Cultivating a More Successful Work Ethic

Miracles in business don’t just happen. Opportunity never seeks us. Rather, we must seek it.

Needless to say, the only way to make a goal become a reality is to stick to a proposition and see it through to the end. Seeing a task through to completion regardless of how difficult it is to achieve is the definition of grit and will.

However, at some point in our lives, we all fall behind and attainment of our professional goals seems more and more distant. Regardless of where we stand, there are certain things we can do to ensure that we begin cultivating successful habits for 2016 and beyond.

How to Cultivate Work Ethic

Our recruiters have listed key strategies below.

Begin to see hard tasks in a different light.

While many individuals view difficult work as mundane, stressful or overbearing, begin to realize that the harder the task, the greater the reward. When you think in terms of the positive result that will come from completion of a job, that work becomes more engaging and gratifying.

Learn to regulate impulses and emotions.

One of the most significant barriers to success is the inability to control strong impulses and emotions such as anger, passion, excitement, hatred or nervousness. When you find yourself in these types of emotional states, it is nearly impossible to concentrate. When you cannot concentrate, you cannot accomplish any meaningful tasks and, in time your inability to finish more complex jobs wears on our confidence and overall productivity.

Keep your mind fixated on one thing at a time.

Achieving worthwhile, complex goals requires a laser-like focus. Therefore, in order to achieve your full potential, you must learn to make sure that your attention does not wander. Gaining control of your concentration levels takes practice and it begins with holding your mind on whatever you are doing. Regardless of how complex or simple a task is, it is imperative to get into the habit of fixating on that action and nothing else. This means, for example, that when you have a conversation with a co-worker, your thought does not leave that discussion.

Gain control of your body in order to gain control of your mind.

Actions are expressions of the mind. When the mind is uneasy, restless or erratic, so is the body and vice versa. Therefore, get into the habit of combating negative thoughts by engaging in deep breathing exercises. When overwhelmed, take a moment to stand on your feet with your chest out and take a deep inhale. Moreover, engage in exercises that give you better control of your ears, fingers, eyes and feet.

Define what you want to achieve in detail.

Instead of “wanting to make more money” or “get a job in marketing,” strive to “make $60,000” or “obtain a digital marketing position in healthcare.” When you spell out your goals in vivid detail, you begin to see what activities will get you to where you want to be and which serve little to no purpose.

It’s not intelligence nor is it education that will ultimately determine your ability to succeed in 2016. Rather, your beliefs, your actions and the habits you acquire will lead to advancement or stagnation.

Picture of Ken Sundheim

Ken Sundheim

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement Sales and Marketing Recruiters, a sales and marketing recruiting firm specializing in staffing business development and marketing professionals around the U.S. Ken has been published in Forbes, Chicago Tribune, AOL, Business Insider, Ere.net, Recruiter.com, Huffington Post and many others. He has also appeared on MTV, Fox Business News and spoken at some of the country's leading business schools on HR, job search and recruitment.

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