The other day, while visiting my child’s pediatrician, I saw an article about the 8 Keys of Excellence for making great kids greater. I can’t seem to remember all the 8 keys; however, 5 specifically remain etched in my mind and I continue to think about how these keys of excellence apply to all of us, young and old.
I am a firm believer in the notion that we lead by example, so I see the benefit of teaching these qualities to our young children early in life. Unfortunately, not all of us go through daily life with these principles in mind.
As you prepare to advance your career (and even life), I deliver to you the 5 Keys to Career Excellence and success in a two-part series. In this first part, we discuss the two most valuable keys to Career Excellence: Failure Leads to Success and Focus on the NOW.
- Failure Leads to Success!
As a proponent for thinking and acting positively in all that we do, this is probably the most important key to success. It is easy to get pulled down by the weight of perceived failure and let the negativity drown out any positive learning opportunities; however, this is where changing the way we think about failure opens the door for career excellence.
When we view failure as a chance to gain feedback, we learn from these failures and make the changes needed to be more successful in the future. In order to do this, we need to take ownership in what went wrong, adjust our sails by evaluating and changing what we did the first time, and try again by applying what we learned from this failure.
If you get stuck in this failure and fear to take another risk, you will never move forward in your life or your career. Learn from your mistakes and take positive and purposeful action towards success. In other words, don’t give up!
- Focus on the NOW!
I am guilty of this too – worrying so much about tomorrow and the next day that I forget to enjoy right NOW. However, when my mind is calm, and I focus on the present moment, the stress for tomorrow and the next day seem irrelevant. Not only am I much more productive when I focus on the time in front of me NOW, but I am also a better resume writer, career coach, and mom!
It is by living in the present moment that we have the most power. We can find joyful moments in our work and family life that we otherwise miss when we distract ourselves with the worries of the past or future.
Learn from me, no amount of worry will change the past. And while worrying about and waiting for the future, you are missing the present moment and life is slipping away. Focus on the time you have right now. Deliver positive and rewarding results for the future success of your career excellence.
These two keys to excellence are big ones. They require changing a negative mindset to a positive one. If you are stuck in old patterns of behaviour these two keys will take time to develop and implement into your daily practice. Therefore, I deliver the article in two parts. I want you to take a few weeks to transform the way you look at your failures, past, and present, while also living in the NOW. It is a challenge, I know. In one breath I am asking you to look back into your past mistakes and in another, I am asking you to live in the present moment.
Your goal is to evaluate the perceived failures that are holding you back from acting toward your career and life success. Spend two or three days on this activity and then move toward living in the moment. When you see your mistakes as learning opportunities, living in the NOW allows you to take purposeful steps forward to changing your future.
Visit my site again soon where I discuss the last three Keys to Career Excellence: Commitment, Flexibility, and Balance.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you are looking for resume writing, job search, interview or career coaching, please send me an email to info@skyeisthelimit.ca. I would be happy to discuss how I can help bring your career to new heights!
