I’ve been talking to a lot of people lately about their careers. It’s always interesting to hear about people’s dreams for their careers. Some of them lack any sort of substance (ie. I just want to make a lot of money and never work again). That’s not a career. That’s a dream. However, most people have a realistic expectation of where they can go and what they should be able to accomplish. The problem with most of these people is they spend too much time dreaming about this change and not enough time pursuing it.
Your career success requires an investment. Not necessarily an investment of money (although some things like education, resume services, etc can cost money) but an investment of your time and effort. If you want something different than what you have today, then make the effort to show that you’re worthy of something different.
This quote seems to sum it up pretty well:
If you want your career to advance, then stop wasting time doing an average job at the career you are already experiencing. Every one of us can find a way to work more effectively at the job we have. Doing so will position you for future career growth.
I realize that many who read this will have gone the extra mile and then gotten passed over by someone who didn’t do as much as them or work as hard as them. Life isn’t fair and there are a lot of politics that goes into careers. However, I’ve seen consistently that high performers are eventually rewarded. Low performers are only sometimes rewarded.
This life is a journey and I know far too many people that are wallowing in their pity. That’s the easiest way to damn your career and stop progress. Keep performing at a high level and you’ll be surprised where your career will take you.
Plus, don’t be afraid to look outside the four walls of your hospital to find opportunities to excel. Maybe you start a blog or become active on social media. You’ll find growth in your knowledge and skills and an opportunity to help others by sharing your knowledge and skill. Plus, you never know who you’ll meet that will open up the doors of opportunity to you.
Small changes to what you’ve been doing can provide huge benefits to your life.
