The first winter in Plymouth Colony killed a third of the Pilgrims. During that winter one of my ancestors was caught eating the seed corn. He knew the whole colony would fail if the seed corn disappeared, but he talked himself into eating it anyway. I’m glad he was caught. I’m glad he learned.
Every job is the seed of your next job, even if you are changing fields entirely. Your future boss will be looking back at your accomplishments, drive, leadership and enthusiasm for your current job.
When you decide to sit back and relax at your job, you eat your seed corn. No one wants to hire an “average” person. They want to hire a superstar, or at least a hard worker.
Figure out how to make a difference. How can YOU make the company more profitable? Is there some way you can prove you are above average?
When I was doing janitorial work at 4 a.m. every morning, I excelled. I only missed 2 days in a school year and I called in advance for those. I did my entire job no matter how tired I was. That work got me promoted to the afternoon shift. It was a lot nicer. The early morning job was the seed of my next job, and that was the seed of the next.
Don’t relax. Be at least above average. It will be the seed corn for your next job.
Invest some of the money you earn to get training. Use it as seed corn.
Something to do today
Be honest. Are you sliding by?
List what makes you above average. Put it on your resume.
List what makes you below average. Eliminate it.