My career path (stop scrolling - part 2)

The definition of a slave is: 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, moved 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 that of a 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:

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 according to a system 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 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, passion, and vision, 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 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!

I would say - you need both - 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 understand how to become a Project Manager - write to me

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.

1. Has primary responsibility for the development system

The entrepreneur is responsible for the strategy . He can listen to advice, but the strategy for his game is his own. No one else will experience the ultimate level of pleasure from the achievement for him.

To succeed, he will build his own system to play by. There will be trial and error until he accumulates enough knowledge. Whatever system he is put into by the coach, the boss, the organization or society, he will model it so that his business succeeds !

Try to analyze what in the system at work doesn't seem effective. And just improve it. You will help your company, and you will stand out.

When you put more focus, your discovery will most likely be accepted and enforced.

Why shouldn't efficiency and strategy be the ones you impose?

2. Study every day

Your value as an employee is directly proportional to your knowledge and skills.

If your organization doesn't provide you with training opportunities and resources, then thank God for the internet!

Every entrepreneur has many ideas, but when it comes to how to implement them, they always seek information, study the best practices in the market, and learn new skills. Of course, everyone can decide to do it their own way, but if the market says no, it will simply lead to business failure.

The market for the worker is the team goal and the goal of the company he works for. If you don't contribute anything to the team goal, but simply perform the tasks set by someone else, you are unlikely to stand out.

Solomon said

“There is gold and an abundance of precious stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious ornament” (Proverbs 20:15)

Set aside 30-60 minutes a day to learn a skill or tech stack that you're passionate about. Ask yourself what has captured your curiosity in your work life - maybe you've heard colleagues discussing something that's stuck in your mind.

Take an interest right away, find a course, talk to someone at the company who does what you want to learn and ask them how they learned.

Every new knowledge accumulates and multiplies creativity and efficiency!

If you are interested in Project Management , write to me , I will help you.

3. There is no boss. There are mentors.

Don't view your boss as a necessary evil. That's what people with a slavish self-consciousness do.

If there is something you can learn from him, accept him as a mentor .

Take everything you can from it until you surpass it. That's the point of having a mentor.

That is why Elisha asked for a double dose of the anointing that was upon his teacher, the prophet Elijah.

...Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." Elisha replied, "Please, let me have a double portion..." (2 Kings 2:9) If you have nothing to learn - accept him as a business partner , the two of you can achieve more together.

At the very least, people are automatically inclined to help you when you express a desire to grow in your career - because they secretly and regularly think about it too.

4. He is purposeful.

We talked a lot about direction in the first part - you can read it here

The difference between a mediocre employee and a successful freelancer is that in the same environment, one waits for someone else to tell him what to do, while the other is proactive . He plays the game. He leads, he achieves, he influences . If you are wondering what exactly the word 'proactive' means - I recommend you read Stephen Covey's book - "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".

5. It is self-organized

The easy thing about working 9 to 5 is that the routine was created for us by someone else. We've been used to it since we were in school.

Rise above others, don't live in their rhythm - create your own unique one

Don't waste 30 minutes in the morning at the office gossiping with colleagues - sit at the computer and do something useful

If everyone is trying to get to the office by 10, set yourself a goal to be the first to get there at 9. That way, you'll be in third gear while everyone else is still making their coffee. You'll feel special and empowered just by being the first online. Don't underestimate the little things that affect your well-being.

6. It is influential

One of the most valuable exercises I like to do is to interfere in the work of other teams . Naturally, with the aim of contributing in the first place. A casual conversation in a large organization can often spark unique breakthrough ideas .

Share your work and that of your team. Make noise, tell interesting stories. If you and your team have achieved something significant, or you have thought of a super cool technique that you have implemented and have broken through - share it with more people in the organization. Create a reputation as a factor in the company's business, even if you are just a small part of the whole chain. People love success stories.

Never refuse help - even more - exceed their expectations - when they ask you a question, give a complete solution; if they ask you for advice - give a complete coaching session; when a new colleague comes to the team - support them to get off to a flying start

7. It is consistent

I have not come across a better definition of perseverance than that of my spiritual leader, Maxim Asenov:

The closest a person can get to 'omnipotence' - and we know only God is omnipotent - is perseverance. Entrepreneurs command respect because running your own business is much harder than having someone else decide for you. And the difference isn't more work. You and the other person both have 24 hours. Maybe you have a wife and kids like me to take care of.

What's the last productive thing you've been consistent with in the last 70 days? Is there anything you want to incorporate into your daily routine that you know is helpful? Do it.

What is that one extra thing that you can start doing once a week - to release an additional report, to make a presentation, to write an article, to improve the content and interface of what you are working on, to test automations - block off 3 hours a week when you will do it. I don't believe you manage to fill 40 hours a week with productive work.

Write down a plan for 1 action that you will do regularly, and check off each day after you do it - you won't believe how powerful it is to record your progress in perseverance every day. Hang a calendar on the wall to mark each subsequent date.

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 go all in, stack skill and experience and play until you win

Don't be someone who lives to see colleagues, eat, and perform the same task assigned to you by someone else.

Don't be a slave!

I would be happy if you wrote to me !

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