Stop Talking and Take Action

No one is coming for you.  

People — family, friends, or your career coach — will offer to help, but you have to do the heavy lifting.  You, no one else.

Whether it is starting a company, changing careers, or finding a new job, it is all up to you. It is not about the goals you set or how many times you think about or talk about them; the work you put in — the excruciatingly hard work — will determine your success.  

In “Atomic Habits,” James Clear provides a brutal and immutable truth when he writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” This is to say that when they run the 100-yard dash at the upcoming Olympics, every athlete at the starting line has the same goal—to win the race. But only one person will win, and it will be the one who had the winning-edge training system and put in the hard work necessary to gain an advantage over everyone else. Then, they executed flawlessly.

Essential Formula for Success

Having the right processes backed by disciplined preparation is essential for success. Unfortunately, preparation can be a dirty word — seemingly an irrelevant idea —  for many job seekers.  Years of successfully moving from one job to another, usually for better pay, have spoiled many executives and managers into thinking that is the way it was, is, and always shall be. If there is any idea that is more nonsensical than that claptrap, I am not sure what it is. The horror stories of job searches that dragged on for months and months, marked by no communication or, at best, poor communication and rejection after rejection, the anxiety of diminishing savings, and the sleepless nights filled with an abnormal fear of never working again are commonplace. Yet, people persist; they keep doing the same thing over and over. 

It is insane. 

Luck Is Not the Same as Being Prepared

Then, one day, they get lucky and land a job and immediately conclude they are brilliant; they do not have to change, all evidence to the contrary, thus setting the stage for another round of pain and agony when they launch their next job search.

Let’s focus on having the proper job search process and preparation to ensure success and take action. The research is clear: systems preparation and action make a massive difference in the time it takes to land the job you want and yo make the money you desire.

“Action” is a critical word leading to success. Without it, you are screwed.

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