In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell states that to achieve mastery in a sport, music, or other field of work takes 10,000 hours. While it is easy to joke that you have accrued “10,000” hours in your 5-year career of 8-hour days, you can’t stop adding value to “you” as a business.

By updating, re-educating, gaining experience and practicing, we are never fully cooked or “done” improving.

Think of how many books you have read in the last month, whether fiction, self-improvement or business books. Are you reading the books that will help you move ahead? Figure out what magazines or trade publications will add to your knowledge and creativity.

It is well-documented that a characteristic of high achievers is a continued high level of education and learning. High achievers keep growing intellectually. For self-development, tools like audio books, podcasts, and videos can be used on your mobile devices.

A major benefit of improving yourself is continued viability in the marketplace, a Lifetime Value! Products don’t just sit on the shelf and go up in value or price. Demand falls for a product that does not keep pace with consumer tastes and needs. Focus on improving your product and you will never have to worry about job viability again.

Check out more tips and insights in my downloadable workbook, Almost Famous: How to Market Yourself for Success, which is full of ways to help you jumpstart your career goals and focus on building the career of your dreams. It’s over 100 pages of tool, tips and worksheets available for download on our website for $9.95!