Jay Shetty ON 7 Creative Ways to Accelerate Your Career in 2024

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty highlighted the importance of reflection and introspection as the year ends.

He encourages listeners to consider what they can improve, remove, and achieve in the upcoming year to accelerate their careers and do the work they love. This episode offers guidance and inspiration for those looking to enhance their careers and find fulfillment in their work.

First Day of the Rest of Your Life

It is essential to prepare for 2024, even though it's still 2023. Jay Shetty emphasizes that every day we experience begins at the present moment. Therefore, he urges listeners to make positive changes or set goals before specific dates or times. In Jay's eyes, procrastination in decision-making is equivalent to wasting time on entertainment choices.

We can use the weeks left in 2023 to prepare for success in the coming year proactively. Taking breaks and rejuvenating is essential, yet planning for the year ahead is just as valuable, providing a head start and preventing the feeling of playing catch-up.

Drawing from his experiences when he spoketo organizations and individuals in the corporate world, Jay Shetty compiled a list of the seven ways to grow your career creatively.

Pattern Recognition

In Jay Shetty's view, pattern and algorithm recognition are the most critical creative skills for career success and overall life fulfillment. If you want to grow your career, it is essential to identify your company's algorithm. It involves recognizing the patterns and processes that lead to success within your organization. People often focus on what they are told to do to succeed while overlooking the patterns and behaviors that successful individuals exhibit.

Jay draws from his corporate experience to highlight the gaps between what successful people advise and what they do. For instance, although some emphasized the importance of proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, their skills were not exceptional. It made  Jay appreciate the significance of pattern spotting. More importantly, it made him appreciate beyond surface-level advice.

Jay Shetty also encourages listeners to change their perspective from judging people's personalities to analyzing their organization's success patterns. They should understand and align with the practices that most matter to the company's goals. This may involve identifying critical connections and relationships, going above and beyond in areas of significance, and adapting to the company's strategic focuses.

To effectively study and apply pattern spotting, Jay suggests selecting case studies, which could include both successful and unsuccessful individuals within the organization. By analyzing their behaviors, actions, and approaches, one can gain insights into the patterns that lead to success. Jay also notes that modern technology can assist in tracking and analyzing these patterns, making pattern spotting an even more accessible and valuable skill in today's world.

Identify the Company's Growth Area

Jay Shetty discusses the importance of identifying your organization's growth areas, which are often related to technology trends. Recognizing and investing in these growth areas can significantly impact your career.

These growth areas can include technologies like AI, social media platforms, augmented reality, and communication through technology. Jay highlights the value of proficiency in technologies like ChatGPT, which can significantly benefit a company. Your enthusiasm and engagement in these technologies signal your understanding and commitment to the company's growth.

Jay shares his experience delving into social media when he was part of a corporate company with multiple digital growth areas, including crypto and VR. Choosing a growth area you are genuinely passionate about and interested in is essential. Doing so makes you more likely to excel and perform better because your enthusiasm drives learning and development.

Jay Shetty encourages listeners to break free from the habit of not seeking new knowledge or exploring new platforms after formal education. Instead, proactively identify and immerse yourself in the growth areas within your organizations. Doing so can significantly impact your career and contribute to your company's success.

Disrupt the Status Quo

Jay Shetty emphasizes disrupting the status quo when accelerating your career. Striving for change and innovation may ruffle feathers, especially among senior colleagues accustomed to the existing ways of doing things. Jay shares his experience as a young professional challenging the norm and facing discomfort from senior individuals in his organization.

Disruption and innovation should not be driven by ego or the desire to prove superiority. Instead, it should focus on compellinglyideas that cannot be ignored. The goal is to make ideas unstoppable and to shift the focus from personal battles to the patterns, technologies, and creativity that drive change.

While disruption may lead to uncomfortable situations, it is vital to career growth and progress. Jay encourages listeners to approach disruption and innovation respectfully, letting their ideas speak for themselves. The ultimate objective is to bring about positive change and make an impact rather than engage in ego-driven battles.

Invest in Your Development

Step four involves allocating time and resources for personal development and growth. Jay Shetty asked: if you were given 100 hours of training or coaching, how would you decide to spend it? Many people have many approaches to solving this task, ranging from 33-33-33, 80-10-10, etc.

The healthiest, wealthiest, and wisest individuals typically follow an 80-10-10 or 100-0-0 breakdown. These high achievers invest heavily in their strengths, becoming exceptional in their areas of expertise rather than spreading themselves too thin by focusing on weaknesses.

Therefore, Jay advises the listeners to prioritize their hard skills and strengths for deep development, such as strategy, Excel, PowerPoint, and leadership. In contrast, working on your weaknesses and improving them for soft skills like empathy, compassion, and communication is crucial.

Steve Jobs once compared himself to an orchestra conductor rather than a musician. To him, it was essential to bring different talents together to create a harmonious result. Similarly, Jay Shetty stresses the need to possess strengths and demonstrate and showcase them in the workplace. Avoid the mistake of waiting for others to recognize your talents.

Creative Networking

Jay Shetty discusses the importance of creative networking as a vital step for career advancement. He clarifies that creative networking is not about attending events and exchanging business cards but involves proactively contacting individuals within your organization from whom you want to learn.

Jay shares his experience of emailing managing directors regularly, even when only a few responded. He emphasizes that the quantity of connections matters and encourages listeners to cast a wide net when networking. By reaching out to many people, even if most don't respond, you increase your chances of finding mentors and allies who can significantly impact your career.

Furthermore, Jay Shetty dispels the misconception that networking in this way might seem desperate, emphasizing that it's a numbers game. The more doors you knock on, the more likely you are to have some open for you. He believes in persistence and suggests many people give up too quickly when they don't see immediate results.

Enter a Flow State

Jay Shetty introduces the concept of the flow state, drawing inspiration from the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He describes the flow state as a mental state where individuals, including artists, celebrities, authors, and athletes, are in the zone, fully immersed in their activities and performing at their best.

The flow state occurs when your challenge level matches your skill level. When challenges are too high compared to skills, it can lead to feelings of demotivation and depression. In contrast, skills surpassing challenges can result in boredom and lethargy. Therefore, finding the right balance where challenges meet skills is essential for entering the flow state.

Jay Shetty encourages listeners to assess their current career situations and ask whether they need to increase their challenges or develop new skills. He provides examples of how challenges can take various forms, such as expanding scope, scale, responsibility, or attention to detail.

By reflecting on these questions and taking action to align challenges and skills, you can transform your experiences and outcomes in 2024. Jay Shetty underscores the significance of this reflection in shaping your future endeavors and achievements.

Unexpected Connections

In the final step, Jay advises the listeners to accelerate their careers by connecting unexpected elements. He highlights examples like Steve Jobs connecting calligraphy and computers, Dyson merging art with diffusers, and integrating aesthetics with vacuum cleaners. 

Find unique intersections between unconnected domains, as groundbreaking solutions often emerge from unexpected connections. Jay Shetty emphasizes that creativity is fundamentally about linking disparate ideas and concepts.

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode on “7 Creative Ways to Accelerate Your Career in 2024 and Do the Work You Love” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.