I reviewed Jim Axelrod’s book In the Long Run
on Saturday. I wasn’t expecting much out of the book, but I came away with three points that really impacted me.
- The value of a father.
- Success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
- A don’t quit attitude can take you a long way.
Check out my thoughts on 1 & 3 by clicking the links above.
More than anything, In the Long Run made me think more deeply about the above three topics. It has made me evaluate all three, and re-examine where I stand with them today from the past.
Early, easy success can bring you and your dreams down.
Jim Axelrod rode a wave of success climbing from a news reporter at a small upstate New York affiliate all the way to the top reporter at the White House. Though there were times that he met bumps in the road, not much slowed him down.
Along the way, he never stopped to ask himself the question, “Do I love what I’m doing?”
While he enjoyed the rewards of his success: money, prestige, honor, etc. The work, specifically the reporting on politics wasn’t what he loved. He was capable of reporting on the political wrangling happening at and around the White House, but he wasn’t passionate about it. He loved talking with people about their lives.
So he quit. He quit trying to fight for something he didn’t love. Along the way he found satisfaction, his family and his wife (again).
Success is a deceptive drug. You taste a little of it, and you do and say things you never would have a few months earlier. You feel that one more victory will get you to the level you have always desired…and then you will be happy. It’s like being trapped on a merry-go-round that never stops. The only options are to stay on and try to endure the ride or jump off and risk injury or death to your dreams.
There’s still time!
Jim Axelrod was lucky. At the time he realized he wasn’t going any further up the ladder he had climbed, he was only in his mid 40’s. He had time to re-evaluate and change course while there was still time.
I’m in the midst of a change in my life, starting The Collective. It began with taking stock of my life and realizing what I was doing and where I was headed didn’t match what I wanted. Much of the reason I moved in a different direction than I wanted was a direct result of success.
Tomorrow, I’ll share three ways that early success has actually become a negative in my life. Hopefully you will be able to find similar things and actively work against the negatives of early success.
I don’t know that it’s ever too late to make large-scale changes in your life, but I do know that the longer you wait, the harder it is to change. Don’t wait. Do it now.
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