If you don’t know what you want from life, what do you think you will get?
The great majority of people in the world drift through life, never realizing that their future will be the one they create for themselves. The minority who achieve great success are people who know what they want and have a plan for realizing their objectives. They know what they want and how they are going to get it. Your goals should be specific, they should be measurable, they should have a deadline for their achievement, and they should be divided into manageable pieces. Know exactly what you plan to achieve, when you plan to achieve it, and how. Review your progress regularly, correct your course when necessary, and never, ever give up.
The quality and quantity of service you render fixes your wages and determines what sort of experience you are getting.
The only constraints that you have on your income and advancement potential are those you place upon yourself. If you don’t like your position, or if you are unhappy with your salary, do something about it. What can you do to make yourself more valuable to your department or your company? What tasks have not been completed because no one has the time or the inclination to take care of them? Look around and identify things that need to be done. Don’t wait to be asked. If you make it a habit to seek out opportunities, to take on new tasks, you will increase your knowledge about the organization and become such a valued employee that your company can’t afford to lose you.
Never tear down anything unless you are prepared to build something better in its place.
This rule applies to both individuals and things. It’s easy to criticize other people thoughtlessly for their shortcomings, and equally easy to find fault in their work or in situations that are not to your liking. It is far more difficult to be a builder of people and to create works of art, useful products, or profitable businesses. Make sure you are a builder, not a destroyer of people and things. When you criticize the actions or work of others — your children, your employees, or others for whom you are responsible — make sure your criticisms are positive and directed at the act, or the opportunity for improvement, not the individual. Include specific suggestions for their application and focus on the potential for success.