A female profession. [Photo/topnaija.ng]Whether in finance, real estate, or even in vacation planning, that a goal can’t be attained unless it’s attacked with urgency and direction. Just as a house won’t last without a solid foundation, professional development usually is a byproduct of step-by-step planning.

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Work with gusto, stay motivated, map out a plan, and consider the most important pillars to scaling your career and evaluating new opportunities. New jobs come with new experiences, new challenges and a new set of skills, which are often hard to come by when sticking with your current gig.

Make barriers work for you.

Obstacles to entry can keep outsiders from easily breaking into certain industries. Without them, returns diminish and it gets harder to differentiate oneself from the pack. For example, not everyone can or wants to become a cardiac surgeon; the necessary 16 years of discipline and the necessary brainpower keeps outsiders from entering the practice. In the real estate business, though, there are low barriers and the possibility of high commissions, making it an extremely popular field.

Hire a coach.

When two teams have equal talent but one has lesser or no coaching, it’s easy to figure out what’ll happen. Better coaching wins, always. We sometimes see the idea of needing a mentor to guide us through our lives or business as childish or pathetic. But if a second-grade soccer team is worthy of coaching, why would your life goals not be?

Invest in your area of core competence.

People often get bored and want to move on right as they reach an apex. In fact, 10,000 hours on the job is found to be the single greatest factor in reaching outstanding success, but most of us lose interest and move on before reaching that benchmark.

Success doesn’t come to you by putting off your goals and daydreaming of the moment they’ll all come true. The keys to building the life you want are centered on positivity, productivity, and motivation.