10 Career Lessons Most People Learn Too Late

 

Popular and bestselling author and management consultant Bernard Marr shares 10 important lessons to learn before your career comes to a natural end.

Life is really too short

Especially in order to waste it mediocrely on a job you hate, on a boss who doesn't even notice you, and on a company that has no soul.

Many people convince themselves that they must tolerate their unloved work, even if it makes them completely unhappy, just because they need to get paid, or because they do not know if they can find another job, or simply because they are afraid change anything in your life.

However, the bitter truth is that none of us knows how long it will walk on this planet, and we spend too much time on things that we strongly dislike, and this only increases the frustration and regret in the future.

If you are in a situation like this, take a step - no matter how big - simply a step to make things right. Don't wait too long.

Social media matters

We're not talking about Facebook and Twitter right now. It's about the role of networking in our careers and lives. You may think that corporate parties, trainings and presentations are a waste of time, as well as talking to colleagues at the office water cooler. You can think of yourself as an introvert, and it doesn't even matter if you are. But research after study confirms that social interactions are the foundation of career success.

Fact: The most successful people tend to have extensive connections both inside and outside their business .

So the more effort you put into building useful contacts and relationships with people, the more likely you will be lucky.

Success isn't worth your health

There is no particular prowess in sacrificing your health for money and a career. While you're struggling to feel like a hero, business people spend the time and energy trying to find a healthy work-life balance, deal with burnout, and address the serious health problems caused by constant stress and overwork.

But in general, it is much easier to stay healthy than trying to solve problems and cure diseases in some conditionally prosperous future, which, by the way, may not come. And even if it does, then health still cannot be compensated for by money and success.

So don't take your health for granted; take steps to manage the stress of work that can turn into illness.

Your best moments don't happen on your smartphone

In today's high-tech world, we are drawn to letting small smart devices dictate how we should live, But just think about the fact that you will never improve your life or move up the career ladder just by constantly checking your email or browsing social media.

So don't forget to disconnect and get offline into real life.

Never stop learning

The pace of development of modern technologies and everything connected with them, eloquently testifies to the fact that, folding your hands and deciding for yourself that you already know enough to continue learning, you risk being among the large army of stragglers in less than a year. ... Even if your profession is not directly related to the IT sphere.

The idiom that an old dog cannot be taught new tricks only works in a circus (and that is not a fact), and you will never regret that you spent time, effort and money learning something new. It is not so important whether this knowledge will be in demand at your work or not - the very process of constant learning does not allow you to be dull.

Diversify

Diversification always goes hand in hand with learning. If you try hard to do only what you know or what you do best, you will very quickly find that you cannot do anything else.

We have to be quick and interested in many different things: the salesperson must be interested in marketing, product management and have some idea of ​​SMM, as well as vice versa. Otherwise, over time, you risk being out of work. Just think of the bombs that Uber has effectively supplanted and the account managers who are methodically a classy thing of the past thanks to chatbots.

Alone, you can move fast enough, but even faster you can move with someone

In other words, a dream job is always the result of teamwork. Many people claim they don't like teamwork. And this is in vain. Because the ability to work well in a team is vital if you are determined to achieve something serious in your work.

The idea of ​​a lone author is a myth . Every big idea and every single genius still needs a team. Otherwise, the idea will not be heard, implemented and in demand.

Excitement doesn't help you reach your goals

The antidote to fear and anxiety is decisive action. If you waste time worrying about what others think of you and whether your idea is good enough to be heard, then you will not achieve your goals.

However, if you overcome your fear and anxiety and take action, you will almost certainly be convinced that there was no particular cause for worry.

Failure is not the end

If you give up every time you fail, you will never learn anything.

But if, instead of hanging your nose, you perceive failure as an opportunity and a great excuse to start something new, then in this case, even purely statistically, you will be successful in something else with a much higher probability.

Happiness is not a destination, but the journey itself

So many people put off the very opportunity to feel happy. They think something like this: "I will be happy when I get this job, when I lose weight, when I start a relationship or, finally, when I get divorced ..." - and so on ad infinitum.

In fact, being happy is a matter of habit and choice. And the situation is often irrelevant. But if you can relate to "happiness" in this way, you will become more successful.