Measuring Your Career Success

Successful Career

Finding the right job is an amazing life accomplishment. Everyone talks about being successful, but what does that really mean? How can we measure our success? Consider several factors. Some people think being successful involves having a lot of money, and others base it on overall quality of life and work / life balance. Define your personal definition of success and strive towards achieving your goals. A lot of the following points are derived from famous and successful people, but although they are rich, they don’t typically measure their success based on their overall wealth. There are more factors that go into it.

1.)    Define Your Definition

The official definition of success is “getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame.” But you can’t use the dictionary version of this word when you are analyzing your personal situation. Success comes in many forms, and it doesn’t have to involve money. There are successful workers across all industries, even the ones that are considered “low paying.” It rarely has to do with being famous, although the respect portion of the official definition plays into this. Having the respect of those who work around you is an important factor. You need to figure out what your personal definition of success entails and tailor your own strategy to achieve it.

2.)    Are You Happy?

All the money in the world will not guarantee your happiness. It is not about becoming rich and famous. Are you happy coming into work every day? Do you enjoy the work that you are doing? Are you well-respected around the workplace? Do you experience a great work life balance with plenty of time for family, friends, or recreational activities? If you answered yes to some or all of these questions, then you are doing a great job. Focus on your happiness and quality of life, because they are essential to success and career longevity. If you do not enjoy the work you do maybe it’s time to find a role that you will truly enjoy.

3.)    Constant Growth

In your career you should have a clearly defined set of goals so you have something to strive for. Constantly improve yourself. Reaching your goals throughout your career will make you happier and more successful. Deepak Chopra, a highly successful physician and author, is a proponent or the constant growth theory and believes it’s a great way to achieve and maintain a successful lifestyle. He writes about it in his book, “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.”

4.)    Engaged in Work

Sometimes being successful is more about how you feel, and if you are fully engaged in your work you will ultimately feel more successful. After all, what is the point (besides paying the bills) of coming into work every day if you aren’t engaged? Sure you’ll experience some short term financial gains being on salary or having that nice hourly wage, but if you don’t love what you do eventually it will catch up and start to take its toll. One of the keys to a long, successful career is loving what you do and enjoying being a part of it. Every company has a culture, and if you aren’t fully buying into it then maybe it’s time to look elsewhere.

5.)    Achieving Your Goals

So you’ve made some career goals and know where you would like to end up later in your career. But have you made the required steps to accomplish it? No goal is too lofty, because if you work hard enough you should be able to succeed. Don’t worry about failure, because all it will do is teach you how to do it better next time. People learn from their mistakes, and you should be no exception to this rule. If you accomplish all of your goals, then it’s time to create new ones. Focus on constant growth and never be complacent. Success will follow.

Being successful isn’t about fancy cars or expensive habits. It’s about being happy and enjoying what you do. It’s about defining your goals and working to achieve them. Think about where you are in your career and where you want to end up. Never make excuses. For example, maybe your educational background is a barrier to landing that dream job you’ve always wanted. Start registering for classes and make your dream a reality. With enough hard work and dedication your success will be guaranteed. If you believe that you are successful nobody else can take it from you.

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Matthew Welch

Jobdiagnosis blog author Matthew Welch is an SEO strategist and content marketer from Boston, MA. Read blog content relating to job search by Matthew Welch.

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