The second reason why I see people thriving in their career is their desire to be the best that they can be.

What does ‘being the best that you can be’ mean?

I believe it’s when your career brings out the best in your skillset and personality, whilst also allowing you to tap into an area of genuine interest. Two similarities are evident from observing people who are embracing the concept of being the best you can be.

Firstly, they assume ownership for making it happen. RTE produced a documentary last October about being the best you can be, called Winning. In the documentary, Irish rugby great Paul O’Connell identifies being “self-led” as the key to becoming the best that you can be, in business and in sport. The people I see thriving in their career appear to have made a commitment to themselves to be the best that they can be in their career.

This commitment manifests itself in the second similarity. The same people create the conditions necessary to allow themselves to be the best that they can be.

Three key conditions I have observed are:

Doing something you really enjoy:

Choosing a career that suits you and that you enjoy is the most important condition to being the best that you can be.

My first four years in my career were spent as an auditor. During this time, I had to work really hard to be an average performer. It was a struggle. I was not naturally suited to it. Nor did I have a particularly strong interest in it. Conversely, those whose skills and interests were aligned to auditing were consistently very good. On top of that, work appeared more effortless for them. And of course, they enjoyed what they did a lot.

Developing as positive a mindset as possible:    

A positive mindset is central to the people I see being the best that they can be in their career. They surround themselves with positive, like-minded people. They celebrate successes and try to learn from losses. They shelter themselves from negativity and focus their energy on what they can control. This mindset gives them the ideal platform to be the best that they can be.

Adopting a ‘one career, one shot’ approach to decision-making:

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” – Mae West (Singer and actress).

The last condition is around decision-making. Those who I see being the best that they can be make decisions that embrace the fact that they only have one shot at their career. And so, if a work opportunity comes along, whilst being conscious of the priorities in their life, that can better allow them to be the best that they can be – they always say yes. It sounds simple. However, it is often times easier said than done.

Personal commitment and the right conditions are critical to being the best you can be. A good question to reflect on is, how happy are you that both are present in your career currently?

Tune in again on Tuesday for the third edition of 10/10/10, Focus, the foundation for thriving. Thanks for reading.

Here’s a musical tip of the cap to us being the best we can be in work.

E-mail: john@inspo.ie