Do you wish to be different, leave a mark where you work, on the business you run, or make an impact with the talent you possess? Do you long to become a high-flyer but you are wondering how others did it, how they stood out among several others who trod the same path you are on?
What distinguishes you from your colleagues and competitors? What niche have you carved for yourself and what is the magnetic force that attracts people to you? Are there unique abilities or values you offer that people are willing to pay a price to acquire?
If your answer is NO, then your chances of becoming a high-flyer are quite bleak.
READ MORE
How To Succeed In The Entertainment Industry
How To Say No And When To Say It
How Effective Is Romantic Relationship In The Workplace
High-flyers are dreamers, visionary and goal-oriented people. They are smart and are always looking for the next catch. When they have their eyes on a goal, they leave no stone unturned to achieve it.
In all facets of human endeavour, there are persons you can group into this category. They have qualities that set them apart from their contemporaries and their success stories are replete.
However, there is a sleeping giant in every man. There are vast reserves of untapped potentials laying fallow. Sometimes, the toga you have refused to take off covers these potentials. Your attitude and habits are the core factors that becloud them. These factors have become spanners in your wheel of progress; therefore, the earlier you discard them, the faster you will start flying high in your career, business, and personal life.
Nevertheless, let us look at some qualities you can cultivate to enable you to become a high-flyer in your field.
Develop a problem-solving mentality
Your life mirrors your thought process. Your actions, charm, attitude and mentality all revolve around how you reason. How do you see and engage problems? Do you nag and look for who to shift the responsibility to, or do you embrace it and look for a way out? The answer to these questions is part of what separates a high-flyer from a mediocre one.
High-flyers view problems as the learning curves that accelerate their growth. They see problems as opportunities and create value out of them by solving them. There is a veritable saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Therefore, problems arise because there is a necessity for solutions, and those who leverage the opportunity to provide a solution to those problems make a difference. However, solving problems is not a walk in the park. It requires rigorous processes and great sacrifices. Interestingly, however, the tougher the problem you solve the greater your reward and the higher you fly.
Follow your passion
The narrative of every superstar has one thing in common: they met fame and became wealthy while following their passion. There is nothing more gratifying than making good money and headlining local and international tabloids by doing the thing you love most. While pursuing financial liberty and an enhanced societal status, you will fail and be discouraged over again. When it happens, passion will give you the gas to keep running. When your endeavour is your passion, you will see it as a hobby, not a job. You will hold on to fantasies about your glory days and this will often energise you to get out of bed in the morning to continue from where you stopped the previous day. Therefore, you need to hone the skills that will transform your passion from just that to a skill people want to develop too.
Understand opportunity cost and scale of preference
Success is a choice and there are prices to pay for it. The higher you climb the ladder of success the costlier the price you pay. In your quest to become a high-flyer, pursue things with intrinsic value as they offer more benefits over a lifetime. Let your investment of time and resources be viewed from the perspective of assets and liabilities. If you must purchase luxury goods, let it be from the surplus of your ROI. Better still, buy luxuries last. Commit your time and resources to self-development so you can stake a claim to greater opportunities.
Network strategically
Do not choose your friends based on sentiments but on the value that they can offer. This is not in any way spiting those who are not yet at the height you are. It is merely a caution so you don’t find yourself in a worse place years from now. Interestingly, the moment your life takes a positive turn, people will flock to your side to benefit from the attendant benefits. Therefore, it behoves you to discern people who are heading in the same direction as you. However, it is pertinent to note that there is no perfect friend or ally. Everyone has a unique quality that can be brought to bear, so learn to discover those unique qualities in people and draw from them as much as you can, if you intend to become a high-flyer.
Have a knack for learning
Learning is a life-long process and it should not end after defending your college final year thesis. To compete in the present age, you must keep updating your knowledge base. Unlearn things that need to be unlearned and learn relevant things of the current age. Read books, ask questions, research, and travel. Watch thought-provoking videos and engage in conversations that will broaden your horizon and offer new perspectives on issues. Do not be one of the proponents of the myth that ‘old dogs are not taught new tricks’, as this will clog your mind against things that threaten your prejudice.
Suffice it to say that soaring in any field of human endeavour begins with your determination to make a difference in your life and the world you live in. Whether you are building a career or running a business, how relevant you desire to be in the industry depends on the efforts and sacrifices you are willing to make.
On the other hand, you can choose to play at the periphery but the reality is that those who settle for the latter always live the life others dream for them. Explore the above nuggets to live the life you dream for yourself and become a high-flyer.