12 Tips About Life and Work

Be Careful

Your permanent record, for the rest of your life, begins NOW. Enjoy this clean slate. Embrace this fresh reputation. Think about what kind of person you want to be known as in your professional life—a gossip? a backbiter? Someone who will step on others to get where they want to be? If those descriptions don’t appeal to you, watch your step. Your reputation begins to form on Day 1 of your first job. It is your chance to cultivate a reputation that you will live with for the rest of your working life. Your reputation is your little shadow—it will follow you wherever you go.

Be Grateful

No job is beneath you. Whether it is parking cars, dog-sitting, scrubbing floors, or peddling fast food, many very successful people have started out doing basic but important jobs. Some of them even still do these jobs. Any job that pays you for a legal activity is an honorable job, and it probably pays you more in a month than people in many parts of the world make in a year. Appreciate the opportunity to work, and do your best regardless of the position.

Be Appropriate

It does matter what people think of you—to a point. While individuality is admirable, respecting the rights and comfort level of your coworkers is still vitally important. At the workplace a certain amount of conformity and maturity in appearance and behavior is almost always expected. You’ll be expected to look, act and dress professionally and appropriately. Save the majority of your self-expression for your personal life. If you are adamant about looking and acting exactly how you want, consider self-employment.

Be Prompt

There is nothing fashionable, cute, sexy or impressive about being late. Respect others’ time—be on time for everything. Tardy is tawdry.

Be Willing

Enthusiasm matters a great deal. Employers notice people who are regularly willing to take on tough or boring (but necessary) assignments, who are willing stay late, come in early, skip lunch or do whatever is necessary to get the job done well and on time. If you can’t be enthusiastic about what you're doing, get another job.

Be Still

Work on your listening skills. There is a reason we all have two ears and only one mouth. Use them proportionately.

Be Down

Let your mistakes get you down. Then get back up. It is important to take the time to grieve over—not gloss over—a mistake. Review your actions and how you might do things differently next time. Make amends to anyone affected by your error, and express your intent to learn from it. Then move on and be stronger, wiser. You will learn some of your most important lessons from your mistakes, so seize the opportunity to be a student of your own failure.

Be Joyful

Find joy and meaning in what you do. Life is too short to have a job that makes you miserable. Abraham Lincoln once said that most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be. If you can’t decide to be happy in your job, move on. Remember, happiness is contagious—put on a smile, loosen your tie, and make your work environment pleasurable and meaningful.

Be Nice

Take time to acknowledge and see the people you encounter in all types of jobs throughout your day. Be courteous and caring to everyone, regardless of their status or position. Call the store clerk or receptionist by name. Don’t know it? Read the name tag or name plate. Ask how her day is. And mean it. Say “please” and “thank you.” Make eye contact. Take the time to make the personal connection. You can usually expect to reap benefits from being nice to people you might have once ignored—you’ll get more meat on your sandwich in the lunch line if you are the one person who actually thanks the foodservice for their work. Take my word for it: you’ll feel better about yourself and look better in others’ eyes if you operate with this basic human kindness.

Be Ethical

Take the high road. The term “Business Ethics” doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. As a wise man (well, cricket), Jiminy Cricket once said, “Always let your conscience be your guide.” Listen to the cricket. If you are unsure of the ethical choice to make in a particular situation, consult somebody more experienced than you for guidance.

Be Better

You are a work in progress. Your status quo isn’t good enough. Who you are today doesn’t have to be who you’ve been or who you’ll be 10 or 20 years from now. Strive to improve yourself professionally and more importantly, personally. Everybody respects a person who always strives to improve him or her self.

Be Patient

It's essential to remember that patience is a virtue—especially as it relates to finding the ideal job, or awaiting promotions and pay increases. Like Rome, your career won't be built in a day! Most achievements in life take time, persistence, a game plan, a belief in oneself, and ultimately the right attitude. Everyone who has ever achieved stardom, a position of power, fame and (yes) fortune—from actor Jim Carrey to software billionaire Bill Gates—will tell you just this. Everyone has a story of struggles and moments of truth on his or her journey. Everyone starts somewhere. Although it may be difficult to understand now, you really will enjoy and appreciate what you have much more if you have to work for it and toward it.