As I am wrapping up interviews for my team and deciding who to send offer letters to, my CEO asked me to meet with him this morning. He asked me if I knew why he hired me. I simply smiled. He followed with: “You can tell how many struggles someone has been through the second you meet them [(through their energy)]. It’s those who can keep being positive after all the hardships that are successful. Otherwise, they’ll never be happy no matter where they go. Positive energy means more than experience.” He followed with: “It’s those that keep going, who show drive, some more than others, that finish the marathon.” Although that’s his gentle way of highlighting my stubbornness, I was surprised this came from a man who seems to value merit above all. You can be a Harvard graduate, CEO of Alibaba, or homeowner or have 100s of “friends” you can grab a drink with, but at the end of the day, what makes you most successful is your positive outlook and how much fight you have in you. Choosing those who assume accountability for their actions and put in consistent effort to become a more positive person every day will help you get to the “finish line.” I practice this rule in my professional and personal life. Even if a friend was close, it’s in the past (equivalent of “experience” above). How close we grow to be every day is the present (equivalent of “positive energy” above). Sure, we can get (really) stressed at times and vent, but that’s not negativity, that’s human. And yes, a lot of people use the past as a base to build towards the future, but as fighters in society, we mature every day, and if someone is no longer walking next to you, they are not walking with you. The person walking next to you is your cheerleader. The person walking ahead of you is your goal and inspiration. And if you find someone that can be your goal and cheerleader, then that’s 😃 And that person can come in different forms: family and friends and partner and peers. Make sure you give them bonuses. The person who speeds to the finish line (equivalent to his/her goal) misses all the leg cramps, Gatorade stops, and most importantly, cheerleaders, and that’s silly because it was never a race to start with. Chase dreams. Walk with parallels. Live positively.
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