There is no nice way to say this: a big part of the things you heard about how to be successful in your career are mostly myths and false ideas. Here are a few thoughts on success that might help you achieve what you want from life.
Firstly, no offense to that little, subtle voice in your head, but it’s not always right. Intuition doesn’t come out of nowhere – it is formed in time based on some patterns and the experiences you’ve had.
For example, if you tried to do something a lot of times and it never worked, it’s normal for you intuition to tell you not to do it again. But the world is in a permanent state of movement and evolution, so those ugly days in the past may not be so relevant today.
If you work in a predictable environment, like being an accountant, your intuition may be trustworthy, but for the rest of us (stockbrokers, judges, journalists, etc.), decision-making is a more complicated process, it takes more than just to “follow your heart”.
A study showed that over 90% of University professors believed that their performance at their jobs was above average. Some tend to be too confident, while others get stuck with ideas that seem safe. The key is to ask for feedback, and not just to receive compliments.
Ask for opinions from your colleagues and even from your opponents. When it comes to feedback, your instinct may appear and tell you to ask for opinions for support, not for a correct view on the situation.
The thing is, you don’t need a crowd to cheer for you, you need constructive criticism for you to be able to fix what’s wrong and to learn how to be better at your job. In other words, what do you prefer?
To listen to negative feedback, or to go on with your wrong idea and to fail?
The other important aspect about success that everyone gets wrong is the risk factor. Okay, it’s great to have courage, but that doesn’t mean that you should act like you’re a drunk, blindfolded driver.
We all need to have self-confidence, it will always help us when making a decision. But what’s more valuable is to know when to question ourselves.
Most successful people are against big risks and they prefer to analyse their ideas before making a big step.
Success is not so much about taking a huge risk, as it is about testing the territory with small steps. You don’t necessary have to take a big leap, quit your job or your studies immediately and go for your big idea.
People who keep their jobs in parallel with their start-ups are 33% more likely to be successful than those who take huge risks, not thinking before acting.
