Have you found your perfect career, an occupation you’re happy to contribute a significant portion of your life to? If not, maybe you shouldn’t even try. The experts advise that the majority will be changing careers every ten years. The world appears to be changing fast.

Is there a non-career alternative? Think of it this way. It’s not the work that matters most but the way you do your work. The right attitude would go a long way to solving the majority of our economic problems. It shouldn’t matter whether you’re cleaning toilets, repairing cars, building houses, or writing software. If you feel good about what you’re doing, if you’re happy with the results, if you believe you’ve done the best you could, then you’ve accomplished a lot.

The concept of a career is not just about the work. It should also provide an opportunity for growth. A great attitude should also provide that same opportunity. All you need is someone to recognize your efforts and reward them with greater responsibility.

If there is anything that really needs to be “fixed” in the modern organization it is this. Excellent workers need to be rewarded with increasingly excellent opportunities. To be treated the same as the worst and the laziest is the greatest of insults. Eventually the good workers will leave or give up.

Quality, just like creativity, is not found in the work. It is an attribute of the worker. It is something to be sought after, to be recognized, cherished, nurtured, and rewarded. That means paying attention and opening doors that lead somewhere beyond the task at hand. This is the only worthwhile job of management. Are they paying attention to their employees? Or are they immersed in petty details?

Your career is really in your hands. It is only when you care to give your best, regardless of circumstance, that you will find satisfaction. Find it first in yourself, within the valuation of yourself as a person of character and integrity. Then let it shine through every single thing you do.

This is the key to success. It’s you, your attitude, your perspective, and your contribution. The world is a better place when you show up and give your best.