Do you remember your first job?
Since you didnt have any real work experience you were pretty much hired on faith.
You were at the bottom of the ladder and needed to prove why you deserved the job.
This post originally appeared onThe Simple Dollar.
Its a fascinating article, one I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read.
There are a lot of things you could take away from this article.
Some might read it as though Williams was entitled and felt himself to be above the job.
Instead, I kept putting myself into Williams shoes.
What would I do in his situation?
Right now, I have a job where I have effectively proven myself.
Im able to work from home and dont have any sort of day-to-day management.
Ive done it for years.
I had to prove it.
I had to write every single day, over and over and over again.
I did it with such consistency that people began to expect it.
After a few years, I had proven that I could do this consistently over the long term.
But that wouldnt be the truth.
The truth is that I would be starting over again at the very bottom of a new ladder.
I hadnt climbed up even a single rung yet.
I would expect to have my bags checked through when I came to work and when I left.
I would expect to be patted down.
Because I havent proven myself yet.
You have to prove yourself.
No one thinks that you are special or exceptional.
You often dont need to have a thing on your resume to get such a job.
Youre probably going to feel disrespected.
Youre definitely going to feel worn out at the end of the day.
But thats not the important matter.
So, heres what it all comes down to.
Do you want to start over in a completely new career?
You have to prove yourself.
Do you want to move up in the career that you have right now?
You have to prove yourself.
Cant pull it off?
Youre not going to move up the ladder.
Do you want tostart your own side business?
You have to prove yourself.
You have to build something, on your own, thats attractive to clients and customers.
Dont think you might pull it off?
Then your side gig isnt going to be a smashing success.
I like to use the military as an example here.
The entire hierarchy of the military is built around proving yourself.
The entire system is built around showing respect for those who have earned those higher ranks.
One week of hard work isnt enough to earn a high rank in the military.
One year isnt enough.
A decade is a good start.
And with that proof comes rewards.
Theyre not just financial rewards, either, though those can be sweet.
You also dont have to continue with some of the tasks of the lower levels any more.
So, what exactly would I do if I found myself in Joseph Williams shoes?
And, knowing me, Id be looking right up that ladder.
Every day, I would walk away asking myself if I had proven myself just a little bit.
Did I do enough today to prove myself at all?
Did I do what I was supposed to do at a high level of quality?
Thats the opportunity that youre handed whenever you start off in a new field.
You have proven nothingor proven very little.
You are nothing special.
You will prove that you have value, and that value will be rewarded.
Its up to you, though.
Are you going to prove that you deserve the success that you think should be coming to you?
The Value of Proving Yourself| The Simple Dollar
Trent Hamm is a personal finance writer atTheSimpleDollar.com.
Image byDoremi(Shutterstock).
