9 Secrets for Successful Federal Living

1. You are here for a reason. Choose to give. That is the secret of a great life. Give of yourself to others. Practice giving and people will give to you. Support those who need your help. All of us have unique life lessons that only we can tell. Our experiences can help us to have more compassion for others. We have the ability to help others. I’ve heard it said that service to others is the rent we pay to live on the planet. What will you give?

2. While on this planet, you will learn lessons. You are automatically enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You will like some of the lessons; others will wound you to the core. But, successful people turn their wounds into wisdom.

3. Mistakes oftentimes masquerade themselves as teachers. Growth is a process of trial and error. You win, you lose, you learn. If something doesn’t go right, you will be given many chances to make it right. It’s a part of the growing process. Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.

4. A lesson is often repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on the next lesson. I once heard Oprah say, that lessons first hit you like a pebble, but if you are still hard-headed, it will knock you up side the head like a brick. Wow, a great incentive to learn the lesson the first time.

5. Learning lessons in life never ends. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned. If you’re not continually learning, you are not growing. If you are not growing, you aren’t learning the best lessons you could be learning. Remember the brick in the above lesson.

6. There is no better place than exactly where you are. Most of us look for joy outside of ourselves. But growth only comes from recognizing where you are and making the decision to change and grow. Be present where you are. Be the best employee you can be in the department in which you find yourself. Be grateful for what you do have. Be thankful for where you are.

7. I’ve learned that other people are merely mirrors of ourselves. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. As I was listening to Success Magazine : What Achievers Read on CD, which I highly recommend, one of the guests told listeners to do this exercise. Write a letter to someone you love and admire, listing all their good qualities. Then write another letter to someone that just really annoys you. After you are done, scratch off both names and put your name on the top of both letters. The first letter will represent everything beautiful about you and the other will most likely show the qualities you don’t like about yourself. This is a powerful transformational tool. Try it.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours. You are in the driver’s seat of your life. What you focus on will determine where you steer the wheel. Be sure to focus on the positive.

9 .When in doubt, choose forgiveness. We cannot walk this road of life without getting hurt. But we do have a choice. We can choose to forgive. Mental-health experts recognize the benefits of being willing to forgive. It releases pent-up and even debilitating emotions that cause ill health, and it fosters healthier and happier relationships. Contrast that with the costs of an unwillingness to forgive—poor health, broken relationships, stress, and difficult communication.

Want more tips, check out: http://careersavvyfed.com/52-ways-to-get-paid-more-promoted-faster/