Good, caring friendships are one of the foundations of a healthy life! Friends are the source of strength and knowledge when you are down. Friends can get you connected to opportunities and help you brainstorm ways to solve your problems.  If your friendships are based in superficial things, like alcohol, drugs or materialism, look for new friends. Go to places that represent your deeper interests.      If you feel your friendships are out of balance because you give more than they take, try to work on communicating better with the negotiable ones, and dump the selfish ones (if you can't avoid them, try to limit contact with them and say 'no' more often).      Spending time with people who are driven and work hard can be a positive influence on you. You can still be friends with slackers, but try to cultivate friendships with people who are as driven as you are, too.     No matter what industry you're in, it's all about who you know. Be friendly with your supervisors – without creeping them out by trying to be actual friends. Go to conferences and lectures and meet as many people in your field as you can. Whenever you do meet someone, have a business card ready to hand over, a firm handshake, and a steady gaze. Flatter people without sucking up. Learn to summarize what you do in a sentence and make an impression so people remember you. Don't feel sleazy about it; it's all part of the game.  You never know who can be helpful to you in the future. Don't embarrass yourself by sucking up to all of your superiors and ignoring anyone who is below you. Getting ahead does not mean starting at the top. It means starting the race in the back, near the nervous, inexperienced runners, and working your way to the front of the line at a steady pace. This means that you will have to prepare to do a lot of work for not a lot of money, at first. Don't think that being a leader, a boss, an executive, etc., is your birthright – it's not. You have to put in your hours, even if you feel like you're too smart for your job or like you would be able to use your creative abilities you were given a higher position; use your creativity when you can, work as hard as you can, and eventually, the right people will notice.   This is not to say that you should put in long, painful hours in a job that means absolutely nothing to you if it's not a means – or a stepping stone – to an end. But if you do know that putting in some time at a less-than-ideal position will in fact give you what you want, then suck it up and give it your all. If you thought that doing grunt work was hard enough, then try doing it with a smile on your face. People will respect you more if you seem happy with your job instead of acting like you deserve so much better. Whether you become your company's expert on using Google Docs, or you're the leading graphic designer at your start up, it's important to have something that you can do better than anyone at your company. This will make people respect you, come to you when they need help, and to think of you as indispensable. If you're the only one at the office who knows how to do something, then your job is pretty secure.  Find something that interests you and spend extra time learning how to really master it. You may not be paid for this extra time, but the effort you put in will pay off in the future. Don't be afraid of taking on outside projects or engagements that have to do with your expertise outside of work. If you have the right boss, then he will be impressed by your enthusiasm and drive (as long as it doesn't interfere with your actual work). Studies show that 66% of managers and higher ups actually prefer meeting face to face instead of talking over Skype, on the phone, or over email. Though the millennial generation prefers email as a form of contact, you can make yourself stand out from the bunch by taking the time to talk to your supervisor and other people in your company face-to-face when the opportunity presents itself. This will help you be remembered more, develop a stronger bond, and look like you're willing to put in the extra effort.  Of course, you have to fit the culture of the company. If you're at a super trendy start up where people only communicate on Skype, you don't want to freak someone out with a face-to-face meeting. Putting in some grunt work is inevitable, but you should never feel like what you are doing is 100% horrible, depressing, and just filling you with self-loathing. You should get some benefit and satisfaction out of what you do. You never know if it will really help you in the future, and you may be spending years doing something that makes you completely miserable. Even if there's a bucket of gold waiting at the other end of the rainbow, it's not worth it if it's covered in barbed wire. If you have big dreams, whether it's starting your own business, writing a novel, or running a non-profit, then yeah, unfortunately, you can't just drop everything you're doing and achieve your dreams in one day. However, you also shouldn't feel like you have to wait for the perfect time to even begin achieving those goals. You may be waiting to start after something big happens – the wedding you've been planning all year, the college loans you're finally going to pay off this summer – and that's all well and good, but you can't keep waiting for the perfect moment when nothing else stands in your way or you'll be waiting forever.  If you always have a reason for not starting what you really want to do, then you're just making excuses. Start small. Okay, so you probably can't quit your job and start painting full-time until you've saved enough money. But what's stopping you from spending an hour a day working on your craft? That's seven hours a week and it does add up.
تعرّف على صديق يجعلك سعيدًا. قم بالتواصل بقدر ما تستطيع. قم بالأعمال غير المحبوبة. تحوّل إلى خبير. احظ بالمزيد من الوقت للمقابلات. لا تضحّ بكلّ مسببات السعادة في الحاضر لأجل السعادة في مستقبلك. توقف عن انتظار اللحظة المناسبة.