In my career recently, I dealt with someone who blocked me from doing what I love. They chose selfishness over an abundance mindset when it came to decision of helping me or not.

Right now, it feels like the short game works.

You perform an act of selfishness in your career and you think to yourself “Hey I just won.”

You feel like you’ve won… temporarily.

Then you go on a holiday for a while, come back to your career and realize that everything has changed. Your act of selfishness secretly got noticed behind the scenes causing your appearance of being a leader to be shattered into a thousand pieces.

A restructure hits while you’re away and you realize that all your supporters are gone. Then, all you’re left with is your reputation.

That reputation means nothing when you’re known for being selfish.

The trouble with all of this?

You never find out.

“This hidden disease that you’ve planted yourself in your career attacks at the very foundations of your career health while you think you’ve won”

Selfishness has a bitter aftertaste. Selfishness is always discovered whether you like it or not.

You have a choice.

The choice is to try and protect everything you have and build your own empire within the context of your career or do what I have religiously done: stop giving a f*ck and give whatever you can, whenever you can.

People remember kindness.

People remember who helped them in their career.

People give opportunities to those who are not selfish.

“The selfish ones end up marching behind an army of the blind thinking negative thoughts and blaming “The Company” for their misfortunes”

You’re responsible for your misfortunes and they grow from your own selfishness.

Your grand plans for your career are stupid if they come about from a position of selfishness and personal gain. Choose kindness instead.

Once you burn your current career, this happens.

You come back from your holiday and realize you need to move on. You contact the customers you think are your allies and realize they’re not feeling very generous.

The opportunities you thought you had as a fall-back in case someone discovered the true selfish person that you are don’t exist.

The real world doesn’t acknowledge or bend over backwards for those who demonstrate selfishness on a regular basis.

The long game is where it’s at ladies and gentlemen.

What is the long game you ask? Simple. Don’t be selfish in your career. What does that look like? See below:

–    Help people step up into your role while you are away on holidays, maternity / paternity leave

–    Breed more leaders if that’s what you call yourself

–    Do random acts of kindness to help people in their career when there’s no reason to

–    Put your own self-interests to one side when dealing with customers

–    Quit thinking with a “protect my own fortress” mindset – it’s killing your success

–    Be humble, grateful and caring towards everyone you work with – even if you dislike them

The long game is about demonstrating that you can be the kind of person that is trusted and unwavering in the human pursuit of success, and the people you work with.

When your colleagues win, you win too – that’s how you have to start thinking.

This Silicon Valley Mindset of “I have to beat everyone I work with” and “We’re all in competition with each other” is total BS.

“Collaboration trumps silo work and selfishness every day of the week”

Wake up and take a look at the entrepreneurs you admire like Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Tony Robbins. Do they do everything themselves or collaborate like crazy?

You already know the answer.

Does Gary Vee sit around doing everything himself and taking all the credit? Not a chance. He promotes his creative colleagues Babin and D-Rock and makes them the star of his content.

Selfishness is always going to surround you.

And that’s why if you do the opposite and show love and kindness in your career, then you’ll become the 1% that succeed, live with passion, and go on to be CEOs and Founders.

Be the difference you want to see in your career.

Throw selfishness out with the bath water and join the abundance economy where it’s all about focusing on the long game.

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