A great number of people spend their lives doing something they
don't enjoy during the week, always looking forward to the
weekend. They refer to Monday as "Blue Monday" and to
Wednesday as "Hump Day." At the end of the week, they say
"Thank God It's Friday!"
These are men and women with very little in the way of a future.
These are men and women with very little in the way of a future.
They look upon their jobs as a form of drudgery, a penance they
have to pay in order to enjoy their free time. And because of this
attitude, they have trouble making progress.
They stay pretty much where they are, always wondering why
other people seem to be living the good life while they feel like
They stay pretty much where they are, always wondering why
other people seem to be living the good life while they feel like
they are living a life of quiet desperation.
At my seminars, people frequently ask me what they can do to
be more successful. In almost every case, they are working at
a job they don't like, for a boss they don't particularly respect,
At my seminars, people frequently ask me what they can do to
be more successful. In almost every case, they are working at
a job they don't like, for a boss they don't particularly respect,
producing or selling products or services for customers they
don't care about. And many of them think that if they just hang
in there long enough, the clouds will part and everything will get
better for them.
But in order to advance -- in order to move up to more difficult,
But in order to advance -- in order to move up to more difficult,
more interesting, and higher-paid positions -- you must become
extremely good at what you are doing right now. If you don't have
the desire to be very good at your job, that means you are probably
in the wrong one.
Too many people do their work in a mediocre way, with the idea
that, when the right job comes along, then they will really work
Too many people do their work in a mediocre way, with the idea
that, when the right job comes along, then they will really work
hard. But the right job never comes along. They are always passed
over for promotions. They are always the last ones hired and the
first ones laid off.
What about you? Are you in the right job?
Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you would like to do if
What about you? Are you in the right job?
Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you would like to do if
you only had six months left to live. What would you choose to do
if you won a million dollars in the lottery tomorrow? What sort of
work would you do if you were absolutely guaranteed of success
in your field? If there were no limits on your abilities and
opportunities -- if you had no debts, no problems, no
commitments -- what would be your ideal career?
Research shows that the things people liked to do between the
ages of 7 and 14 were a very good indicator of what they would
be most successful at as adults.
A man at one of my seminars told me that when he was 7 he
loved to build model airplanes. As he got older, he built more
and more complicated planes. By the time he was 14, he was
building them with engines and flying them in contests.
Today, he is 35 years old. He has a degree in aeronautical
engineering. He designs small aircraft. In addition, he owns
an aircraft maintenance company and an air charter firm. He is
a multi-millionaire, and he feels like he has never worked a
day in his life. He has always done what he loved to do from
the time he was a boy.
If you're not sure of your true calling, ask the people closest to
Research shows that the things people liked to do between the
ages of 7 and 14 were a very good indicator of what they would
be most successful at as adults.
A man at one of my seminars told me that when he was 7 he
loved to build model airplanes. As he got older, he built more
and more complicated planes. By the time he was 14, he was
building them with engines and flying them in contests.
Today, he is 35 years old. He has a degree in aeronautical
engineering. He designs small aircraft. In addition, he owns
an aircraft maintenance company and an air charter firm. He is
a multi-millionaire, and he feels like he has never worked a
day in his life. He has always done what he loved to do from
the time he was a boy.
If you're not sure of your true calling, ask the people closest to
you. Ask them, "What do you think would be the very best thing
for me to do with my life?" It is amazing how the people around
you -- your spouse, your best friends, your parents -- can clearly
see what you should be doing when you cannot see it yourself.
Project yourself forward five years, and imagine that your entire
Project yourself forward five years, and imagine that your entire
life is perfect in every respect. Imagine that you are doing exactly
the right job for you, in exactly the right place, with exactly the
right people, and earning exactly the amount you want to earn.What would that look like? Where would you be, and what would
you be doing? Who would you be with, and how would you have
changed?
When you have that picture in your head, think about the steps
you would have to take to get from where you are today to
where you want to be in five years. What skills would you have
to develop? What information would you have to acquire? What
obstacles would you have to overcome?
Success comes from being excellent at what you do. The market
pays excellent rewards only for excellent performance. It pays
average rewards for average performance, and below-average
rewards for below-average performance.
All really successful and happy people know in their hearts
that they are very good at what they do. And if you are doing
what you really love and enjoy, if you are following your true
calling, you will know it too.
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