“Why you will fail at having a great career –
I just watched a Ted Talk that managed to speak to my deepest fear and make my blood boil, all while making me laugh.
Larry Smith tells each person who desires a great career that they will fail at having one. Talk about brutal pep talks, this one is the epitome.
Here’s how it goes –
You want a great career.
You know it comes from pursuing your passion.
Then, you either –
▶ Know what you are passionate about.
But, you do not pursue it. You make up the greatest excuses (and justifications) that make your choice seem sensible. Great excuses include –
- Having a great career is a result of luck. And you don’t consider yourself lucky.
- People who (successfully) pursue their passions are geniuses. And you don’t think you are a genius.
- People who have great careers are crazy, delusional and not-so-normal. And you think of yourself as normal.
▶ Do not know what you are passionate about.
And so, you feel like the clock is ticking. That you are far away from realising your passion. You are afraid that when you do decide to go hunt for it, you may never find it. As a result, you settle for a good career instead. Only to realise that it doesn’t exist. There’s either a bloodsucking one or a great one.
What is at the core of both these decisions? Fear. The fear of NOT making it. And so, you settle. You fail at having the great career you desire.
As I reached the end, I connected it to everything I’ve read about self-belief and conviction:
I do NOT want fear to come in the way of attempting to have a great career. I’d rather try relentlessly and fail. But to not try would be a shame.
I’m in my 20s, and I’ve been lucky to have all the tools I need to do something great – people, trust, opportunity, chances, safety net (to name a few). My ONLY responsibility now is to train my mind to believe I can and do the thing I’ve set out to do.
When you do decide to have a great career, you realise that the lack of hard work isn’t what’s stopping you. You will come across more roadblocks; the biggest one being fear.
📌 And so, here’s how you start (only for those who want to have a great career):
- Find your passion.
And no, your interest is not your passion. You may have 243 interests, but there’s one that consumes you. One that is the greatest expression of yourself. That’s your passion. If you find it, hold on to it.
- Acknowledge the excuses you are giving yourself.
When you do that, you gain the power to move ahead despite them. If you believe that a great career is merely a result of luck, then say okay. And, work 10x harder to catch up to the “lucky” ones.
I am at step 1. And I think I haven’t given up yet because I’ve got C4E – it makes it difficult to get scared. On days you are low on self-belief, there’s someone (objectively) reminding you of your capabilities. And I think that’s what is precious.
If you’re a missionary who wants a great career, let’s chat?