Personal finance commentators spend a lot of time telling folks to limit their expenses. One famous example explained how a latte a day is the difference between ending up with enough for a healthy retirement and struggling for cash later in life.
The point is valid. Over a 40-year period, $4 per day invested at an annual return of 10% per year works out to a nest egg of $776,000, before taxes and any other expenses. That’s a lot of money.
But at the same time, many people are better off to focus on earning more. After all, you can only cut expenses so far before life starts to get uncomfortable. Or to put it another way, earning $5,000 more per year might be a whole lot easier than trying to cut $5,000 per year from a spending plan that’s already pretty lean.
Getting a raise in today’s tough economy isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it’s certainly possible. All employees have to do is make themselves indispensable. Or, failing that, they need to at least make themselves look great in their boss’s eye.
These superstar employees do one important thing. They show up early.
There’s a big difference between showing up early and staying late. Folks who have to stay late to complete work are labeled as people who can’t get work done, while early risers are viewed as people who can’t wait to go to work. It’s a very important difference.
It’s difficult to stand out among your peers and controlling things like office politics or co-worker habits are impossible. Instead, focus on showing up early every day. Your boss will notice.
