Tips to Thrive At Work - January

Work plays a critical role in our lives. It helps us gain new skills, improve our financial stability, gives us purpose, and plays a role in developing our individual identity just to name a few. But, work itself is not easy – it takes effort, commitment, dedication, and sometimes just a little boost of inspiration. Often times it is the basic, every-day skills that have the largest impact on the direction that our career takes. No matter who you are or what level you are at in your career, we can all benefit from some tips to thrive!

	Find Positive Role Models We all tend to learn much about the world of work from those we spend a lot of time with. If you really want to thrive in the world of work it is important that you surround yourself with positive role models. Look around you and watch the people that you know have a history of success in their professional lives. What do they do they do differently? What can you learn from them? It is said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, so set your sights high and surround yourself with people that will rise you up, not those who bring you down.
	Recognize The Gap Between Expectations and Reality Many of us would like to make more money, have more vacation time, or more flexibility in our schedules. To thrive in the world of work it is important that you recognize that there is often a gap between expectations and the reality of the situation. When facing a situation at work where you think things should be different, or if you think your career should be progressing at a faster speed than it is, take a moment to put your expectations in perspective. Are your expectations and desires in line with reality? Does the position you hold have the ability to offer those benefits? Have you done the work necessary to climb the corporate ladder?
	Be Open to Learning From Others It doesn’t matter your education level, or your position within an organization; we can all learn something from everyone. To thrive in the world of work you must be open to learning from everyone around you. Every person (yourself included) can teach something. Even if those lessons happen to be ‘what not to do’, always be open to learning from the experiences of others. When faced with a situation at work, stop and think about what you can learn from this, and before you know it you will be taking in lessons from every experience and heightening your professional skill set.
	Take Charge Of Your Career While you may not be able to control everything that happens in your life, you are in control of how you handle it. That includes the direction your career takes. If you want more from your career, what are you willing to do or to sacrifice to get to where you want to be? If you are unhappy with your current employment situation, or your skill level, what are you doing to improve it? Don’t wait for others to give you the opportunities you desire, have a plan and work it. Having that mindset alone will pay dividends. Try it and see just how far you can go with a little determination and a lot of hard work.
	Focus On Your Daily Actions It is easy to get overwhelmed when we look at our career as a final destination and what we end up with when it is all said and done. To thrive at work you need to recognize that your career is a journey filled with many twists and turns, obstacles and triumphs. Set manageable, short and long-term goals and focus on how your daily actions help move you closer to where you want to be. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and can even self-sabotage our own success through the little mindless things we do each day. Don’t try and fix the future, instead work on being the best possible worker you can possibly be today – and then do the same tomorrow, and every day moving forward.