5 Career Lessons You Need to Remember to Get Ahead -The Muse

5 Career Lessons You Need to Remember to Get Ahead -The Muse5 Career Lessons You Need to Remember to Get AheadThe longer we work, the more we learn what not to do during an interview, how to deal with a bad boss, when its appropriate to ask for a raise.But some of the key things we uncover from our career failures, challenges, and achievements tend to get lost in the sea of knowledge we pick up on a regular basis. And its about time we had a refresher.So, here are five career lessons we know all too well, but need to be reminded of if we want to keep moving forward.1. Your Next Mistake Wont Be Your LastYou may think this time things will be different, but chances are another mishap will come along. Not because youre destined for failure, but because making mistakes is all part of the process. Rather than believe youre flawless and nothing can go wrong, accept that obstacles are bound to show up and that youll be prepared for them when they do. This is how youll ultimately build menta l strength and platzset yourself up better for success.Read This How to Recover From a Huge, Huge Mistake at Work2. You Have to Ask for What You WantIt would be awesome if your boss just handed you that raise or promotion, but the reality is it all lies on you. If you want something, ask for it (and prove why you deserve it). No one can read your mind but you, so the only way youll turn thoughts into actions is to actually act on them.Read This Expert Advice for Getting What You Want3. Career Happiness Requires WorkYou may admire those around you who leave work in a chipper mood every day, and wonder what their secret is. Maybe they got lucky, maybe theyre more talented than you, maybe theyre better connected.But the real secret is that that person worked really hard to get where they are. They may not have always loved their job, but they put in their due diligence- networked, submitted tailored applications, worked crappy jobs, and took on side gigs.Everyone deserves to love their career, but more importantly everyone has the ability to do so. It wont happen immediately (read on for why), but if you set your sights on seeking happiness, youre that much closer to reaching it.Read This Its Not Your Job, Its You The Real Reasons Youre Unhappy at Work4. Success Takes TimeJust as being happy in your career doesnt come with the snap of your fingers, reaching success takes time- and accepting this requires patience.More importantly, success doesnt happen by taking one giant leap. Dont discount the little steps you take along the way- they may seem insignificant and tedious now, but two, five, 10 years from now youll be glad you took them.Read This 3 Reasons You Cant Take Shortcuts on Your Path to Success5. Work and Life Arent Mutually ExclusiveTrying to keep work at work sounds good in theory, but its just not the case anymore (you can blame technology).Because we all know that when things arent going so great in our personal lives, it can be difficult to focus on the task at hand. On the contrary, when work is a struggle, its hard to enjoy our time outside the office.This means that work and life should be treated equally and in tandem. Our decisions should align with our values outside work, while our choices should support the lives we want to create.Read This 5 Lies You Believe About Work-Life Balance That Simply Arent TrueWe hear these (somewhat clichd) lessons all the time, but every once in a while we need a reminder of why theyre so important. Because if we keep these top of mind, we can ensure were heading down the right path.