How to be successful in Your Career in your early 20s

Finding success in your career can be as complicated as trying to solve a rubix cube. There’s people who can make it look easy and there’s people who can’t solve it to save their life.

So what separates the two types of people? How can someone easily build their way to the top of a company or build a successful business?

The first thing we usually believe is that the employee who’s getting a promotion is either brown-nosing or sleeping their way to the top. And sure, that does happen. There’s always going to be that one person who’ll throw you under the bus just to get an extra penny. But that rule doesn’t apply to the majority of people in the business world.

There are people who work day and night to get to where they want to be. There are people who read whatever they can to become successful. So although you have your neck cutters who’ll do anything to get ahead, you also have the best people who’ll others would want to stand behind and support.

It’s almost like a pile of strawberries. Sure, you might have 1 or 2 bad strawberries, but the rest are good to eat. So what are the best ways to be successful in your career as a young adult?

Do the best job you can do:

Kat Cole, the CEO of Cinnabon, started off as a hostess at Hooters when she was a teenager. And even though she was only a Hooters girl, she was a go-getter and by 19, she was asked by the company to travel to different countries to help open foreign markets. At 23, she was put in charge of global training for employees and managers.

Did your boss put you in charge of a stove? Who cares. Do the best job you can to keep it in shape and working condition. Despite how petty a task you’ve been given control over, take full ownership of it. You can’t expect yourself to be great at bigger responsibilities if you can’t even manage the small ones.

Develop a sense of passion for anything:

Reed Hastings, who’s now the CEO of Netflix, worked as a door-to-door salesman after high school selling vacuum cleaners. But he didn’t hate it. In fact, he learned to love it so much that he decided to postpone his enrollment in college for an entire year just to sell vacuum cleaners. This eventually led him to the realization of his true passion, which led to the creation of Netflix.

Even if you’re not into the job you have now, search for its value. Think of ways you’re helping the world be a better place. You want to develop the thought process that you would still do that job whether you were paid or not.

And I know, it sounds crazy. Who would want to work at McDonalds for free? It’ll be like being an indentured servant under a ruthless tyrant.

But without a sense of passion for what you’re working on, you lose your interest for it and your work habit slacks. You then carry those bad habits to bigger responsibilities you’re put in charge of, eventually doing a bad job at that too.

When you see your job or career as a necessary burden, you give yourself negative thoughts about your own life. Even if you hate your job, think of ways it can benefit your life. Maybe it can be the stepping stone you need before you go onto bigger things. Maybe it’ll give you the chance to have a career that tests your limits.

Back when I worked in the food industry, it was the first time I faced a job that required manual labor. But I did the best that I could because I knew serving people their food with a positive attitude could boost their day. Everyone doesn’t have a close friend or someone to shoot them a friendly smile. So to have that power over someone gave me a sense of excitement to make their day a little better.

Think of the bigger picture of what you’re doing rather than assuming what you’re doing won’t bring any value into your life.

Be Humble with yourself:

Although Mark Zuckerberg has a crap ton of money, he’s still humble enough to drive an Acura because “it’s safe and not ostentatious.” Instead of wearing a $10,000 suit to show off his wealth, he wears the same gray t-shirt and hoodie to work every day. Even for his wedding, the pair was seen eating at a McDonalds on their Italian honeymoon.

Nobody cares if you graduated from Harvard with the best grades. Nobody cares if you never got a B your entire life. In fact, they might even talk about you behind your back if you continue carrying an arrogant attitude.

Learn to get over yourself and your accomplishments. Allow others to observe your intelligence through your actions and not your words. People should be able to tell you’re a genius rather you tell it to them.

Put others’ needs before your own and when faced with a difficult decision, think more about other people outcomes more than your own. You may not think anyone notices your deeds, but they are and this makes them want to follow you because you’re not shoving your heroic deeds down their throats.

Search to Emulate Someone:

Bill Gates, who stands as one of the richest people in the world, always gives a credit of his success to his mentor, Warren Buffet. He taught him how to deal with tough situations and how to think long-term.

Although the average 20 year old can feel like they know everything there is about life, they’re still a long way from that. Find someone who already has a lot of experience in a field you’re interested in because it can be life changing and extremely valuable for you. Find someone you can learn from and provide you with useful advice when life gets tough.

And if you don’t know where to find a mentor at, start off by reading books from people you admire. Read the thoughts that were in their heads and carry them into your life. It might not be as effective as a real person, but books give you the opportunity to know yourself as a human.

Find the time to relax:

Rachel Maddow, a television host on a nightly television show, likes to retreat from Manhattan every weekend to a little country home in Western Massachusetts where there’s no cable or TV. There, she enjoys the simple pleasures of reading and nature watching.

Hard work is good, but don’t let it take over your life. You’re worth more than just working yourself to death.

Experience life as you did when you were a child. It’s important to learn how to sit back and let your mind reset itself. Although success and personal development are important things to master, don’t let them rule your life. Enjoy the small things like a walk at a park or some ice cream.

Keep an organized schedule:

Warren Buffet never breaks out of his habits. He doesn’t gamble even if the bet is set to a dollar. As a sophisticate, he builds a system that prevents himself from developing bad habits. He set rules in his life he has to follow to remain successful.

You want to build your day around a structured system. Don’t let yourself be mindlessly taken by nearby distractions. When you’re starting off your career, create your own deadlines, set out goals, and stay committed to your daily schedule.

It’s a little tough when you’re first establishing a daily schedule for yourself. But build a habit by sticking to it so you create a firm path to where you want to be.

Listen more. Talk Less:

“This is the problem with dealing with someone who is actually a good listener. They don’t jump in on your sentences, saving you from actually finishing them, or talk over you, allowing what you do manage to get out to be lost or altered in transit. Instead, they wait, so you have to keep going.” ― Sarah Dessen, Just Listen

What makes Bill Clinton a lovable figure is that he isn’t afraid to listen to anyone. He treats every word someone says to him as important. As a result, people give him their trust and support.

You have two ears and one mouth. So use them to that ratio. Listen twice as much and talk only when necessary. Don’t let your ego or pride take control of you when someone is speaking to you in a negative way. If you’re in the wrong, remain silent and accept your actions.

Filter your communication so you don’t say the first thing that pops into your head. People regret saying things every day because words transform into emotions inside other people. And although someone might not remember what you said to them later on, they’ll always remember the way you made them feel during those moments.

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