Evescafe

Being Excellent at what you do

There's no salary or title that will give you the satisfaction that comes with being excellent at your job. No matter what you are doing right now – even if it's just a stepping stone to the job you really want, or a stop-gap solution until you can find something better – do it well. Work hard. Take pride in your work and congratulate yourself when you finish a project or meet a deadline. Exceed expectations.

It can be difficult to rise above a crappy job in order to shine. Excellence is about the last thing on your mind when you don't want to get dressed in the morning to go to work. But you can't get out of it that easily. Excellence is about you and not about the job you are doing. Think about it: you devise a work ethic – a code of standards for yourself, work rules, some attitude adjustments – and you stick by them, no matter what your particular job is at the moment.

What's important? Is it working as hard as you can? Is it being honest and expecting the same of others? Having integrity and a positive attitude no matter what the situation? Come up with a list of your own personal ideals for good work, then strive to meet them no matter what.

Being excellent at your job doesn't make you a work done. You can incorporate a strong work ethic into your character and still be you without becoming annoying. Excellence isn't about getting the A – at least from a teacher or a boss. In the end, you answer to yourself, and you know you have succeeded because you feel it – you have done it right by you.

You are in charge of the way you spend your time. You can spend it watching the clock or plotting the next five years of your life like the moves in an interminable chess game. But your life is right now – and if you can find the parts of the job that get you revved up , your hours on the clock will earn back more than a paycheck. Think of yourself as embarked on a path. You are heading somewhere, and you will get there eventually; in th emeantime, you can move at your own pace, enjoy the view and still be right on track. Figure out what brings you joy. Keep looking until you find it. Until then, you might be in a job you adore or one you abhor – but whatever you are doing, do it well.