The Best Way To Think About Your Career In a Startup
Your career may seem like something already set in stone, and it isn’t easy to picture yourself doing anything else.
However, you have the power to make small changes in your career path that will have a significant impact in terms of how much value you produce at work and how happy you are with your job.
The best way to think about your career in a startup is to improve upon the marginal aspects every day.
Don’t be afraid to make small improvements.
Every improvement you make now matters. It will feel incremental, but over time those improvements add up.
Small improvements are how you get ahead at work. So don’t ever let someone convince you that something doesn’t matter because it’s too small to make a difference.
Instead of making excuses for why an idea won’t work or why something can’t be done, commit yourself to get better at what you do each day and measure your progress along the way so that, bit by bit, things get better and better.
Always ask yourself — what could I do better today?
When faced with a problem, it’s easy to assume you can’t solve it. Or that someone else will do it. This isn’t necessarily true — by taking matters into your own hands and making an effort, you are actually improving upon what would have happened otherwise.
And by always asking yourself what you could do better today, you are practicing self-improvement as a habit that will serve you well in both work and life. Always keep moving forward, take action and improve each day! What could I do better today?
Learn from people who have done what you want to do
Learning from people who have done what you want to do can help reduce your chances of failure.
And you don’t even need access to these people in person! Whether it’s through online courses, books, or conferences, there are plenty of ways for you to learn from those who have already done what you want to do.
Just be sure that you choose quality content and reputable sources. The last thing you want is bad advice and a false sense of hope.
And remember: just because someone has done something once doesn’t mean they know how to replicate it over and over again. Seek out professionals with deep skillsets who can teach what they know instead of simply broadcasting their own experience.
Ignore those who want you to do things their way only.
It’s easy for other people to tell you how to live your life. It’s not their life, and it’s not their choice. The only person who can make that choice is you.
That doesn’t mean that everyone else is always wrong — people have a lot of experience in areas you don’t yet understand. It does mean that you should evaluate each bit of advice on its own merits and take what works and discard what doesn’t as quickly as possible.
Because no one knows better than you do what will make you happy, and they shouldn’t be making choices for you instead of helping guide them.
