It’s hard to measure success. Others perceive success as an amazing job title, others define it by a big salary, while some believe they’ve made it when they get the corner office. A lot of us fall into the trap of measuring success against other people’s standards. However, like any other area of our life, career success should be defined entirely by your own standards. Each has their own career path to embark on and what works for others may not be a perfect fit for you.
So what should be the measure of career success if it’s not to be measured by salary, job title, or office real estate? Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you measure if you’re successful in your career.
No Sunday Night Blues
Do you dread going to work on a Monday morning? Do you experience Sunday night blues? Are you thinking of quitting your job at the slightest provocation? If you feel like getting a root canal is better than another day at the office, you are unhappy at work. Something different happens to people who are successful in their careers. They are excited to come to work and look forward to the week ahead. If you can honestly answer “are you happy at work?” with a resounding “yes!”, then congratulations to you.
Making Waves
One of the biggest motivations for employees is relevance or how much clout they could exercise. Do you feel like just another cog in the wheel or do you think you’re making an impact at work? The answer to this will probably be the bar for how you measure career success. You see, people who know that they are influencing change and feel that they are making valuable contributions to the business go on to have successful careers. If you can confidently say that your opinions are valued and that you are appreciated at work, then congratulations to you.
Learning and Growing
Over time, you will develop a unique set of skills that makes you good at what you do. No one else will have the exact same skillset as you. The lessons you have learned and the experiences you have acquired will help you along your career path. However, trainings, certificates, and accolades will not only get you so far. The true measure of success is how you use your skills and what you have learned to improve yourself and help the people around you. Do you use your learnings to improve the business? Do you inspire and nurture future leaders? Do you create opportunities for yourself and for others? How do you react to failure? What challenges have you overcome and did you improve as a result? If you are still learning and continuing to challenge yourself to grow and improve, then congratulations to you.
How about you? How do you measure career success? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment. Stay humble and hustle hard.
Written by Jaie O. TheHelp