Dear Terry,
You said that you had lost passion for your job and had been thinking of quitting. In various meetings, you would lose your concentration and drift away. You are not learning much and don’t care to figure out the minutiae.
Our conversation today was a sharp contrast from a year ago when you interviewed for this job with me. You were full of excitement to build a career. You even took some classes to learn the ropes and the jargon.
Imagine 10 years from now, you are successful beyond amazement. What are the odds that whatever you are doing then is something you already know now? Well, if you already know it, you would already being doing it. Since you are already amazingly smart and passionate. They clearly are not the only factors for success. You will need at least two more things: luck and tenacity.
Tenacity is the phase that is no longer fun, interesting, or instantaneously rewarding. It is the trough of the dark valley, the hot sun on your back, the fatigue of your muscles, the gasping of your lungs. If you stop, they go away and it feels so good. But what you are going toward will also vaporize. Tenacity is the decade before the over-night success.
Terry, think forward 10 years. You don’t even know what that “amazingly successful” thing is that you want to do, let alone getting yourself prepared to do it well. What is worth having in your life will get harder and harder to obtain. If you don’t get ready, you simply won’t reach them.
Wish you the best on your next venture. Hope to see you in 10 years.
Sincerely,
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