Want Career Success? Take Personal Responsibility

The other day I saw a great quote from Margaret Thatcher…

“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.”

Ole’ Iron Maggie really nailed it with this one. I like this quote because it gets at the essence of Tweet 21 — committing to taking personal responsibility for your life and career. Commitment to taking personal responsibility is the second of the four pillars of my Career Success GPS System, and some of the most important career advice I and most any other career success coach offer to clients.

You demonstrate your commitment to your career success – to yourself and to the world — by doing three things. First, take personal responsibility for your career success. Only you can make you a career success. You must be willing to do the things necessary to succeed. Second, set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them. Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks. You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals, dreams and career success.

Those days in which you have a lot to do, and you get it all done, are not only satisfying; they demonstrate your commitment to your career success; and they help strengthen that commitment. I’m writing this on a plane on Friday night. It’s about 8:00 in the evening. I’ve been up since 5:00 because I needed to finish an important project for one client before I spent the day working with another. I’ve had a full, but very satisfying, day. And, as Ms. Thatcher points out, one in which I feel a sense of supreme satisfaction. I’ve demonstrated to myself I’m willing to do the things necessary to succeed.

I had a bout with the flu this winter. It left me feeling weak and tired. I spent all of a Monday afternoon and a good part of the following Tuesday morning in bed.  It couldn’t be helped. I needed to get my strength back. By Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling physically better, but emotionally drained. I felt as if I hadn’t moved forward toward my goals. I didn’t get anything done for about 24 hours – and I hated it. Even though I was sick, I felt as if I had lounged around and done nothing for a day and a half.

I agree not only with Maggie Thatcher, but with George Bernard Shaw, my favorite playwright…

“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

I know I want my life to be a splendid torch that burns long and brightly. That’s why I choose to commit to taking personal responsibility for my life and career success. This career success coach, is here to tell you reveling in hard work is the best way to create the life and career success you want and deserve.

The common sense career success coach point here is simple. Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for the creating the successful life and career they want and deserve. They follow the advice in Tweet 21 in Success Tweets.

They set high goals – and do whatever it takes to accomplish them. They react positively to the people and events in their lives – especially the negative people and events.

They relish the days when they have a lot to do, and then go on and do it.

They get great satisfaction from working hard and seeing the results of their labor.

When was the last day when you were truly busy? How did you feel at the end of it? If you’re an achiever – someone who is committed to your life and career success — I bet you felt exhilarated and ready to go the next day. That’s how I felt after a very long day last Friday.

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