The Slow Snowball of Success

We all dream of different things. One of my closest friends aspires to be a successful artist. Another close friend once wanted to be a professional makeup artist. I, as you know, aspire to be a published author. I've known people who have dreamt of becoming singers, police officers, video game designers, even stay-at-home parents. And, to be quite honest, I know quite a few people who "have no idea what they want to do when they grow up". But each dream is unique to each person. Even the ones who say they don't have one to begin with.

We think that there's some secret formula to success, but really it's a simple mathematical equation: The amount of effort put into the goal times the amount of time spent achieving said goal. If this sounds familiar, it is. Science. Newton's second law of motion: "The greater the force, the greater the acceleration in the direction of that force." (Force, by the way, is mass times acceleration) So, the more time and effort we spend on trying to achieve a goal (in this example, a career), the more likely we are to succeed at doing so. To break this down comprehensively, there's far more inertia in a speeding train than there is crawling snail.

Now, as with the science of motion and the in-exact science of life, there are unseen barriers and circumstances that stand in our way - and can derail us completely. This would be summed up in Newton's first ("A body in motion will remain in motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.") and third ("For every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.") laws of motion. What goes done must eventually come up. What is going must eventually stop or alter course. In the example of careers, a promotion is a slight change in course; whereas a new job is a much greater change in course. Sometimes, many times actually, a complete alteration of the previous career path.

To use myself as an example, I have had many different sales and customer service jobs, but my current position has little customer interaction and zero sales. It's strictly an analytical position. Yet, writing, which is the career path I wish to do as a full time career eventually, is a complete opposite of both of those types of jobs. In fact, the one common denominator (the most important common denominator) is that they all effect the greater populace in one way or another. Influencing people, you could argue, is my biggest skill set. I have traveled down many different paths, but they all lead to the same road.

So, the question I leave you with is not "what is your dream?" but "what are you doing to achieve it?". What steps are you taking to reach it and what are you procrastinating on that is hindering you in your goal? Are you a locomotive or are you a tumbleweed? Because, let's be honest, the biggest boulder in the journey to your dreams is you.

The Molehill and the Mountain

Alright, I do believe it's time to unveil the big news: as of a week ago today, I accepted an offer from a start-up company in Seattle (remaining nameless for now) and I am finally moving on to much greener pastures. This is an amazing start to a truly phenomenal venture. I will say that the company has only been live for two years, but they are growing exponentially to the point where they are moving into their third location to accommodate for their growth. I will say that it is a massive breath of fresh air to finally be a giant asset to a company; as opposed to just another employee on their payroll.

During the interview (with the interviewer turning out to be one of the co-founders of the company and the current COO. So, yeah...) she asked me various questions about how hard I work and how dedicated I am. She asked me if I had a choice between working only 30 hours a week or 60+ hours a week, I immediately answered 60+. Which, I'm not going to lie, is absolutely true. I would rather work 60+ hours a week and make a significant difference with a company than 30 hours a week and just coast. That's just the person I am and the work ethic that I have. I told her that I would much rather summit a mountain than crest a molehill. I was also blunt with her when I told her that I felt most of my previous employers were just molehills and that I was ever in search of a company where I could actually make that difference. Where I could give it my all and climb that mountain.

I love a solid challenge. I do. When I was in school, if there was ever a teacher (and there were plenty who were this way) that really didn't expect much out of their students, I would coast, not really do my homework, and get low to average grades. But, the teachers who challenged me. The teachers who told me up front that I had to crack down, work hard, and they would expect nothing less than an A out of me, well those were the classes I did get A's in. You push me hard and tell me to give it my all and I will do exactly that. Don't give me a molehill, because I have no desire to mess with them. Give me a mountain and tell me that I need to summit it and you will see me reach its zenith.  Especially if there is an impending deadline and the chips are down. When the odds are against me and things are looking bleak-that is when you will see me push my hardest and shine. Give me something to prove and, by God, I will prove it.

To be completely honest, the thought of this intimidates me. This is a start-up. The company has only been "live" for two years. In full honesty, there is zero, absolutely zero job security. There's still a lot of bugs and a lot of kinks. But there is so much growth. Easily more an all the other companies I have worked for, combined. I know that every day that I work, I will make a dramatic impact, good or bad, on this company. My failures are the company's failures. My successes are theirs as well. This is my Everest. My K-2. My Denali. There are a million ways for me to fail, which is why I'm going to do everything within my power to succeed. This company is the capstone of my career and there is no turning back now.