What it means to be a true professional

What it means to be a true professionalWhat it means to be a true professionalOne of the best lessons Ive learned in life is thisProfessionals always find a way to put in their best effort.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAll the time.Please, dont confuse this with the best performance. Or a masterpiece. Nope.Im talking about what 50% of the battle truly is showing up.Then, simply mustering up the energy, effort, heart, soul, attitude and grit to get the job done. Whatever that job may be.So, I ask you, wherever you are in your career right nowAre you showing up and doing your best every day? The reality is, you have complete control over this. But that doesnt make it easy.Some of us end up in jobs we dont like.Some of us end up doing work we love, and yet still struggle to bring our best everyday. Sure, there are a litany of reasons. Maybe, depending on your point of view, excus es. Some more valid than others.Too tiredAnxiousCompeting prioritiesDont have the timeIn the end, if you want to be the best professional and have a long-lasting career in whatever you do, you really need to bring it every day. Even when you dont want to get out of bed (I know, thats most days for many of us). When youre not in the right mood. When it would be so much easier to just mail it in.Take it from someone who spent far too much time earlier in his career mailing it in. Its not worth it. The hard way makes the journey that much better. Learning to give your best even when you dont have your best is the mark of a true professional. You owe this to yourself.This is what builds character.This is what makes you stronger.This commitment and effort literally does more for your continued development and evolution than anything else.We dont admire this consistency and longevity enough as a society. Were always looking for the big bang. But what do we do when were not firing on all c ylinders? Like a baseball pitcher without his best fastball, you have to dig in to the arsenal and see what else you have.Be willing to find a way. To keep moving forward when you dont have it. When youre hurting for confidence and doubting yourself. To get to where you really want to be, youll do so quicker when you do your best each day, even when everything is telling you to give in to the path of least resistance.Thats pro.This article first appeared on Medium.Join my newsletter for emotional intelligence and productivity content Get a FREE Coaching Call to Explore Your Emotional Intelligence, and Learn how to Achieve Your Biggest Goals Check out my Amazon bestseller, The Value of You, which has helped tens of thousands of people develop the game plan for living their best lifeYou might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from jngste Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people