First, a quick disclaimer: I don’t like the phrase “win in your career” but I just announced a winner to the raffle for a free ticket to participate in the first launch of my online career coaching course and I thought I would riff off that language.
Here’s a formula for how to win in your career:
- Find a prestigious career that is likely to make you as much money as possible.
- Put your head down and work hard for as long as you can.
- Retire and pursue the things you’ve always wanted to do.
Sound familiar?
F&%k that! It sounds backwards to me. In my opinion, that formula is going to take you as far away from winning as you can get. You might be financially comfortable but that’s just about all that formula is likely to get you.
Sadly, I think that formula sounds familiar to many of us because it seems to be how our culture defines winning in our careers. I know it sounded familiar to me until I ended up miserable in my first career and had to re-evaluate how I was thinking about my career.
If that formula doesn’t work, what does? Hmmm…
What if we start by flipping that formula upside down?
- Retire and pursue the things you’ve always wanted to do.
- Put your head down and work hard for as long as you can.
- Find a prestigious career that is likely to make you as much money as possible.
Starting to sound better, right?
Let’s modify it a little bit more:
- Retire from trying to win. Instead, pursue the things you enjoy doing and that feel natural to you.
- Work hard at the things you enjoy, keep your head up to stay open to new opportunities, and keep doing it for as long as you can to develop mastery.
- Look for the place where the things you enjoy doing meet a need in the world. That’s where you’ll find a career that supports you financially.
That’s how I think about “winning” in your career.
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment here.
