We live in a society that is obsessed with commodity and success. From childhood we are taught that we can do and achieve anything and are constantly assured that success is within our grasp if we work hard enough. As we get older professional success becomes a defining aspiration of adulthood. It motivates us to get up in the morning, work sometimes tedious jobs and strive to find better.

The cultural and social ideologies about success are deeply ingrained in us. This inherent desire to achieve can sometimes, however, become perverted when we reach a position of comfort in our professional lives. Complacency can set in for many once they have secured the fulfilling job and healthy salary that was once so coveted. Success is usually the motivation but what happens when it begins to hold you back? When you didn’t have it all the desire to succeed was your incentive to provide excellent dedication and performance, now you have achieved all you wanted the temptation to relax and coast can set

In her article “You’re a success, now get down to work” in The Wall Street Journal Alexandra Levit reminds us that despite the sluggish economy one “can’t afford to sit back – even though it might be tempting.” (Levit: 2009) Success cannot be an excuse for kicking back, Levit claims. She tells the story of a military police officer who quickly rose to the top of the force only to see his results decline as a result. These instances are common; people work exceedingly hard to obtain a comfortable position and when secure it, they either maintain the same level of effort or actually allow their performance to slide.

Marshall Goldsmith, author of “What got you here won’t get you there: How successful people get more successful” (Goldsmith: 2007) believes that when people get promoted they feel rewarded and thus fail to continue to develop their skills.

To maximize your success without become sluggish, use the following tips:

• When you find yourself meeting your professional goals, invent new and interesting targets for yourself.
• Listen and interact with the people around you, including those senior and below you; you may learn something new about yourself or others that can be beneficial in furthering your career.
• Reevaluate and audit your skills and working attitude once a quarter.
• Be aware of new career trends and requirements e.g. HTML, if necessary take a class.
• Never feel totally confident in your position.

Whilst you should enjoy the perks of hard-earned success you should never feel you can coast. In this climate secure jobs are rare and there is always someone willing to replace you.

Take pride in your accomplishments but remember: success is never easy to achieve, so why should it be easy to maintain?