someone who does the same thing every day, waiting for someone else to assign them a schedule and work, and their goals are to eat and rest.
And a 9-to-5 job, and even more so a 9-to-5 career, are not a bad thing at all.
On the contrary - as long as you are not a slave.
Being an entrepreneur with your own business is overwhelming for many people. That's why 90% of people are salaried employees, and that's totally okay.
For years I struggled with the internal contradiction - who should I be.
I spent 10 years as a professional athlete, 2 years developing my own business, and the last 10 years working 9 to 5 for a salary.
In the corporate environment, I started as a Data Analyst, worked my way up through Supervisor and Team Lead positions, and broke into the IT world without a technical background. One of the most unique roles in today's world is Project Manager. Managing Large Scale Transformation projects with hundreds of participants and thousands of end users is quite challenging and tests all your mental (and physical) limits.
If I had to formulate in the shortest possible way how I've risen in my career so far - I've always seen myself as an entrepreneur in the workplace.
There are 50 different definitions of entrepreneur. The most interesting one I've heard so far is that these are
“people who like to play big games”…and successful ones play until they win the game.
Why an entrepreneur the easy way?
When a person starts their own business, in a very short period of time, an overwhelming responsibility falls on their shoulders, which overwhelms them and they give up.
We know about the stories of how someone failed 10 times and on the 11th had a successful business...
Okay, if I go to the gym and I want to bench press 200 kg, the bar will clamp me down. Is it wrong that instead of trying 200 on 10 consecutive days,
I will start with home workouts, then I will read up on the topic of diets, I will hire an instructor and then I will train systematically until I reach the strength for 200. And all the way - 3,6,10,15 months I will feel better and better, without risking the bar breaking my teeth... 10 times...
Working from 9 to 5 provides you with an environment in which to excel as an entrepreneur.
To grow up without the risk of breaking your teeth (if you don't get into a fight with your colleagues).
You don't have to become a businessman or a bodybuilder.
The real risk is not developing. And becoming a slave. There are also highly paid slaves.
If you believe that you are not interested in developing your career, just compare how much the price of a loaf of bread has increased in the store in the last 2 years, and how much your salary has increased in the same time.
You are worth much more than what you are currently valued at.
Throughout all the transformations I've gone through so far, I've played until I finished the game.
At some point, however, you hit the ceiling built by your own longings, spirit, and passion, and you have to start a new game.
As a basketball player, I spent 10,000 hours in the gym over a total of 10 years. I won a bunch of medals, played with world-class athletes, and had a bunch of unique emotions. At one point, my environment became cramped and I no longer felt like I belonged.
I jumped into a new environment and business related to direct sales. Priceless experience, knowledge, 2000 end customers online in 2 years. It was not the right industry to live a sustainable life with.
Despite the advice of the world's gurus, I looked for a paid job. The transition was slow. It wasn't difficult, because it was a game - I played it as a Part Time employee, then as a Full Time employee. I went through Supervisor, Team Lead and after playing the game there too, I became an IT Project Manager.
It doesn't matter whether you're excited about succeeding more or not.
When you give yourself away, you do it first for yourself, then for the game, and only then for someone to see you.
And someone always sees you, it doesn't have to be someone from your current team, or even from your current sport!
``At your workplace - Learn or earn, Better both, If neither - It's time to go'
I would say - you need both - to learn and to earn.
If you only earn well but don't learn, that's dangerous. Technology has never developed at such a fast pace. I'm not talking about theoretical learning. If your work is not challenging, and you perform the same familiar tasks, you are traveling in slave territory.
As a Project Manager, in every project there is something unknown that you need to learn. Some mystery to unravel. The work is never repeated. I talk more about this in one of my previous articles here
If you want to find out how to become a Project Manager - write to me
*When you become one of the best employees in your company, you definitely need to work on something on the side.
When a company wants to pay you for your knowledge and skills, there is a whole market that will fight for your capacity *
*And it will most likely pay you more. *
*Maybe even 5 times more *
Your career growth depends only on you - that's why the business (job) is yours.
An entrepreneur doesn't wait to be seen and appreciated - the market will never start promoting the value of his business on its own. If you don't start 'making noise' about what you have provided to the market, no one will notice you.
Don't wait to be noticed - start promoting yourself. It's part of the game.
How to act like an entrepreneur at work?
Over time, I have formulated 7 traits that every entrepreneur carries, and which they should develop to turn the game around.
You can apply them to what you do, no matter what it is - work, second job, business, education, family, sports, in taking care of your body and mind, as a spouse or parent.
- Mainly responsible for the development system
- Learn every day
- There is no boss. There are mentors
- He is purposeful
- It is self-organized
- It is influential
- It is permanent
The key is not to take the 7 points simply as practical advice.
Incorporate them into your identity.
Choose 1 or more that you liked and tell yourself “I am a successful player and my life is mine, so I am responsible…and purposeful…and persistent…”
This is not a reminder of personal development advice - this makes the game easier and more enjoyable to play.
In any case, give yourself to the game, gain skills and experience, play until you beat it.
Don't be someone who lives to see colleagues, eat, and perform the same task assigned to them by someone else.
Don't be a slave!
I would be happy if you wrote to me!
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