In a crazy competitive world where a million people want your job, it may seem that there’s nothing you can do to stand out.  What can be done has already been done by someone else.  There’s always someone better than you.  And, at the extreme, there are a million reasons why you would get overlooked – you don’t have the connections, you aren’t good-looking enough, or you might even believe you are being actively discriminated against.

To all those self-doubts, I say: Just Do It.

The amount of people out there who promise things but don’t deliver is astounding.  How many times has someone at work told you, I’ll do that, but nothing further happens.  Not even a follow-up to say, that’s not possible.  It’s like the conversation never happened.  You might think it happens to you because you’re not a manager, but I’ve got news for you.  I’ve managed people, and even they blatantly lie to me.  People don’t want to make mistakes.  People want to throw themselves in the best light, but at the shortest cost to themselves.  In some ways, it’ s human nature, but as you well know from personal experience, it’s frustrating as hell.

So don’t believe that you can’t stand out.  You can.  You can deliver on your promises.  You can always follow-through.  And although it seems like the easiest thing to do in the world, you will be surprised to discover how few people do it.

Gaining a reputation of delivering what you promise takes time.  You won’t be able to land the ultimate best job of all time tomorrow.  But you will push yourself to deliver constantly.  You’ll grow and get better at whatever craft you set out to accomplish.  And when other people realize you are one of the few and proud who “just do it,” you’ll be amazed at the opportunities that present themselves.

-Deborah Fike

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