Like so many other people of your generation, you have a five/six-day work week. You get to work at 9, slog till 2, manage to have a quick lunch and then the slogging begins again until 7 if you are lucky; if not, then well, who knows until what time you go on?
You repeat this
routine for 22 days a month for a salary at the end of the line, and well, you
try to be happy.
But is that
salary enough? Do you think it is all you deserve for the amount of slogging
you do?
Do you have
dreams of a better life, which sadly necessitates the need for more money?
Well, you are
not alone. Given the kind of corporate culture brewing nowadays, it is a sad
state of affairs.
The corporate world needs cogs in its vast machinery and, well, young people need jobs to sustain lives.
The point is,
sometimes the general attitude of young people needs to improve in order for
them to achieve higher heights. Au contraire, it is sometimes the case that an
attitude makeover makes them more pliable for adapting to the system and
actually making a difference to their futures, faster.
Here are twelve ways that might help achieve those ends:
1. Underestimating your professional worth
You work hard
and no one can take that away from you. It is a given habit among young
individuals when they say things like “I am not good enough” or “there’s surely
going to be people better than me in that interview there”.
Do not do that.
In case you are having thoughts of inadequacy, clench your teeth and fight
through them.
2. Do not work for free
Never do that. Experience is a thing, yes, but it doesn’t pay the bills nor does it keeps you out of your mother’s house.
Whatever you do,
do it for some kind of payment, even if it is a token sum, take it with a smile
on your face.
3. Have that promotion-related conversation
If you think
that you have a promotion coming, it is of the essence to have that
conversation at the ripe time. These things are highly dependent on the time
the opportunity is sought and taken.
So, ‘carpe diem’!
One awkward conversation might save you a lifetime of pain and meagre salaries.
4. Save time
If you can save
yourself a trip and pay bills/get things you want online, take that option. Try
and save time and be productive during that time, getting better at what you
do. It is a quality-loving market; the better you become at what you do, the
better opportunities will be there for you in the long run.
5. Presentee-ism
Show your
superiors that you are available for work, if they deem fit, and if it helps
the company. This show of enthusiasm shows that you actually care for the
company and where it is going. And moreover, it shows conformism with the rest
of your colleagues.
6. Looking for better opportunities
Do not just look
for higher ranks in your own organisation; it is a tricky world out there and
you never know where new opportunities erupt from.
Keep your eyes
and ears open at all times for newer and better opportunities.
7. Asking yourself if you actually like the job you do
This is the million-dollar question for most young individuals. They are crammed into generic jobs thanks to the mill we call the system. But there are indeed rare cases when things are actually liked by the people doing them. But, without wasting time, you need to ask yourself that. If not, then you have your work cut out for you.
Must read: 5 Sure Signs You Will Never Be Rich
8. Is money your only aim in life?
Is there nothing
more to your life but money? You have to remember, that despite the things
money buys for you, money is not and can never be a destination. At best, it is
the bus you take to your destination.
The question to
ask yourself is what do you actually want to do with your money, if and when
you have enough of it? What will it be enough for?
9. Finding your threshold of an “okay” life
It is only when
you know what you are saving/slogging for, that you give it your ultimate best.
10. Valuing your relationships
If you aren’t a contented and fulfilled individual inside, there is no way your mind will be able to take more and more mechanical labor. Your body needs its dopamine and your heart, company.
11. Physical appearance
Sadly enough, it is a shallow world out there; and it is quantifiable. The Universities of Harvard and Exeter found out once in a study that tall and skinny people earn more, statistically, than people who weigh more. Try taking care of your physical appearance.
12. Go out of your comfort zone
Multitasking is
something that will give you an edge on your more complacent colleagues.
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