A follow up on hard work paying off

There are a lot of things that I do not know. I don't know how I can make a million dollars. I don't know how manipulators of large amounts of money benefit greatly from money changing hands. I do now know how to "manipulate the system."

I do know this. Hard work will keep you going. No matter what your job is, do it to the best of your ability and do it day after day after day. When you give your very best effort at all times, good things will happen. People will eventually notice, and you will benefit.

That is a very simple formula, hard work on a regular basis equals stability. If you can't work hard at what you are doing because it is over our under your head, or if you just don't like it, find something that you can love. There is no substitute for passion. Knowledge and experience can help but they do not take the place of passion.

My favorite expert on the subject, Brian Tracy, advises you to not only work hard every day but work on yourself. Train yourself to benefit from your passion. Whatever it is that you love to do and can do it for a living, train and get better at it.

In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins has a bit of solid advice for successful companies that can also apply to an individual.  In order to achieve greatness three things are required:  can you be the best at it, can it drive your financial engine, and are you deeply passionate about it.  He calls this his Hedgehog Theory.  I recommend reading the book.

If you have those things going on, you will automatically have hard work on your side, and you will be be successful.  Hard work does pay off.

Help Your Career - 6 - Working on Yourself

How do you work on yourself? My favorite self-help author and expert is Brian Tracy. I have read several of his books, listened to many of his audio programs, and attended two of his seminars. This is how I work on myself but I would like to share some of Brian’s ideas with you. I encourage you to read and listen to as much of his work as you can.

Brian has taught me that it is imperative to set goals for you. People who write out their goals and revisit and rewrite them often, will have a very clear understanding of where they are headed so that they can plan on how to get there. Writing out 10 goals for your career today and then reviewing and redoing these on a monthly or weekly basis, will keep you focused on what you are trying to do with your career. You goals will function like a roadmap for your life.

Be specific and clear and write in the positive present tense. For example, if your goal is to earn $100,000 per year, write I earn or I will earn $100,000 this year in my current occupation. If the goal is outrageous, don’t go there, but be realistic. If that is your first goal, then write out how you plan to earn that $100,000 this year. Do the same for your position, location, level of authority, and all aspects of your career.

For each goal, list at least three ways that you will accomplish that goal. Have a plan on how to get where you want to go. List three ways that will lead you to success, and then started putting those plans into action. Make each action step realistic and achievable and work on them regularly.

Continuous Education

You need as much formal education as you can stand plus a regular personal program of learning and growing. Read in your fields of interest every day. Read at least one-half hour per day in your job field. You will be far ahead of your peers after a short time with all that you will gain from your reading. You will be absorbing ideas and concepts that will lead to further personal success.

Be very selective in your reading choices because your investment of reading time must be used wisely. Find some regular authors whose advice makes the most sense. Ask other successful people what they read. Again, some of my favorite authors are Brian Tracy, Marcus Buckingham, Don Blanchard, and Jim Collins. They all have a unique perspective on personal business success. They are all very inspirational. Give them a try.

Your University on Wheels

I have gathered and put into use a lot of good advice from author, trainer, and overall business expert, Brian Tracy. One of the foundations of Brian's instruction for business success is that you should read in your field every day for at least 30 minutes.

If you want to be the best in your field, you need to continue to work on yourself and one of the best ways to do that is through reading. If you read in your field for 30 minuets per day, you will read hundreds of books in a few years and that has to give you a competitive advantage in your field.

Whether you want to be a great salesperson, teacher, manager, or excel in any other occupation, you need to constantly improve and get advice from experts. The best way to do this is through reading.

When you drive in your car, use audio learning programs which are the equivalent to reading. If you will build your own professional library and refer to it whenever you drive, you will make your car a University on Wheels. There is no time like now to get going.