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I had a conversation with a friend who's been a software developer for many years. He wrote his first line of code as a teenager. Yes! He's been landing little deals here and there, making money that's just enough to pay his rent and foot other necessary bills. But owing to his years of experience in the field, one expects that he should've landed a mega deal. He expects so too. This is because many of his contemporaries (those he began with) are already leaders in some sectors of the industry.
The place of luck
The question that now arises is, "Has my friend been unlucky to not have landed a high-paying job despite his years of voyage in the industry?"
"Maybe!"
There could be people who aren't as good as he is but are financially better off. It's possible; after all, sometimes the race isn't for the swift; other factors can come into play.
My first rule for success
However, my first rule for success is "never bank on luck." I mean, if it is luck, you really don't have to expect it to happen to you. It will happen nonetheless. It will however be disastrous to bank on it, and it doesn't happen.
Some people may be lucky, but excellence can never be denied. (Feel free to quote me.)
As we all know, the tech world is a highly innovative space. It grows at a fast rate. Not many can keep up with its pace, but if you desire to remain relevant in the industry, you have little choice but to remain at the cutting edge. Anyone who's been a user of technology can attest to these facts.
It is true that the refusal to evolve has cost many tech industries their place in the world. I was born in the nineties, and since that time until now, I have lost count of the number of tech companies that have gone obsolete because they failed to evolve their technologies. It goes without saying that a similar fate awaits any developer who isn't scaling up his skills.
Apart from growing up in same area as the friend in question, I'm mostly drawn to people in innovative industries. Hence our fraternization. Recently, he worked closely with me and another friend of mine who, despite being in the tech space for less than a year, has grown remarkably to be a figure more "experienced" developers look up to for solutions due to his sagacity. In the course of our work, a conversation arose that led him to lament his poor growth rate. He confessed to knowing little about many concepts but not being really grounded in any. Had he stopped there, it would've been easier for him to scale up, but he went ahead and blamed his stagnation on his background. He said that he hasn't been able to learn as much as he should because he's always running around to meet ends.
My second rule for success
Again, he could be right. But my second rule for success is: don't make excuses for your failure.
Don't for any reason assume that I'm not aware that there are many factors that could limit our growth. For one, I'm a citizen of a third-world country who's trying to thrive on the internet. I've suffered from a slow and expensive internet service, or lack thereof; poor electricity; restrictions from many profitable sites and programs; inaccessibility to grants and loans for startups; the inability to receive money from Paypal and other reputable financial apps; and whatnot. No one needs to school me on growth-limiting factors; I'm a master in the field. In all of these situations, I wouldn't still make excuses for my failures, because a determined mind will always find a way around all obstacles. I'm more determined to find solutions than to make excuses.
If you must grow, here are factors that will help:
Quit making excuses
No matter how justifiable an excuse sounds, you must not make it. At least not to yourself. You can say it to other people so they will cut you some slack, but not to yourself.
Your excuse might be valid, but you're not looking for validation but for growth. So, focus on looking for ways to do what you have to do, irrespective of the odds.
The joy of living is in overcoming challenges. So, prevail over all the circumstances, and you'll be better for it.
When you make excuses, you demotivate yourself, thereby killing your inspiration. We all need a push. Give yourself the much-needed push by hunting for solutions instead of piling up excuses.
Grow at your own pace
Growth is relative; two people setting out on a journey to the same location will not necessarily arrive at the same time. For one, they might not have started from the same spot, and one person may be more gifted with speed than the other. The same way, you have to realize that some people have more advantages than you. You don't have to compete with anyone but yourself. Just make sure that you're adding to yourself on a daily basis.
Maximize your time and the resources available to you
Some people have more time and resources to commit to a particular course than others. This mustn't be used to excuse mediocrity; rather, it should be used to set up customized growth hacks. By that, I mean learning methods that work best for you.
Quit judging yourself by others' standards.
Growth is personal and must be treated as such. As earlier posited, we don't always begin from the same spot and with the same amount of resources. We need to assess our growth according to our own standards. Speaking of self-assessment, it's as easy as asking yourself, "Have I done all I can with all I have?"
Reduce unproductive activities
We often complain of being busy, but most times when we critically look into some of the things that eat up our time, we realize that they are trivial. Some of us have the habit of aimlessly scrolling through social media platforms, but we make excuses for things that can contribute to our growth. I have a friend who goes on social media breaks from time to time. I also know someone else who's been taunted by many for being good in her field but recently took herself off the social media platform to hone her craft. If you aren't earning from those platforms, you should consider going off for a while, or at the very least reduce your activities there. You can come to platforms like Leofinance to read innovative posts and connect with sound minds.
Loathe mediocrity
You have to literally hate being mediocre in your field to fuel your inspiration to grow. It's such hatred that makes people suspend temporary pleasures for a more noble cause. Imagine a person who is alluded to by many as being good at what she does but who has to go under the radar to become even better. That shows that such a person isn't ready to settle for less. You shouldn't either.
Prefer substance to form
Many young people are caught in this net. They want to be recognized for belonging to a profession, but they are not committed to learning what the profession really entails. You see them everywhere, posting cliches like "the life of a developer," but if a development project comes out, they are found wanting. To be successful, you must know your craft. Don't thrive to look like it; be it.
Commit to excellence
Excellence is something you must commit to in order to be successful. Don't be satisfied with the bare minimum. Do the best you can. Be the best you can. Stretch your limits. Challenge yourself often.
Develop an unusual hunger for growth
You must strongly desire growth before you can grow. It's not enough to say that you want to grow; the question is, how hungry are you? If you desire it badly, trust me, you will find a way around it.
Conclusion
Excuses might seem justifiable, but they are not beneficial. Hence, you have to do all you can with all you have. Do your best and be your best.
Tell me did you get value from this? If you did, don't fail to comment and repost. I love engaging with people on my post. I'm eagerly waiting to read and give replies to your awesome comments.
@mmykel, routing for your success.
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