Every day, thousands of people play the lottery and spend lots of money at casinos—all in hopes of winning big bucks by hitting the jackpot. Millions of people’s eyes and minds were captivated last week by the media’s constant coverage of the $587 million pie. Now that winners have been reported and plans have been made on how they’ll spend their millions, anticipation and hope still remain for those who didn’t hit pay dirt.
If you’re a young professional looking to accelerate your career, you are lucky to be reading this article right now! But, you don’t have to be lucky to make key power moves to boost your chances of long-term success. I’ve found this to be true throughout all of my internship and early career experiences and learned I’d rather have a hard-work ethic over luck.
When I landed my internship with the United States Congress at the age of 20, I thought I was a lucky college student because I was able to work alongside congressmen every day. Then in a subsequent college semester, I hit the jackpot by attaining my dream internship with the FBI, and yet again I thought I was lucky. But when I was accepted into an incredibly competitive internship program with NASA, I then understood that there was no luck involved. It was simply hard work that enabled me to make major career power moves!
It’s totally up to you if you’re feeling lucky and want to play the lottery. But don’t depend on “luck†or a lottery system to help you advance your career. The legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi said it best: “The only place where luck comes before work is in the dictionary.†And to land internships with some of the country’s most illustrious federal agencies, I worked hard by committing myself to learning the craft of internships. I mastered the application, interview, and internship performance processes. I read books and articles, talked to my mentors, and utilized many other resources that equipped me with the acumen to acquire my once-in-a-lifetime internship positions. In fact, several years later as an advanced intern, I wrote a popular book on internships called Learn to Intern CEO Style: 71 Leadership Principles That Got Me and Now YOU Money, A Free Graduate Degree, and Respect!
Hard work is what led amazing leaders (ie. Lebron James, Steve Jobs, President Barack Obama) to make power moves in their careers and see major wins. Always remember, you don’t need luck to make career power moves when you work hard!
Antoine Moss, Ph.D., (@2PositiveTweets) is a nationally recognized resource on internships, early career achievement, leadership and motivation. CEO and founder of CEO Style Consulting L.L.C., Moss empowers professionals and organizations to reach their full potential, and serves as speaker, workshop instructor and consultant. The author of Learn to Intern CEO Style, Moss has been a featured expert on outlets including Fox 8 TV News and George Fraser’s 2011 Power Networking Conference.