Accept Responsibility for the Outcomes You Achieve
Let us look at some key habits, attitudes, and characteristics that can help you achieve success in any endeavor you choose to pursue in life. Ecclesiastes 9:10 states, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
Many different factors contribute to the achievement of success. Some are not directly attributable to an individual and are not within their control. Others are dependent upon a person’s choices and efforts. These are not innate traits that you are born with, but rather habits that you can cultivate and practice over time. They can be influenced by the upbringing of a person and the environment they grew up in but many of those can be changed over time. A strong work ethic is one of those characteristics that a person can cultivate regardless of their earlier circumstances. At some point, they can make a conscious decision to be excellent at whatever they do. The Bible verse Proverbs 10:4 says, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” By applying certain principles consistently and passionately, you can improve your performance and outcome in any field you pursue.
A good work ethic is the same as being diligent in your work. Some persons separate their work life from their church life or Christian walk. Does it make sense for a person to serve God when they are at church on a Saturday, Sunday, or any other day, and do what is Godly when they are around other Christians but operate differently at work, at home, or in social settings? That would seem strange to me as Christianity, through the Bible, teaches that God is Omnipresent and Omniscient. If a Christian truly believes that God is everywhere and knows all things and that the Holy Spirit lives in every born-again believer, why would they not operate in a way consistent with their faith everywhere they go?
2 Peter 1:5-7 states, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge …”
Applying this principle to the work environment, a diligent Christian employee should show persistent and hardworking effort in doing their job. This is a desirable trait in a Christian as well as in any employee. The same thing applies to being ethical, truthful, helpful, and kind.
By taking responsibility for the results you achieve, you will mentally tune yourself into the frequency of always putting out your best effort. You will seek to take control of your work and find a way to deliver consistently great results even if there are some reasonable excuses available for you to lock into. Do not allow mediocrity and excuses to become a part of your psyche and make them a crutch for your shortcomings or failures.
An Example
In a meeting, the managing director of a company told the sales manager that earlier that day he had engaged in a discussion with an overseas customer who wanted his credit line to be increased. He informed the sales manager that he had advised the customer to discuss the matter with her. Three days later the managing director asked the sales manager how the discussion went. She told him that the customer had called and spoken to her, but she did not remember to raise the matter with him. The managing director was surprised and said to her, “You are so different from most people. You said I forgot to raise the matter with him. It was not your responsibility to raise the matter it was the customer’s, but you took responsibility. I am truly impressed”. The lesson here is that the seemingly small habits that you cultivate can make you stand out positively or negatively.
Planning
One of the most important attitudes is to develop the habit of planning. Planning means setting clear and realistic goals, breaking them down into manageable steps, and tracking your progress and results. Planning helps you focus on what matters most, avoid distractions and procrastination, and adapt to changing circumstances. Planning also helps you measure your success and learn from your failures. Marie was starting a new job in a new city and was staying with a friend and former coworker for a few days until her place was ready. She would be introduced to the team that she would be leading, so the evening before she was practicing her speech when her friend asked her what she was doing. When she explained that she had prepared a speech and was practicing it, her friend Sandra was surprised. Sandra said she would never have thought of preparing so intently and stated when people are successful others should not be envious as they have no idea as to the amount of effort some people put into achieving success. For Sandra, that was a lesson she learned by observing and applying her friend’s approach in her own life.
An Attitude of Excellence
Another crucial attitude is excellence. Excellence means striving to do your best in every task, whether big or small. Excellence means paying attention to details, quality, and standards. Excellence means not settling for mediocrity or complacency, but always seeking to improve and innovate. Excellence also means being accountable for your actions and results and taking responsibility for your mistakes. There should be no room for excuses. Sometimes we do not even try to find out what the best practices are so that we can implement them. We are willing to continue doing a task the way we were shown to do it or the way we first found to do it. We get stuck with being a creature of habit and settling for the bare minimum required to accomplish something. This habit is a major between what one person will achieve compared to another.
A person of excellence will work hard at something, always trying to do it better, more efficiently, or more effectively to achieve much better results. It is important to do research and then add your creativity when approaching tasks or ventures. Be accountable to God and yourself before all others including your boss. If you take that approach, you will be your harshest critic and your own accountability watchdog. You will correct your errors, try to do things right the first time, and appraise and critique your work consistently. After a while, it becomes natural for you to put out your best effort without seeming to exert yourself. That will help you to do your best at all times and will go a long way to making you stand out from your peers.
Be Passionate
A third vital attitude is being passionate. Passion means having a strong interest in and enthusiasm for what you do. Passion means being motivated by intrinsic rewards, such as satisfaction, enjoyment, and fulfillment. Passion means being curious and eager to learn new things and being open to feedback and criticism. Passion also means being persistent and resilient in the face of challenges and obstacles. It also means making sacrifices to achieve the desired results. Some people will make negative comments about the effort someone else puts into doing a task or even ridicule them. When the effort bears rewards, however, they often forget that that person was working while they were enjoying themselves. This is also a reason to focus on doing your best and not give in to the negative influence of others.
Be Resourceful
A fourth key attitude is resourcefulness. Resourcefulness means making the most of what you have available, whether it is time, money, skills, or tools. Resourcefulness means being creative and flexible in finding solutions to problems and being willing to collaborate with others who can help you. Resourcefulness also means being optimistic and confident in your abilities, and not letting limitations or setbacks discourage you. Bear in mind that others will try to discredit your abilities and efforts if they are secretly competing with you and want to see you fail. They may even deliberately give you wrong advice, so you have to be discerning. Knowing who to share with and to take advice from and who to block out can help you to avoid some pitfalls.
Respect for Timeliness and Meeting Deadlines
Whether you work for someone else or yourself, it is important to get in the habit of being on time and meeting deadlines. It is a good habit to get to work and appointments earlier than required. You should also develop the same practice for lunch or other breaks. Do not go with the crowd that takes the view that returning a few minutes late is normal or that because they occasionally work a few minutes later than usual, it is quite all right to do so. You should meet your obligations regardless. That is a habit that will set you apart in a good way.
Be disciplined in meeting deadlines such as submitting work reports, appraisals, other assigned tasks, and even those that you volunteer for. Treat them the same way. Ensure that they are done and delivered on time. Some of the bad work habits that people have were developed early in life and even early in their work life. Those habits then become the norm for them and later strongholds that they have difficulties in overcoming. The work ethic of successful people is usually impeccable. That does not mean that they have no weaknesses. They work hard to turn them into strengths.
Conclusion
These five habits or attitudes – planning, excellence, being passionate, resourcefulness, and timeliness – can make a huge difference in your success in life, not just in your career. Of course, they are not the only factors that matter, and sometimes there are external factors that are beyond your control that can affect your outcomes, but those situations should be the exceptions and not the norm. Many entrepreneurs demonstrate many of the traits, habits, and characteristics as well as the motivation required to be successful at entrepreneurship. When you do your utmost best with what you have, you can be proud of yourself and your achievements. It does not matter if you are recognized or rewarded by anyone, although that is always encouraging. If you are always willing to grow and change when needed, then you can seize new opportunities and overcome new challenges. The positive habits that you cultivate will allow you to excel wherever you go in life so start to build them from early.
I hope this blog post will inspire you to adopt habits, attitudes, and characteristics needed for success and that you will continue to build upon the ones that you already embrace. We are called to let our lights shine before men so that they will glorify our Father. You may be the only Bible that some people will ever read so do not be tempted to be like everyone else to fit in and be liked. Be a good witness for Christ and operate according to His teachings regardless of where you are. We will all make mistakes from time to time, but we should ask for forgiveness, resolve to do differently, and continue to press toward the mark of His calling in everything that we participate in.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we pray that we will operate at work, and wherever else we go, in a way that is pleasing to you. Help us to be diligent and excellent at what we do. Help us to exhibit characteristics that reflect who you want us to be and keep us from being drawn to do things that we know to be wrong. We commit every area of our lives to you and thank you for your blessings and protection. We ask all these things in your precious and holy name. Amen.