7 Pieces of Career Advice That Will Change Your Life

Your career is your lifeblood. It’s one of the main drivers in determining the trajectory of your overall quality of life and happiness, so you want to take any steps you can to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. Luckily, there are many pieces of helpful career advice out there, often from people who have been where you are now or done what you want to do in the future. Here are some of the best pieces of career advice I’ve ever heard, and how I apply them to my job every day.

1) There's no wrong way to do the right thing.

Good people do good things. Period. In my years as a manager, I have found that, far too often, people are too quick to jump to conclusions and react negatively to what they think is happening. Much more often than not, if you take a step back and just listen for a few minutes (or seconds), you'll find that what's going on isn't actually so bad after all--and might even be helpful.

If it helps, try thinking about it from someone else's perspective before jumping in with both feet; you might be surprised at how quickly you see their point of view or how easy it is to help them understand yours.

2) When you're successful, everyone wants a piece.

This may sound cynical, but when you become successful in your career, everyone wants a piece. You're suddenly Mr. Big Shot and everybody wants to be your friend. It's important to remember that not every person who approaches you with an interest in you is truly interested in getting to know you; they may be more interested in figuring out how they can use you for their own gain.

For example, I've been approached by business owners who want to network with me because I have experience starting companies—but when I ask them what it is about my career that interests them, all they seem able to talk about is how well-connected I am within my community and whether or not they'll be able to take advantage of that once our partnership begins.

3) Everything is your fault. The good things are your successes. The bad things are your mistakes.

It's your fault that you're not where you want to be. It's your fault that you didn't do enough to achieve your goals. You must control everything in order to succeed. If something bad happens, it's because of a mistake on your part.

Stay positive at all times and things will get better.: Everything is outside of our control but even if they are out of our control, why complain about it? We don't know how things got so bad and we can't change them now. Focus on what we can control: ourselves, our actions and our thoughts.: Nothing is really good or bad except in how it affects us.

4) You learn more from failure than you do from success.

While it may not feel that way sometimes, failure is actually a great thing. It teaches you what doesn’t work. Rather than beating yourself up after making a mistake or having an idea that didn’t work out, try to see it as a learning experience.

Success comes from knowing and understanding your limitations—and then working around them. Don’t give up: One of my mentors told me, Businesses don’t fail because they have failed; businesses fail because their owners give up. The same goes for your career. Even if you hit a few roadblocks, keep going!

5) Be wary of something that seems too good to be true.

Getting a seemingly great offer right out of college is, in fact, rare. There are always trade-offs and no job is perfect. Be wary if you find an offer that seems too good to be true—in most cases, it probably is.

If you do get a job that's beyond your wildest dreams, still take time to think it through and discuss it with others before accepting. After all, if it were really that great then everyone would want to work there!

6) There's nothing permanent except change.

The only constant in life is change. Remember that and you'll be on your way to building a career you love. Remembering that will help keep you from worrying or feeling stuck when something doesn't work out as planned, or when things change. You won't freak out if your company suddenly starts to downsize and new opportunities emerge at other companies, either.

Sure, those situations can create stress, but they're all part of life's rich tapestry—they're not permanent and they're not going to stay that way! Stay fluid and flexible instead, so that when an opportunity arises, you can say Yes! without hesitation.

7) People don't leave companies; they leave managers.

As a manager, it's your job to make sure your team members feel recognized, appreciated and are given growth opportunities. The best way to do that is by meeting with each member on your team for 15 minutes every week.

During these meetings, talk about how their personal goals are matching up with what you want them to accomplish for your team; you'll learn if they're happy and satisfied at work or if they need more time, training or support.

And by meeting with everyone individually each week, you'll have an easy way to discover when someone's planning on leaving because they don't feel appreciated—and can find ways to change their mind. People leave managers more than companies: Don't believe me?