Wealthy, successful individuals are fanatics when it comes to daily career-related, self-improvement.
The reason?
Successful people understand that knowledge creates opportunities and opportunities lead to good luck.
I uncovered four career-related, self-improvement strategies that the uber-successful use on a daily basis in order to make themselves UN-FIREABLE:
Strategy #1 Reading
In my five-year research study on the daily habits of 361 rich and poor individuals, I made many profoundly important discoveries.
For example, 88% of the wealthy individuals in my research read self-help books/articles and industry-related books/articles. The wealthy are fanatics when it comes to daily career-related, reading. By increasing their knowledge base they are able to gain knowledge, which helps them see more opportunities. And these opportunities translate into more money. The wealthy devote a minimum of 30 minutes a day to self-education reading.
They do this day in and day out, like brushing their teeth. They understand that educational reading helps set themselves apart from their competition.
Daily educational reading helps make you more valuable to your employer, customers or clients.
Comparatively speaking, only 2% of the poor in my study engaged in this daily Rich Habit.
Strategy #2 Writing
Thirty-eight percent of the wealthy in my study engaged in some form of career-related writing, with 18% devoting time to writing for industry-related magazines/blogs.
Writing is a form of communication. Because you are writing on a specific topic, you must gain a more comprehensive understanding of that topic than reading alone can provide. Successful individuals engage in writing in a number of ways including: company newsletters, industry newsletters, newspaper articles, industry publication articles, Internet articles and customer/client letters and blogs.
Writing helps you get noticed in your industry and fosters the perception of you as an expert.
The knowledge you gain from writing, increases your value to your employer, customers or clients
None of the poor in my study engaged in career-related writing.
Strategy #3 Speaking
Twenty-three percent of the wealthy engaged in career-related speaking, with 12% speaking at trade group/industry functions.
Speaking, like writing, is a form of communication. It requires a greater understanding of a subject matter.
In a speaking engagement you may be asked questions and this forces you to a higher level of topic comprehension – when you are “the expert” on a speaking topic, you must fully comprehend that topic inside and out, in order to be prepared to accurately respond accurately to many questions.
Speaking requires a more detailed study that reading and writing, together, cannot provide. Speaking forces you to dig deeper and expand your knowledge base. Speaking elevates your perceived expertise in the eyes of your audience, who may be fellow supervisors, customers, clients, or senior executives at competing companies.
None of the poor in my study engaged in career-related speaking.
Strategy #4 Practice
True experts say that it takes 1,000 correct repetitions to develop muscle memory. These same experts also say that each incorrect repetition requires ten more just to wash away that one mistake from your brain’s muscle memory.
Repetition, in the form of Deliberate and Analytical Practice, will transform you into a Virtuoso in your your field. Practice allows you to improve and perfect your skill-sets.
Deliberate Practice requires many hours a day of Targeted Practice. Targeted Practice involves practicing specific sub-elements of each aspect of your skill.
Analytical Practice takes you to the top level, beyond excellent, and into the rarefied category known as Virtuoso status. When you reach Virtuoso status, you are among the very best at what you do in your field.
The bedrock of Analytical Practice is something called The Feedback Loop. All Virtuoso’s have one thing in common – some means by which they receive immediate feedback after practicing a skill.
This feedback is typically provided by a coach. A coach will analyze how the budding Virtuoso engages in their Deliberate Practice and will brainstorm ways to improve each element of that skill set.
The most successful of individuals employ all four career-related self-improvement strategies. But you can achieve incredible success by dedicating yourself, every day, to just one of these four strategies.
Utilizing one or more of the career-related, self-improvement strategies will make you more valuable within your industry and indispensable to your employer, customers or clients.
When you are perceived as indispensable.
You become UN-FIREABLE.
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About Thomas C. Corley
A little surprised you didn’t include fostering good relationships.