Most people just go through the motions every day of their career. Those days become weeks, those weeks become months, and those months become years. Many people with “15 years of experience” actually have 1 year of legitimate experience...repeated 15 times. But if you want to stand out, in any business, it’s really not hard.
Just give a damn.
Trust your gut and be willing to speak up in meetings, even with superiors or high level customers who are maybe making ALOT more money than you. They can tell when you’re bullshitting them. But when someone tells the honest truth, it’s so rare that it’s immediately noticeable. You’ll quickly get promoted, make more sales, earn more responsibility, and command the respect of people you work with and for.
Work hard and read a lot of books so your subconscious starts to formulate your own independent opinions. And then trust your gut. 9/10 times you’ll be glad you did. The other 10% of the time people will still respect you for speaking your mind.