Commitment is critical to your future

SACRAMENTO (JobJournal) -- Are you working a job or building a career? Are you punching a time clock or chiseling a body of work, one day at a time? Perhaps you heard about the two laborers setting bricks at a construction site. When asked, one said he was building a wall, while the other boasted he was constructing the Sistine Chapel. What is your big picture? Are you a bystander or are you in the game? Your career is too important for you not to be committed to it.

Plan Far Ahead. Do you look around the bend and anticipate what's to come? Do you create plans in terms of decades and years, rather than months and days? Successful professionals think longer term. Lay your own foundation for the long haul. Invest in yourself and plan for the marathon ahead.

Strive for Steady Improvement. Are you saving or just spending? Are you preparing for rainy days and down times? Are you building a support system and continuing to educate yourself in your chosen field and beyond? If you are unemployed, are you using some of the 'time off' to improve your employability? You've got to take some extras steps to stay ahead of the field. Chess masters play many moves ahead. It's not enough to show up for each match. Play to win!

Start Something Now. Commit to take a new class, read a cutting-edge book with relevance to your field, join a professional association like Toastmasters (Toastmasters.org), engage a professional coach, or otherwise commit to improving yourself and your career prospects. Aren't you and your future worth it?

Courtesy of JobJournal.com
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