Successful People Are Not Just Lucky

Successful careers don't just happen. Success is something that is planned. Successful careers are lived by people, just like you and me, who take stock of their unique value and their surroundings, and take charge of their choices. For this approach to work for you, a clear, well-defined career plan is essential. Making a career plan that is personalized and solely yours also requires involvement by you. You will create your career plan, work on your career plan, and most importantly, make decisions about opportunities based on your career plan – for the life of your career. But first, YOU must become personally involved and invested in how your career moves.

Preparation meeting opportunity is not the same as luck. It's easy to say that successful people are just lucky. After all if it's all just about luck, then you're not responsible when it doesn't work out. Is this how you think? I challenge you to work with what you know. I know from personal experience that what passes for luck in some circles, is really preparation meeting opportunity. As opportunity comes along, a choice will be demanded of you. And while successful people may look lucky it is more likely that they have been busy preparing themselves by developing a career plan which includes both short and long-term goals making it possible for them to boldly, yet thoughtfully, decide about each and every opportunity. They are career-minded individuals who purposely and deliberately choose to walk away from a well-paying job to accept a more favorable option not for the money, but because it moves them closer to their stated career goal. Successful people are able to make wise choices about the new opportunity, the organization, and other factors because they know where they are going and how this opportunity fits into their overall plan. Can you – right now – make that type of critical decision about any opportunity? If not, what are you doing to change this answer to a yes? And how do you develop a career plan that is tailored-made for you?

Take your own career personally. The first and most important step is to get involved in your own success. After all, if you don't care, why should anyone else care about your goals? Decide to pursue a career that enriches your own life – not just financially – but in other intangible ways. Focus your education and energy towards doing something profitable with your knowledge and showcase your own unique value. Pursue your own career goals with the energy and passion to succeed – not just once, or occasionally, but every day. These simple three steps are the first important steps to a successful career. Take up whatever cause that you believe in, but occupy your own life and career as a priority. Simply put, success requires commitment from you. Check back to read my two-part postings on creating a career plan that works for you.