff as I felt I was ready to move on. My friends and family thought I was crazy for choosing to be laid off when so many people were struggling to find a job. They also said that there’s no certainty that I would find another job quickly. Well, as it turned out, I got a new job even before my employment was formally terminated, and the new job gave me around 50% more than what I was getting.
When I decided to work freelance full time, my family and friends were again concerned that I wouldn’t have a stable source of income. In contrast, though, working freelance full time allowed me to earn much more than I was earning as an employee, and it even allowed me to do things that I couldn’t and wouldn’t have been able to do had I remained at my job.
Do and Don’t Tip #27. Do set new goals once you’ve accomplished one. Don’t be content.
If you want to achieve your full potential, then don’t be content. Of course, contentment is a virtue in that you should be happy with what you have and what you’ve achieved. However, don’t be so content that you no longer aim for something higher.
I liken this to a video game. Once you’ve reached a level, you’re eager to reach the next level, then the next. Once you’ve completed all levels, then you’re happy and elated for a while, but then you probably won’t play that game anymore because you’d already be bored with it. You’d rather look for a new game, a new challenge.
I think that careers are like that. Once you’ve reached a career goal, then you’d probably want to reach the next level, a higher position. And once you’ve reached your “ultimate” goal, then you’d be happy for a while until you get bored from the lack of challenge. As such, you must always keep setting new goals.
This is probably one reason why successful businessmen end up having multiple companies or multiple ventures, for-profit or otherwise. They don’t stop just because they’ve reached one goal; they keep trying to reach new heights.
Do and Don’t Tip #28. Do nurture your spirit. Don’t think that success is measured solely by material things.
We always hear about many wealthy and successful people who still aren’t happy with their lives. I don’t mean to judge, as there many things in a person’s life that can cause unhappiness, but I believe that neglecting one’s spiritual well-being may be one of them.
Material things can only make us happy for awhile, but I think that in the end, we crave for something more than money can buy—peace of mind, a sense of freedom, or a sense of purpose. These are things that we can achieve only by nurturing our spirit.
Whether you’re religious or not, being spiritual has a lot of benefits and can definitely help you succeed in life. In a study conducted by Ryan T. Howell where 30 participants were surveyed, it was found that spiritual people are gracious and compassionate. They also take the time to reflect on their lives and to appreciate even the small things. They aim to live a better life, with fulfillment and personal growth as their main goals. In addition, spirituality has been associated to having purpose and meaning in life, optimism, a high self-esteem, and positive relationships.
Do and Don’t Tip #29. Do envision the future. Don’t think that what you want to achieve is impossible.
Visualizing or envisioning what you want for your future can help you get there. As asserted by AJ Adams of Psychology Today,
“Mental practice can get you closer to where you want to be in life, and it can prepare you for success”
An example that she gave was what happened to Natan Sharansky, a computer specialist who was imprisoned for 9 years for allegedly spying for the US. To while away the time, he played mental chess, thinking that he might as well take this chance to become a world champion. True enough, he would beat world champion chess player Garry Kasparov in 1996.
I can also personally attest to the effectiveness of visualization. Back when I was working in corporate, I imagined that I’d probably be working freelance and managing my own team of writers by the time I reached 45. I didn’t know how it would happen, but to my surprise, it happened 10 years earlier than I’ve planned.
As another example, when I underwent spine surgery a few years ago, I wasn’t able to pay my bills for a month, as I was confined in the hospital and needed to rest once I got discharged. As a freelancer, I didn’t get medical leaves. It was a no-work-no pay setup. I resumed work a month after the surgery, and I figured that I needed to earn a certain amount in order to get back on track with my bills. I would visualize that amount everyday.
As I worked for several clients, I didn’t get the payments at the same time. However, when I computed all the payments I received for that month, I realized that I earned even more than the amount I was visualizing. I even had enough to take the family out to dinner!
Keep dreaming big, and keep thinking of your dreams as if you’ve already achieved them. You’ll be in for a real surprise!
Conclusion
Reaching your goals entails taking care of yourself in all aspects—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Treat others with kindness and all the good you do will surely come back to you. Lastly, don’t put limitations on your capabilities and your dreams. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind and heart to it, and as long as you’re willing to work hard for it.
I wish you a happy and successful life!
