Adopt the appropriate mindset to effectively tackle problems

Upstream work is tough, and you may want to give up when you feel like everything is actively working against you. However, as long as you remind yourself of your driving force and accept responsibility for your work and all the problems that come with it, you’ll be on the right track to success.

1. Write down what motivates you to do what you do
   Why are you working on this particular project? Why are you pursuing your career? What drives you to wake up in the morning and face another day? Reading this will keep you going when times get tough

2. Take personal ownership of problems
   Whenever a problem arises, even if it’s not your fault, remind yourself that it is your responsibility. Instead of leaving a mess for someone else to clean up, think about what steps you, specifically, can take to resolve the issue

3. Spend time carefully reviewing tasks for errors
   It’s easy for small, careless errors to go unnoticed, especially when it comes to routine tasks. 

4. Regularly evaluate your overall direction
   Think about what a typical day of work looked like this past week. If there was a similar problem that kept cropping up, ask yourself what the underlying issue is.