
5 Cliches About Your Career
Everyone gets tired of hearing cliches. Too many of them are meaningless, trite platitudes that offer little real value. At the same time, most cliches became popular (and overused) for a reason. There may be some true wisdom hidden in the words. Here are five of the most common cliches about your career and why they might actually be more useful than it initially seems.
1. “Opportunity Doesn’t Knock Twice”
Opportunity is simply a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. As a high-achieving attorney, you have valuable and transferable skills. There are many job opportunities for top lawyers out there. At the same time, each individual opportunity comes and goes. If you do not explore and pursue it, you may miss out on a career prospect that is truly rare—maybe even a one-time chance.
2. “Do What You Love and You’ll Never Work a Day in Your Life”
Every top professional knows that this cliche is not literally correct. There are some elements of all careers that are frustrating or mundane. Alternatively, you may simply want a day off from something you generally do love doing. Still, there is a deep truth in this cliche. Work is a lot more fulfilling and enjoyable when you are in a career opportunity that you love.
3. “You Can’t Learn to Swim Without Getting in the Water”
Like so many career cliches, it is true to the point of being obvious: Of course, getting into the water is a necessary condition to swim. Once again, there is some useful career wisdom within the cliche. You are not going to move up in your career or forward to a new opportunity without putting yourself out there and getting exposure. That seemingly simple initial step is an important one.
4. “Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket”
Often used to reference investments, this cliche also offers some useful career advice. Diversification is valuable. Are you ready to move forward in your career but restricting yourself to a very narrow subset of opportunities? That might be a mistake. Lawyers have valuable skills that are desired across many industries. It may be worth considering all of the options that you have on the table.
5. “The Grass is Always Greener”
The cliche is important because professionals need to consider the full implications of every opportunity—the upsides and the downsides. If the grass does always look greener to you, that strongly suggests that you are ready to move up or move out. However, it does not mean that every other position is right. You need an opportunity that suits your personality, skills, and career objectives. The grass really is greener on some sides.
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