Secure Your Success (In Any Field)

Success is measured by the beholder, but there are common threads that are undeniable to becoming successful. Here’s a list of ten things that you should be doing right now.

1. Do the work.
Bite your bottom lip and make stuff happen. Professionals develop, ship, send, publish, post and deliver. Amateurs sit around and wonder.

2. Educate yourself.
Education lives long past your earned degree. From experience, my greatest educational moments have been active and self directed. Don't just seek information, knock down walls to get it.

3. Make your own rules.
If you set out to do something worthwhile there will be resistance. Don't be afraid to forge your own path. As you do, be respectful. There will be many well intended souls who will fight for your attention and direction. Politely fend off the naysayers.

4. Iterate.
Try, try and try again. Nothing will spring from you fully formed. You must continually try and fail. Spurts of momentum often come in fragments at inopportune moments over days, weeks, months, years. Be ready at all times to "Hit Publish."

5. Look inside.
Understand that the best way to make forward motion is to look inside yourself. The answers are within, not out there.

6. Know your craft.
Never risk vision and big-picture-thinking at the expense of understanding the fundamentals. You’ve got to know the nuts and bolts of what your doing.

7. Take a deep breath.
Life, work, job hunting and every other responsibility you have can easily lead to anxiety. We all know anxiety is counter productive. So when life is getting hairy, take a breath. Everything is going to be okay.

8. Take delight.
Everyday is a day worth living. Yes, some days are draining but your life should be fun. Strive to add elements to your life that are stimulating, positive and energizing. This season of life can be rough. Take delight in what you do, and for that matter, what others do as well. Celebrate successes- pop champagne or Diet Coke when you break through tough challenges. Stay up all night when the ideas are flowing. Enjoy the process. If you don’t take delight, your career will be short, either by choice or by fate.

9. Seek out good people.
No one is on a solo journey. Developing your work, your career, your life, will involve others. Make effort to know, connect, collaborate with, mentor under, the best people you can find.Good people tend to attract other good people. Food for thought: It's been said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose your friends wisely.

10. Help others.
When chasing success it's often too easy to focus on yourself. Most people who achieve success are concerned with helping others. Helping others cultivates understanding, humility and compassion. Don’t just reach and pull yourself up. Reach to the sides and below and do so often.

Now, put it to practice. Value elements of success that will launch you into a remarkable life.