Set Yourself Up for Career Success – Do Whatever it Takes

“When you get to the end of your rope, you tie a knot and hang on.” (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

When I think about how people describe me, more often than not, the word “perseverance” tops the list. I have instinctively known in life when you want something, you have to work at it and for it. Even as a young person, I set my sights on what I thought was the bull’s-eye and kept shooting for it.

Over time, I have learned many lessons and gained much wisdom about how to stick to things, and, more importantly, how and what I needed to do to set myself up for what I like to call the “long race.”

Long-distance runners train differently from sprinters. They focus on endurance and pace. In life and business, we need to train as long-distance runners, not sprinters. Our lives play out much better when we prepare for a marathon.

I like the metaphor of perseverance being a strengthening of one’s abilities to finish the race by developing a pace-driven process. To truly perform our best, we must prepare for success like we’re running a marathon. The training plan of all long-distance runners includes coaching, technique, practice, and endurance. Long-distance runners all train for the second half of the race. As business people who want to be around for a long time, we too must develop a resilience that strengthens our ability to persevere beyond the first half of our marathon.

Here are some four fundamentals that may help you manage the challenging parts of your career journey.

1. Passion

When you truly love what you do and have a sincere desire to serve, it is the most powerful “sales” tool you can have.

2. Perspective

Keep things in perspective—stay focused on your goals and seek out alternative sources for news and information. There are so many resources for “the solution” and examples of people and businesses finding and making positive opportunities in challenging times.

3. Pertinence

Nothing is more important than relevance. Know the trends in your industry as they relate to business, consumer behavior, and marketing. These days, trends drive everything. Keeping up with the rapidly changing business landscape and technologies can mean the difference between extinction and rebirth.

4. Prediction

Do you have a vision for where you are heading? What is the road map for your career success? Many of us at the moment are navigating uncharted waters. I do know that having both a short-term and a long-term vision for navigating any conditions includes all of the fundamentals mentioned above.

The above is an excerpt from my book, Career Transition-Make the Shift – available now on Amazon.com.

Deborah Shane is the chief motivator, educator and catalyst of the professional development consulting company, Train With Shane.

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