Make "Now" the "Next" Great Thing

We hear a lot about employees lamenting how they could really be successful if they were just in the right job. They yearn for the elusive greener professional pastures. I know because I’ve been guilty of this self defeating behavior many times throughout my career. We waste so much time worrying about whether or not we are in the right position, the right company, and the right career. The reality is you don’t have to know if this is the perfect job, you just have to act. Action not only cures fear, but it is a sure fire catalyst towards covering new ground.  Display an attitude reflecting that this is in fact your dream job. Work as if you were the owner. And I guarantee you this will become your perfect job. At least until someone notices your initiative and promotes you to another company or higher position! One of the keys to success is learning to get excited about your work; and that means the work you are doing right now. Remember, your job is a circumstance and amounts to 10 percent of the equation. What you do with that job is the other 90 percent and is wholly under your control. Besides, life isn’t about doing what you like to do; real life is about doing what you ought to do! If you cannot fully and honestly support the company that signs your paycheck, then you need to move on immediately. I’ve been in professional burnout mode before and nothing cured it faster that the continuous realization that I have got to have a sense of urgency and importance for the job I have right now. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones used to say, “If you ain’t happy where you are, it’s a sure thing you won’t be happy where you ain’t!” I found this to be some of the sagest professional advice I’ve received throughout my career.