Your guide to a healthier perspective of life
Don’t get your sense of self worth from what you do for money or how much you have of it. Instead, think of what value you bring to those around you.
How will others remember you when you die? If you were to ask everyone you know what 3 adjectives describe you, what would they say? Would you be happy with how others think of you or do you need to start living differently?
Your impact on others will be remembered far greater than how much money you earned or what you did professionally…
1) Be the hardest worker in the room. Get there first, leave there last, and be productive when you’re there. Work when you’re at work.
2) Question everything internally first. If a rule, a way of doing things, or a story doesn’t make sense to you, try to earnestly figure it out and come up with a solution. If you always question an authority figure out loud (and especially if you do it in front of others), it will be viewed as being disrespectful. But if you bring things to their attention when you don’t understand and you do it in private, they can respect that (as long as their ego is in check).
3) Be humble, yet confident. Let your actions and the results speak for you. Keep your head up, put a smile on your face, have good posture/don’t slouch, speak clearly/enunciate, speak loudly but not too loud, look at others in the eyes when you’re talking with them, and keep an open mind to changing/forming new opinions.
4) Don’t engage in gossip unless you are speaking positively about someone else/building them up. Never say something behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face. If you would say it to their face and it’s a big enough deal to bother you, bring that person aside and talk it out.
5) Stay in your lane, but be aware of what is happening in the lanes around you. Nobody wants someone in another department to butt in and tell them how to do their job. Focus on your tasks and your responsibilities. BUT, have a good understanding of what other departments do, what they do well and what they can improve upon. You don’t need to know how they do what they do, but if you want to rise in the ranks, you should at least know what they do.
When working a W-2 job as an employee, don’t expect a raise just because you show up to work on time, you don’t take sick days, and you‘be been there for a long time. Showing up to work on time and not missing extra days is the bare minimum of what you should be doing. That’s part of the job! But just showing up doesn’t necessarily mean you’re providing value to your employer. You still have to perform, and that’s what your raise should be for (if you get one). It should be based on merit – how are you “deserving” of a raise? (By the way, I despise the word “deserve”…we are becoming very entitled and often feel we “deserve” things when we really are owed nothing.)
There are a lot of downsides with being an employee, one of which is that someone else gets to determine what you make (whether that’s hourly or salary). But that employer has taken the risk of being an entrepreneur. They are responsible for keeping the business afloat, for always striving to find more customers so that they can pay their employees. If you haven’t put in the legwork and only see the end result of what you think the employer is making, it can seem wrong with how much they’re making with how “little” work they’re currently doing. But that’s the wrong mindset to have. And if you want to do something about it, you have three options: negotiate for higher pay, find another job, or start your own business.
when you are building a team, try to go from “I do it” to “we do it” to “they do it.” This is when you are a true business owner. Before that, you are merely self-employed.
“I Do It.” – At first, you probably will have to do everything. You’re the CEO, COO, CFO, Sales Manager, Salesman, Director of IT, and janitor.
“We Do It.” – Eventually, you’ll hire people to help you, delegating some responsibilities, but you will still be working in the business as well.
“They Do It.” – Finally, you need to get to the point where you can remove yourself from the business and it will still run.
If you have to be present for the business to run, you own a job. You don’t own a business yet.
Your number one responsibility is to be able to put food on the table and keep the lights on for your family. After that, then you need to focus on doing something that you love. You don’t even have to love it at all the time. But as long as you like it enough and it pays the bills, stick with it. If you are miserable, find something else, but remember your responsibility to your family. Making sure you’re setting them up for success (more than just surviving, but thriving) should be your top priority.