Reaching Higher

You might be a young successful billionaire who has absolutely no needs. If you are, congratulations! This might or might not help you out. I am nowhere near that. Many of us are not. We are looking everyday for ways we can improve our skill sets and and climb higher in our everyday work lives. No matter what you do, you should strive for more, to be the best. Yes, it might be a bit cheesy, but complacency usually does not open doors. If you have a dream, a wish for something more, pursue it. Even if you cannot reach that exact goal, you might be diverted down a path you never even thought about. The main thing is to always move forward, reach higher.

No Time Like Now
“I’ll do it tomorrow.” What is stopping you from starting now? Tomorrow is not guaranteed. If you have an opportunity to study something new, do it now. As someone involved in IT, times change and so does technology. You have to stay up-to-date with how technology is trending, how businesses are changing to ensure you always have a place to fit in. I am not sure how many Certified Typewriter Technicians still exist out there, but I am sure the number is not that high. Take advantage of any open time you might have to pursue the study of something that can elevate your career or take you in a different direction.

Effort? Why?!
“Well, <insert job or task here> is beneath me. I am only doing this until I find something better.” I do not believe that this is a statement that anyone should utter or even think. Thinking like this once can weave that type of thinking into other future jobs or tasks. Even if you are not fond of what you are doing or you know how to “do the heck out of the job without even thinking”, do it to the best of your abilities. You might not be there forever, but at least you had a good attitude while you were there. Do not treat a pit stop in your career as something worthless. Take every opportunity you have as an opportunity to shine. Yes, it might be annoying or something you have to put up with for a bit, but your attitude can determine your future.

A Few Minutes Late
Be on time! Whatever it is that you are doing now, if it requires showing up on time, be on time! Someone once said, “If you are on time, you are late.” Sounds a bit nutty, but when you think about it; if task A needs to begin at 8:00am, showing up to start prepping at 8:00am is not being on time. It might seem minor, but to those above looking at performance, this might be something they take into consideration. Showing up slightly early just to get a jump start and organized is never a negative. Time is not just important when it comes to showing up or clocking in, but certain projects you work on for customers might require a delivery by a certain date or time. What if it was late? What would those customers say? Can they rely on you for future projects? Being on time looks good.

The Worst Question
The worst question is one not asked. If you have doubts about something you are working on or need clarification, just ask. It’s better to be clear up front before starting a task than trying to feel your way around once you are halfway in. A good manager will accept those questions and try to get you the needed information. Of course, you are a take-charge type person. You shoot first and ask questions later. This might work until you find out the cables you ordered are a two feet short. If only you asked about how long of a cable run was needed. Now you have a whole day to scrounge up what is needed before a Go-Live. No one should look down on you because you ask a question. If you need clarification, seek it.

Seek It!
Like I mentioned in the beginning, complacency usually does not open doors. Seek and you shall find. I think our culture is very Amazon-centric. With just a couple of clicks you can have whatever you want show up at your door in a day and even the same day. Success seldom works that way though. It is probably pretty rare that someone will show up at your door step and grant you a big check of success. You have to put the time and effort in. You have to work for it. You have to start in places you might not want to. Keep working and keep working hard. Late nights and early mornings will lead to something better. Do not squander opportunities but make good use of your time.

This year will soon be at an end. We have one more month and before you know it 2020 will be here in a blast of fireworks. It will be a time people will voice their resolutions. I would love to lose a few pounds, however my biggest resolution is to be better and do better. I want to take every opportunity I have to improve myself. I want to reach higher. You should too.