Ever since the global pandemic started, many feel like nothing is going right – especially in their career. After all, contracts have fallen through, promotions have been delayed, raises canceled, layoffs and other circumstances forcing people off their desired path.
There are, however, many dimensions of career success that people may not reflect on in their daily lives. If you’ve been an employee for years and giving everything you’ve got to add value to your organization, you may be already successful, even if the situation around you says otherwise.
Here are a few signs that your career is going great:
- Your Paycheck Can Easily Pay Off Your Bills
This indicator may appear like a low bar at first glance, but being a responsible adult who can pay the bills on time and buy groceries regularly is nothing to sneeze at.
Being able to pay for food, clothing, mortgage, homeowner’s insurance, electricity, water and other essential stuff is the reason many of us have jobs in the first place. You’re in good shape if you can tick a majority of those boxes.
- You Don’t Stare at the Wall Clock or Your Watch All Day
If you have a job that you’re invested in, specifically a job that helps the hours, days or weeks pass with meaning, then this is a sign of success in your career.
Many have boring jobs. This causes them to burn out or spend hours looking at the wall clock or wristwatch asking themselves, “Is it five o’clock yet?”
You, on the other hand, are doing something that feels fulfilling or purposeful while making the money needed to live. Searching, grabbing and committing yourself to that kind of work requires a level of dedication and self-knowledge to your internal self that is worth celebrating.
- You Ask for Assistance When You Need It
Refusing to approach others for help, regardless of how much you are struggling, is a sign of emotional immaturity. Asking for assistance means that you don’t feel like you have something to prove by being flawless or perfect. It shows that you are not scared of individuals finding out about your weaknesses. Also, you have a clear understanding no one succeeds in their career by themselves.
- You Understand That Failure Isn’t Forever
You’re aware of the popular saying that the only individuals who never fail are those who do not try. When you screw up at work, you do not automatically look at yourself as a failure. Instead, you look at each failure as a learning opportunity.
What’s more, you don’t let failure stop you from achieving your dreams. After learning from your mistakes, you move on and become a better person.
- You Stay Positive
Optimism and hope are vital components of a happy career. If you think too much about things that go wrong, you’ll become resentful and bitter. When this happens, you fail – regardless of what you may have accomplished.
Genuine success means looking on the bright side and believing that you, deep down, can turn the worst situations around.
- You’re Learning New Skills
When your at the start of your career, you probably won’t learn a ton of brand-new skills. During this time, you may be working on building your experience and learning new things along the way. That could be a hard skill, like learning social media for beginners or a soft skill, like training for conflict management.
Once you’ve settled in your role and have grabbed an opportunity to broaden your skills and learn something new, you may be further along in your career than you think.
- You’re Taking on New Challenges
When you’re still getting a handle on the basics of your job, you’re probably not out searching for new stuff that will challenge you. After all, you’re busy simply trying to master what is necessary.
When you’re saying “yes” to new challenges presented to you, this likely means that you are further along in your career than you think. This shows that you’re ready for whatever your boss or manager throws at you – and you have the skills and support necessary to overcome the challenge.
- You Don’t See Yourself as the Center of the Universe
Some employees who think they’re successful, when in reality they’re not, believe and act like they’re the center of the universe. They have their own world and everybody, including you, is just living in it.
This thinking, however, is not success. Real success requires empathy, which is the ability to realize that other people’s dreams and feelings are just as important as yours – and you cannot and will not succeed with them.
Feeling insecure about your success or questioning your career path is normal, but comparing your achievements or progress to someone else won’t do you any good. When in doubt, think about your version of success and keep working toward it. You’ll arrive there eventually.
