Although I am now retired, I keep in touch with my still working friends. One impressive successful friend and I had a discussion (over an adult beverage at Toad Hall) regarding methodology for success. I thought his explanantion was both simple and insightful.
He first stated that any view of "balance" was ridiculous. If you are going to be successful at anything, sacrifices must be made. He then laid out three simple rules:
1. Be the best at what you do.
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This applies to everyone, whether you wait tables, are a welder, whatever. It means you have to constantly learn, update, hone your skills.
2. Be the person "they" rely on.
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He had me laughing on this one. He told me he learned this when he was a kid. A friend of his had a paper route. He always made more in tips than anyone else. Why? Because even when there was two feet of snow, his customers opened their doors on Sunday morning and found their paper sitting there. If something needs to be done, and your name is the first name on someone's list, you are a success.
3. Don't be an administrative problem.
Even if you meet numbers one and two, if you bitch and moan about it, it wipes out these qualities. For example, you can be the best, be reliable, but when your customer/boss asks you to do something, if you respond with some rant about how it is always you, this is the weekend, blah, blah, blah, your reliability and expertise gets flushed. Accept that being the best comes with being the victim of your own success. It is how you get to the top.
After our discussion, I relaized that I had unknowingly followed this guidence throughout my career. I kept up with technological advances, made myself available whenever I was needed, and did so without complaint.
Was I a corporate lackey? Absolutely not. I got myself in much hot water bucking the system. But, because I adhered to the three rules, my recomendations were taken seriously, even though they were abrasive to policy.
I guess the bottom line is that to be successful, you have to be an asset. If you are an asset to your customers or business, you are bound to be a success.