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 Something
just happened to me that, unfortunately, has happened to many of
this column's readers: I was terminated. A regional publication
that ran my column for six years has decided to replace my column
with less expensive nationally syndicated material.
I wrote a last column for that
publication that consisted of my Top-Six List, my six all-time favorite
pieces of career advice, and thought you too might find it of value.
6. Don't focus on finding a so-called dream
career. Focus on getting your career
non-negotiables met. It's extraordinarily competitive to land a
well-paying job in most so-called dream careers -- for example,
law, investment banking, acting, art, sports, nonprofit work, fashion
or TV. And once in, dream careers so often turn out to be disappointing.
Because so many people want to be in those careers, bosses can demand
absurd work hours, be unkind, etc.
Sure, if you're brilliant, driven,
winsome and/or well connected, all options may be open to you, but
let's say you're a mere mortal. In a less-competitive career, you're
more likely to find the things that lead to true career contentment:
a kind boss, nice co-workers, opportunities to keep learning, a
reasonable commute and a middle-class living.
As long as the compensation is middle-class, your
contentment won't be impeded by a lack of income. Study after study
shows that wealth doesn't increase contentment. Yes, the extra income
may enable you to buy that new suit or new car, but the happiness
derived usually fades quickly. After that, you'll seek another material
fix and that too will soon wear off, whereupon you'll need yet another
fix. Dan Pink, author of the new book, "A Whole New Mind,"
calls this, "The Hedonism Treadmill." Ultimately, contentment
comes mainly from love and from good work.
5. Work hard. My clients
who had been sad or even depressed found that working hard turned
out to be their greatest antidepressant. Even if you're unemployed,
you can and should work hard. Yes, work hard in looking for a job,
but also fill your day to the rafters with constructive projects:
volunteer to tutor someone, clean your cluttered apartment, help
a friend or relative.
4. Be aware of the moment
of truth. There is a moment when you -- usually unconsciously
-- decide, "I'm going to do that task later." Stay alert
for that moment of truth, and each time, ask yourself, "Would
I be wiser to procrastinate on this task or to do it now?"
You'll procrastinate less. Then break the task down into baby steps
and, when stuck, get help.
3. Be nice. Look for
opportunities to brighten the day of every person you encounter,
even if it's just to flick a piece of lint off their jacket. If
a co-worker is less capable than you, repress your impatience and
offer to help. If you're a boss, be generous with deserved praise.
Many people crave praise more than money. Feeling worthy is a primal
need. If you have hired someone, don't ignore the unsuccessful applicants.
Afford them the dignity of a kind rejection letter, if at all possible,
a personal one mentioning their strengths.
2. Integrity is key. My
mouse pad is imprinted with the statement, "Integrity is key."
Yes, cheaters often win -- in the material sense. Many, maybe even
most, deceptive salespeople, plagiarizing students and cook-the-books
accountants get away with it, but they still lose. They lose in
the bigger game of making their life meaningful. If you --especially
when it's to your selfish detriment -- do the ethical thing, you
will be loved and respected on this earth and, if there's a hereafter,
honored in that one. And you will go through life with your head
high, knowing you are making the world a better, not a worse, place.
1. Never look back.
Always look forward. I learned that lesson from my dad. I asked
him, a Holocaust survivor, why he never complained about having
lost his teenage years and his entire family. He replied, "The
Nazis took five years from my life. I won't give them one minute
more. Martin, never look back; always look forward." We've
all had bad things happen to us, but my successful clients rarely
wallow. They ask themselves, "What's the next positive little
step I can take." I can offer you no better advice.
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