12 Hard Truths About Success That Anyone Who Aims For the Stars Should Know

Most of us felt like a little child lost in the big world when we were starting out with our careers. The way we define success is based on the people we look up to. Yet truth be told, there are so many other things in between that most of us do not know exists in the workplace until we experience it firsthand. For those starting out in the work field, the following list will let you have a glimpse of what to expect on your way to success. Here is the list:

1. People who complain the most at work usually get the most. This possibly is the biggest irony among lists like these but this is true most of the time. People who complain a lot tend to have the raise or even get the promotion. Does that sound like life is fair?
2. Bosses play favorites. Whether it is a sycophant colleague or your boss simply being too gullible to care, one colleague will be your boss’s favorite. You have to learn to deal with this and plan accordingly by attracting the attention of your boss right away.
3. You’ll hit at least one but most likely two big tragedies in your life while working. Whether it is a loss of a family or you were diagnosed with a chronic disease, it can most likely happen while you are working for the same company in 20+ years.
4. Some of the most successful people have the worst personal lives. This may ring true to some extent due to too much time spent at work. Most people will neglect family and everything else and have their time and energy all to their career.
5. There will be days when you think of work first, before your children. Life can be overwhelming especially if you have a problem at work that has not yet been resolved and so it gets the best of you. Most of the time, your concern for work equates that of someone you love dearly –your children.
6. Everyone uses their children as an excuse to get out of work at least three times a year. “I’m taking my kid to the doctor” or “I need to be at my child’s school play” are probably two of the most used excuses to get a break from work. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you don’t take it too far — like by saying your child is ill when they are not.
7. The older you get, the more you’ll understand what discrimination means. When there are new employees in the company, expect that you will be an outcast. Talk about the generation gap, eh?
8. About 5 percent of the people in your office are tough to understand. These people are everywhere. They are the ones that want to be alone in the corner. You can never ask them to accompany you to get a cup of coffee during the break or get to eat outside after work. You know their answer; it will always be a “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
9. People rarely do anything for you, whether it’s investing in your company or promoting you, because of the reason you think. With age comes wisdom. The longer you are with people, the easier for you to read them. Sometimes you get that promotion for a reason other than what you think is fair — but you still got it right?
10. People often reject the things you want for precisely the reason you think. They’ll just never tell you. When you have been working in the same company and with the same people for a long time, you know everyone’s ins and outs, the good and the bad. Your hunch doesn’t work here subconsciously but you can already read your colleagues’ minds.
11. The most important factor to whether your company will be successful or not is access to capital. A company that has a sure access to capital can take calculated risk thus can result in your company’s success. On the other hand, without the means to a capital, it will never take any risks leaving it at the platform it used to be when you were starting.
12. You will have to draw a line with coworkers when it comes to socializing. When you socialize with coworkers, you will have to draw a line because you never know if you current ‘friend’ will turn into your new boss. Every company is different but you never know when someone you socialize with will become your boss.

Featured photo credit: Success Starts Here Freeway Style Desert Landscape.jpg By FlashBuddy via morguefile.com

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