Are you “allergic” to honest work?

In any business, profession, or occupation, there comes a time when you have to deliver.

You may fake it for a time, pretending that you’re giving an honest effort, but eventually you will be measured by your deeds, not by your words. If you are more of a talker than a doer, make a vow today — right now — to change your behavior.

You may be able to drift through life if you never do more than you are required to do, but you will never know what you might have achieved if you had only been willing to give a little more. The greatest opportunities always go to those who have an affinity for hard work, not an allergy to it. A little job well done is the first step toward a bigger one.

Success is more of a process than an event. Great success is achieved after a long string of small successes. Most of us earn our stripes one step at a time, and we work our way up through the ranks. When we begin our careers, we are given assignments that are commensurate with our skill and experience.

As we prove our worth to the organization, we are gradually entrusted with more responsibility and increasingly larger projects. As you assume responsibility for one position, do so with an eye toward the next one. Do your absolute best every day in your job, but always plan for the future.

View each day as an opportunity to learn something that will make you more valuable to the company or organization so that when the time arrives for promotions, your name will be the first one that comes to your boss’s mind.