"Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire." – Bobby Unser
I have previously written about a concept in which your life is a wheel with six spokes. There spokes essentially six areas of our lives we must focus on in order to first get our life in order, second to get our life moving in a positive direction and lastly to achieve our greatest potential in life.
One of these is referred to as the Financial and Career spoke of life. The career aspect of our life has a large influence upon our finances and other areas of life. It may seem like an obvious statement to make, but many people simply don't get it.
I have been blessed for nearly 30 years with a job I both enjoy and have been successful in. It is a job I enjoy getting up early in the morning for and one in which I'm happy enough to put in long hours for. The people, the work and the pay make it a very rewarding experience.
It was not that way in the beginning.
My career began at a small family owned office equipment dealer in Lincoln, Nebraska. To say I am thankful to them for giving me the opportunity is a grand understatement. When I was young and needed work, they took a risk and hired me. I learned quite a bit regarding both my trade and work ethics.
But I never liked the job and for six years my dissatisfaction grew.
So there it was, I did not like the job, the pay was low and all I could do was complain about my situation. One thing I had going for me was a great mentor. An older co-worker named Paul Meyer was a shining example of a mentor who encouraged me to change. He kept telling me that to sit and complain was probably the most unproductive thing a person could do.
Doing nothing meant the issue apparently wasn't very important.
Change is what needed to occur and I began a journey which would lead me to opportunity. I began learning about the computer industry
. Remember this happened before the internet took hold so it required research in the library. And do not forget that libraries still exist today. So even if you do not have the internet, a library is open to all and has much of the same information.Information is a powerful thing in your life.
I also talked with people about the industry and what was needed to get into it. I watched and observed people in the industry. How they dressed, how they conducted themselves and what they did on a daily basis.
I started to position myself for change.
It did not come easy. I sent twenty-five resumes to large companies and received twenty-five "thank you for your interest" responses. Discouragement nearly took hold, but you keep after it and keep telling yourself it will happen. As my wife Laura says, "an awful lot of 'self-talk' with encouraging statements is something everyone needs to learn more of."
Then one day, out of the blue I received a phone call from a large computer company looking to hire. They asked "would you be interested?" Of course I was interested and ultimately there were decisions which had to be made regarding acceptance of a job.
But I had positioned myself to be ready when opportunity crossed my path.
If you are not happy in your job, the chances of succeeding financially in it are slim. Even if the money is great but you are miserable, all other aspects of your life are diminished. To not enjoy your work and complain about it daily hurts you and those around you.
If so, then it is time to get your career life spoke back in balance.
There are many sources of information to get you started. There are various articles available at Publications.US.Gov which give pointers on doing just that. Even many of the job search engines on the internet will provide helpful advice. Again, information is key to successfully transitioning to a new job and if considering a career change.
For those who enjoy your jobs, you already have one of the keys to a better life.
My advice is to enjoy what you do for a living as it will consume nearly 40 years of your life. Perform your job well and enjoy it. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who wrote, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
Even the street sweeper will have a great life if he enjoys that which he does.
Enjoy your work and strive to do it well.
Your life will be better for it.
Stay inspired my friends!
