over the past 25 years I have spoken to people from all walks of life CEOs Junior accountants entrepreneurs and everybody in between I've met people at the peak of their career and people struggling to find their way and through my own ups and downs I've paid close attention to what really defines success I myself have been passed up for promotion I've been laid off I've felt stuck and every time I've had to rebuild re ref focus and figure out what success actually means to me and here's the thing what I was chasing wasn't always what
I thought it was it was never about status or climbing some imaginary corporate ladder it was about one thing Freedom so I want to share some of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years if you're just navigating your career right now whether you're just starting out or you're deep in your journey hopefully these insights will make your path just a little bit smoother first your career is going to have highs and lows just learn to accept it you see nobody has a career that's a straight line to success there are going to be peaks
in valleys wins and losses some years you're going to feel Unstoppable and in other years you're going to wonder if you made the right choices but here's the thing success isn't about avoiding failures it's learning learning from them and knowing how to navigate it when times are good learn to soak it in appreciate those moments of ease but when things go south and they will at some point don't let it break you remind yourself this is just the season and while it may feel Rocky right now it's not the end of my story next there's
always going to be somebody that dislikes you so stop trying to please everyone and this is a lesson that I still struggle with to this day you see no matter how much you try you will never be universally liked there will always be someone whether it's a boss a coworker a so-called friend even a stranger online or somebody who watches my videos who just won't like you no matter what you do and most of the time it has nothing to do with you I've learned that people project their own insecurities onto others and if you're
working hard you're growing or trying to do something new it threatens people who are too afraid to do the same and their defense mechanism criticism stop seeking approval from everyone it's exhausting and honestly it's impossible the only approval you need is your own next complaining will hold you back work can be frustrating careers can be frustrating job search can be frustrating and bad bosses exist corporate politics are real but sitting around complaining about your job won't change anything it just keeps you stuck think about the most successful people you know are they the ones who
whine about how unfair things are no they're the ones who take ownership of their situation they find ways to improve things or they move on they don't waste their energy playing the victim so every time you catch yourself complaining ask what what actions can I take instead because action is what actually moves you forward next thing that I've realized is that quitting is easier than pushing through so Choose Wisely and yeah sometimes leaving a job is the best move a toxic work environment a deadend position or a company that doesn't align with your values those
are all very valid reasons to walk away but sometimes quitting is just the easy way out the truth is work will always have its challenges and if your default reaction to stress is to just simply leave and tender your resignation employers will inevitably notice they will start to see you as somebody who avoids problems rather than solves them and trust me they do take note of it in interviews the key is to ask yourself am I leaving because this job is truly wrong for me or am I leaving because it's hard or uncomfortable there is
a difference and knowing the difference will shape your entire career and if you're always quitting jobs that means you're constantly in job search mode and it's really difficult to gain any career momentum when you're always hitting the reset button not to mention you are required to apply for lots and lots of positions and in today's job market it's particularly difficult because you're sending out application after application the problem is is when you send out all these ations you are sharing a lot of personal data with both the employer but inadvertently to data Brokers because often
times the data that they use to conduct these background checks and process your payroll is inadvertently shared with data Brokers and trying to figure out where your information is showing up on public directories can be very difficult not to mention having to manually find where they are and then opt out of them and that's where today's sponsor comes in delete me delete me offers an Innovative solution that constantly monitors for instances where your personal information is showing up on online directories especially without your knowledge and they will take steps to automatically scrub that information for
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your behalf and if You' like to sign up delete me has been gracious enough to offer a 20% off discount if you use the code layoff at checkout I will leave a link in the comments below the next thing that I've learned in my career and really just being a human being on this planet is that your thoughts shape your reality your mindset is everything if you believe that you're not good enough you're going to act like it and that's what you're going to experience if you believe that you're not talented enough or not worthy
enough that's what you're going to experience and if you believe that you won't succeed then you won't even try the universe listens and it reflects back what you put into it and I know that there are some people out there who think that this is a little hokey but this is core level creation we create what we think and the sooner that you realize that the sooner you can shape your reality in a much more active way listen I've met people who are more than qualified for leadership positions or that senior tier job that job
that feels like a stretch to them but they held themselves back because they were convinced or they thought that they weren't ready the problem is is that they stay in these jobs for so long that the rest of their peer group ends up passing them by on the open market meanwhile I've met people with half the experience who went for the rle anyway and got it and I'm sure you do too why is that it's because they believe that they could so stop waiting for permission and start believing in your potential your mindset whether you
believe me or not will absolutely determine your reality and the world that you experience next starting is hard but sticking with it is harder it's easy to say I'm going to start a business or I'm going to change careers or something as simple as I'm going to learn a new skill but how many people actually consistently follow through case in point on January 1 gyms are full of people with New Year's resolutions to transform their Fitness and their health but by February 1 it's a ghost town without a out starting is tough but it's consistency
that separates those who succeed from those who don't and here's the deal most people do not fail because they're not talented enough they fail because they lack discipline if you can Master consistency even when that motivation Fades you're already ahead of 99% of people next I've learned that while money is certainly important money isn't everything but what it creates is safety and safety can be a trap I have seen more people than I care to admit taking jobs just for the paycheck just for that extra few thousand just for that extra 50 cents more an
hour only to be burned out and then later regret it yet staying in a comfortable job for too long can also be dangerous when you're too comfortable you stop growing you don't take risks you don't learn new skills and before you know it you're watching your peers surpass you so there is an art to knowing how and when to move on and it's a lesson best learned early growth does require some discomfort and the next piece of advice I'm going to share is something that's been hitting me harder lately but in a few Generations nobody
is going to remember you so Make It Count while you're here the harsh truth is in two generations people will start to forget what your voice sounds it's like in three generations people won't remember your name and in four generations you'll be completely forgotten let that sink in for a minute and this realization can either depress you or it can liberate you to me it's actually freeing it means I don't have to waste my life worrying about what others think instead I focus on what actually matters making an impact taking care of my family and
leaving the world a little bit better than how I found it in other words I'm focused on my legacy rather than how big my bank account is work towards something that matters and not just a paycheck next it's never too late to change this is something that frustrates me to no end when I hear people making the excuse that they can't change careers because the deal is most people will have at least three to five completely different careers in their lifetime I have seen and I have helped coach people to make success ful career shifts
in their 60s so if you're in your 30s 40s or 50s and you think you're too deep into your career path to change you're not if you're miserable pivot you have more time than you think you do but at the same time once you recognize that you're in a bad fit start taking proactive steps and don't stay in that role or that career type for too long our Runway shortens considerably the later we get in our career and so you don't want to waste any time being miserable which leads us to my final piece of
advice you'll never feel ready so do it anyway listen impostor syndrome doesn't go away I personally still experience it every time I sit in front of this camera and even the most successful people feel it the difference they don't let it stop them most people in leadership positions they're not smarter than you they just went for it before they felt ready if you're waiting for some magical moment when you feel qualified enough to take the Next Step you're literally going to be waiting forever so take the opportunity say yes figure it out as you go
because that's what every other successful person is doing now admittedly I have learned through the School of Hard Knocks and some of the lessons were not very easy and some of them admittedly I still struggle with today but it took me 25 years to Garner this knowledge and this wisdom but if even one of these insights helps you navigate your career more smoothly then it was worth me sharing now I want to hear from you what are the biggest career lessons you've learned so far drop a comment and let me know and if you're feeling
directionless in your career and you think you need a little bit more help that's actually something that I specialize in I've got a website called aifa layoff.com which is loaded with tips and tricks all from a recruiting and HR professionals perspective I share my deepest and most intimate knowledge in the form of some training courses the most important one is establishing career strategy from the beginning of your career all the way through retirement and I created a course called the ultimate blueprint which gives you all the tools necessary to navigate a career effectively to get
promoted to find meaning in your career and actually achieve your lofty aspirations and I also offer some limited private one-on-one coaching you can reach me through my website for that as well so if you like this content hit the thumbs up maybe hit that subscribe button and share this video with somebody you think might gain some value from it as always I appreciate you watching again I'd like to thank today's sponsor delete me and we'll see you next time
