Top Career Advice From 7 Very Successful People

career advice

Need some motivational career advice? In an effort to make Mondays slightly more bearable, Creative Live is jump starting your week with a roundup of our favorite job tips from experts in every field –– be it art, design, fashion or business. Whether you’re embarking on a new career or happy in your current one, everyone needs the occasional kick-in-the-pants when it comes to getting motivated –– get inspired by the words of wisdom below so you’re ready to dive into your work week!

Go The Extra Mile To Impress Your Boss

“If you want to make an impression and leave a job with a glowing reputation, you have to go above and beyond with everything that you do. No one told me to organize [the fashion closet] every day, but I would make it my business that the shoes were  color coded, made sure there weren’t those little dust bunnies popping out of them because I wanted to be the best person that I could. And that is what got me my next job.” –– Aliza Licht, DKNY PR Girl.

Set Clear Goals For Yourself

“Set goals for yourself and put actionable steps in place to ensure that you achieve them. Whether you aim to get a promotion at work or set up your very own business, these ideas will only remain dreams until you write plan out how you are going to reach them by writing down realistic steps towards hitting your targets.” –– Kelly Hoppen, interior designer.

Stray Outside Your Comfort Zone

“As First Lady, Jackie Kennedy had a rule: if you were invited to a social function at the White House you were able to bring a guest, but after cocktails and the receiving line with the President, First Lady and other heads of state when you crossed that threshold to the dinning room, you would be sat at different tables for dinner. This was the First Lady’s way to entice conversation and encourage you to reach outside of your circle. Instead of making the rounds and speaking with the same people at every outing or event, challenge yourself to meet someone new. You never know when the next conversation will be the one to change your life, or that of someone else.’” –– Laura Schwartz, White House Director of Events.

If You’re a Creative, Keep Creating

“Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to write so much that you don’t mind throwing away and changing things that you’ve written — which is the second thing you have to do. A lot of young writers are very precious about their words. Don’t be — you’ve got to be ready to burn stuff. You’re not as good as you think you are, at least not yet. The more you write, the faster you’ll write, and the less you’ll mind throwing stuff out.” –– Josh Lieb, Tonight Show producer.

Live A Life Well-Lived

“You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do. It turns out, the work will always be there. It will always be easier to abandon balance and keep grinding. But because creativity on command is the most difficult kind to summon – and the very art expected from the entrepreneur – you have to put space between it. So get out there and live a life away from that art. Find spaces that widen your world. Let your best work be the symptom of a life well-lived.” –– Katie Thurmes, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Artifact Uprising.

Don’t Compare Your Success To That of Others

“Rivalry is an industry-wide obsession—and it’s toxic. I have to remind myself that just because a person got a job I wanted, it doesn’t make me any ‘less than.’ When I’m at my strongest mentally, I don’t ever compare myself with others.” –– Kate Mara, actress.

Stay True To Yourself

“I know plenty of people who are outwardly highly successful and inwardly miserable—and to me that is not success, that’s the opposite of it. Success is setting goals that feel true to who you are, not to what others expect of you.” –– Ivanka Trump, entrepreneur.

Mehera Bonner FOLLOW >

Mehera Bonner is a freelance lifestyle and entertainment writer. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband and two children.