by Trent Hamm
Available in 24 free installments
Owner:
are the people who own up to those mistakes and then go the extra mile to fix the created problem.
Stand up for yourself when you want a raise or promotion. If you want a raise or a promotion, be clear about it. Ask your supervisor directly for what you want - and be able to make a good case for it. If you get a "no," ask what you need to do to put yourself in position for it and do just that. If you don't stand up for yourself, no one will.
Get Educated
This doesn't mean drop out and go back to school. It merely means to keep learning new things. If something interests you, read a book about it [15] , Take evening classes to get certification in a certain area or get a masters' degree. No matter what you're doing, there's some way you can learn more and improve yourself.
Develop More Income Streams
Always be on the lookout for ways to have money rolling
into your pocket from a lot of different places [161. Maybe
you're a good writer and can sell a short story or an online
ebook. Maybe you've got a little piece of land somewhere
that you can lease to a farmer or a developer. Maybe you
spend your free time managing a flower bed in the park -
why not put a little wooden freewill donation box out there
for people to drop a coin in? Maybe you have some extra
cash laying around with which you can buy a long-term treasury note that will keep
issuing you a check every six months [17] . Having more income streams merely means
that losing one of them (like your job) is less devastating in your life and it also means
your overall income for now will go up.
Power house mechanic working on a steam pump. By Lewis Hine, 1920. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
Start a Side Business
Instead of burning a few hours in front of the television each evening [18] , how about investing at least part of that time into starting a side business [19]? You can try starting a blog with a few ads on it, or maybe you're good with woodworking and can make deck furniture. Maybe you're good at baking bread and can take loaves to the farmer's
Everything PF
http://www.thesimpledollar.com
market, or maybe you deeply enjoy gardening and can sell vegetables. There are lots of possibilities out there for starting a business that will supplement your current income and perhaps eventually grow into your main income [20] .
Move Towards Your Passions
Whenever the opportunity presents itself, gravitate towards the things that really excite you, because passion is what will make you successful [21] , For me, my passion is writing, so I've made an effort to gravitate towards it by working on The Simple Dollar in my spare time. For others, it could be anything - maybe it's leading a team, or perhaps it's writing beautiful computer code. Whatever really excites you and makes you want to do more and more and more and better and better and better, that's what you need to move towards at all times [22] ,
Don't Burn Bridges
You never know when a relationship you've forged in your past might come in handy later on, even the ones you completely don't expect. Thus, even if you feel wronged in a situation or want "revenge" on some people - or even if you just feel an urge to spread negative gossip - resist it. As you get older, you'll find yourself time and time again bumping into people that you forged relationships with earlier on - if you burned those bridges, you'll find that eventually you'll have burnt that very bridge that you need to cross to get ahead. My advice? Never spread a negative word about anyone, because it never helps.
Keep in Touch
When you do build a bridge with someone, don't let it get old and worn out - spend the time to keep in touch with that person. Shoot them an email or a phone call every once in a while just to see what they're up to. When it's clear they need help and you can easily provide it, always provide it. I found the book Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi [23] to be particularly powerful in this regard. I'm rather introverted, and it's often a challenge for me to initiate and then keep communication going with someone, and this book provided tons of tips on how (and why) to keep contact with people.
Idea #3: Live Frugal!
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