So, how did
the past year go for you? Are you satisfied with your job, your
responsibilities, and your salary? Or, are you finding yourself
stuck in the same old position year after year, with no hope of
promotion and little enthusiasm for the job?
If you’d
like to make more money, get a promotion, and love your job—which
just happens to be the subtitle of my book Ca$hing In, it might
be time to take a good look at what’s going on, specifically
at how you feel about yourself. Why? Because how you feel about
yourself also determines how you feel about everything else in your
life, including your job.
The new year
is a good time to develop a plan that will improve your self-image
and that will result in relationships, both personal and professional,
that are strong and satisfying and that will drive your career new
levels. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Feel
good about yourself.
When you feel good about yourself, people around you feel good.
Self-confidence leads to improved performance, which leads to improved
pay. Self-confidence will improve your relationships with coworkers
and customers. And, let’s face it, if your coworkers and customers
like you, they will treat you well and boost your self-confidence
to even higher levels.
Associate
with positive people.
Cut destructive relationships from your life. Surrounding yourself
with negative people will destroy your self-confidence and cast
a shadow over your attempts to improve yourself and your career.
Realize
that to err is human.
Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you handle those mistakes
that will determine your success. When you make a mistake, apologize
for it, take responsibility for it, and correct it.
Pat
yourself on the back.
Too often we focus on what we’ve done wrong rather than what
we’ve done well. Recognize yourself for doing good work. Massage
your own ego. At the end of each day, review either in your mind
or on paper what you did right at work. That might include everything
from completing a report on time to helping a customer find the
product she needed to assisting a coworker with a problem. Focusing
on the positives will improve your self-esteem and self-confidence
and will help you accomplish even more.
Set
goals.
They don’t have to be lofty goals, but they do have to be realistic.
Look at those goals every day; make them part of your very being.
As you reach those goals, set new goals that will have you reaching
a little higher.
Use
affirmations.
Put them on 3” by 5” note cards and look at them every
morning and evening. Those affirmations can be personal—I will
lose 10 pounds—or professional—I will get that promotion.
Remember that what the mind can conceive the mind can believe—and
you can achieve.
Visualize.
If there
is a position you want, have a friend take a picture of you with
your name and position outside an office door and look at it every
day. (Set the photo up at home, not in the office, so you don’t
offend others in the office, however.)
Learn.
Too many people think their educations end with a college degree.
It’s critical that you continue to learn as much as you can
about your job, your industry, relationships, and anything else
that will help you move ahead. Read self-help books and industry
related publications, highlighting key ideas as you go so you can
scan the book later and quickly reinforce the message and information
within its pages. Learn everything you can about your job and your
company so that you’re the most knowledgeable person in the
organization. If you do so, you will be noticed. And, if you are
noticed, you will be promoted. Take advantage of every training
program your organization offers.
Invest
in yourself.
This is one of the most important things you will ever do in your
life. If you want to be successful, you must invest in yourself.
You can’t wait for your company to send you to training programs;
you must take the offensive. Buy self-help books, audio programs,
and CDs. Enroll in classes and seminars that deal with both technical
and people skills. When I was 21, I didn’t know how to sell.
In fact, during one my first six months in business, I grossed a
measly $600. The turning point was deciding to invest $500 in a
program by Paul J. Meyer, founder of the Success Motivation Institute.
That was the beginning of my success. Within eight years, my net
worth went from $2,270 to more than $1 million. If you want to be
successful, you must be willing to invest in yourself.
You future
is in your hands. You can do and be anything you set your mind to.
It will take some effort, but you can do it.
John Tschohl
is an international service strategist and speaker. Described by
Time and Entrepreneur magazines as a customer service guru, he has
written several books on customer service, including e-Service,
Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service,
The Customer
is Boss, and Ca$hing In: Make More Money, Get a Promotion, Love
Your Job. John also has developed more than 26 customer service
training programs that have been distributed and presented throughout
the world. His bimonthly strategic newsletter is available online
at no charge. You can reach John at www.customer-service.com.
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