Be so smart that people call you Lucky

You will earn more if you are smarter than others. Smart work is about mapping out the rewards you receive and the work you do. This mode of thinking is not available to people who work hard for peanuts. They are unable to see the connection between money and work. You can find the path to smart work when you see the link between money and what you do.

Here are seven elements to working smart you need to know:

1. Reputation

Only the most intelligent people know how important it is to work hard to build a reputation. Many people work for a paycheck. This only leads to mediocrity.

When I get the opportunity to counsel young people who are just starting out in life, I tell them to choose a place where they can build their reputation. Prefer reputation to money. Because reputation is more valuable than money in the long-term. Money will not improve your reputation.

People who are smart work for their reputation. Your reputation will build your brand. You will never be able to earn minimum wage if you have zero reputation.

The new work experience is brand (and reputation).

It doesn't matter how long you've been doing it. People care more about how influential, famous, and successful you are at it. This is what you should think about.

You can work smart and build a reputation.

2. Relationships

People who are not wealthy or have little to no relationships value. Relationships are what you need to be successful.

To learn, I don't spend money on coaching or masterminds. Yes, I do learn but that's secondary. I invest primarily to create relationships. By investing in people who can bring them to life, I am able to prepare for the opportunities that I desire.

People are often default players in their relationships. Their friends are not chosen. They are friends they have grew up around, who they went to school with, who they met at work, or at a social event. Living this way would be a mistake.

Decide who you would like to be friends with. And then invest in that friendship. I decided a few months ago that I wanted to become friends with a billionaire investor. It happened. It was intentional.

You can be the person that you want to become every day by choosing deliberate relationships. These relationships will reduce your learning curve and open you up to possibilities that are beyond your imagination.

3. Oiling key relationships

This is a huge relationship issue. It's one thing to build a relationship. It's quite another to make the relationship work. A relationship can be oiled by the other person communicating their needs and feelings.

Send gifts. Gifts are not about their size. It is all about the thoughtfulness and thought that goes into them. People make the mistake of gifting what they love to someone else. They think that the recipient will love it just because they like it.

The key to great relationships is to find out what they really want. Sometimes they don't know why they like it. You know you've got it nailed when you see something like this.

You can work smart by oiling important relationships. It puts you at the top mind of the other person. Guess who will be first to think of you when there are opportunities?

4. Being a plug

It's all about helping others. What do you do if you are offered a job that isn't right for you? Most people simply move on and get over their sadness. Smart people are not like that.

If you don't feel the opportunity is right for you, consider other people in your network who might be able to help you. Push it to them. This is a great way to spread a positive vibe.

They will be grateful. Even if you are not the right fit, they will still love you for it. A friend of mine sends me great opportunities every now and again. While most people aren't a good match, I appreciate his thoughtfulness when he finds something worth investigating. He is also a top person I turn to when I need something within his area of expertise.

You can be a plug for others, and they will be a plug for you. This is one way to work smart. Instead of trying to do everything, try applying it all.

5. Empower Subordinates

This has been discussed before. It is important to mention it again. If you're the only one who can do your job well, you will only be able to wear yourself out. Teaching others what you know is the key to scaling and growing.

You won't be able to work smarter if you don't empower them. Trust is a problem. What happens if I empower them but they leave? But what if they don't get empowered and they stay?

Trust can be built by empowering your team. While some people will leave, that's a good thing. However, those who remain after being empowered will be loyal and trustworthy.

You don't have to work as hard as you can, but you should empower your subordinates. This is another way to work smart.

6. Automation

Today, every business has an online component. If you are still doing everything manually in your business day, it is a problem. Automate 60-70% of customer service.

Automating is not the same as automating. You need to first find the most efficient way to do the task manually. This is the mistake of most people who automate. Automation is seen as the most efficient method. This is false.

The efficient way is the one that you find first manually. Once you've established this, you can automate the efficient route you found. This is how you can work smarter with automation.

7. Layering Success

Layering your success is a great way to reduce the distance between two successes. This means that you stack your successes on top of one another.

This is the greatest leverage for working smart. This is the ultimate leverage in working smart. People who don't get it can suffer unnecessary suffering, especially when they need to start again. You can still make a success of an obvious failure.

Failure is not an honorable feat. Let no one deceive you. After a great success, it is sweet to talk about your mistakes. If you don't have many failed businesses or projects, it is worth trying to milk the success. Every failure is a chance to learn. Find yours. Then stack them one on top of the other.

Talk only about the successes and not about the failures as you move through your life. Once you have achieved your great success, you can begin to talk about the failures. This is how you can fly high.

Layering your success makes you smarter.

Conclusion

When you work hard, people will call you lucky. To increase luck, you should not talk about how hard it was. Instead, focus on the end result. It will be easier if you make it seem easy.

These 7 elements of smart working will help you keep moving forward from one fortunate moment to the next as long as your positive outlook is maintained.