If you liked reading this post, I highly recommend Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. One of my favorite quotes, "So it goes," is repeated often throughout the book, and though it usually refers to tragic circumstances, it too hints that life will throw major wrenches in our plans that we shouldn't try to completely ascribe meaning to.
That's one of my favorite quotes and I almost mentioned it in the post. "So it goes" is mentioned 106 times in Slaughterhouse Five. After reading the book, I found myself saying it as often as 'good luck, bad luck, who knows?"
Agree! I enjoyed it very much! This "good luck, bad luck, who knows?" already became a "instant classic" for my life philosofy... I am really glad I got caught by the title and encouraged to read by your sincere compliment. Thanks! (sometimes I feel that HN doesn't know how to just give sincere compliments, everybody want to look smart and neat and add some complement or criticism on the OP, instead of just saying it is just fine as it is written).
Great article. Rudyard Kipling warned us of the same when he wrote:
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster /
And treat those two impostors just the same"
This is the main theme of the book "Hannibal and Me: What History's Greatest Military Strategist Can Teach Us About Success and Failure", written by Andreas Kluth of The Economist. If you enjoyed the OP's post, and love history (or just great storytelling), get the book. Promise you won't regret it.
Some wisdom from the book (from notes I took):
Those who experience tremendous success early in life are likely to have hit a peak. The wandering types who experience success later in life are more likely to sustain success for longer. [The book has an entire chapter analyzing "Towering Peaks" vs. "Wanderers"…a must-read for those who feel behind.]
Always keep the end goal in mind. Don't confuse tactics with strategy. Succeeding in the wrong things will lead to failure.
Dealing with disasters: A “Fabian Response” is one that accepts reality for what it is and then goes with the flow of things that cannot be changed until there is something that can be changed. In other words, accepting reality and then not doing anything - until there are viable alternatives. The key wisdom here is that sometimes the best plan of action is inaction. But don't confuse this with giving up. In this case, inaction is tactical, a part of a plan to succeed.
Keep as clear and calm a mind as possible in pursuit of success, and in response to failure. Always maintain EQUANIMITY. In fact, don't worry about success at all....just focus on doing your best.
Success can be imprisoning in many ways, and needs to be feared. Here are some reasons why:
1) Success is often followed by less discipline and focus.
2) Distractions, such as too many opportunities, or just plain overload of low-value work. Often the source of the success in the first place is forgotten or demoted because of these distractions.
3) Hubris that makes one think he is invincible.
4) Affects social relationships due to paranoia that others aren't as trustworthy anymore, are acting different, etc. Successful people waste time & energy dwelling on these.
5) The confidence and relaxation that accompanies great thinking and creativity (and thus responsible for the success) are replaced with anxiety and self-doubt. This kills the freedom of the mind.
6) Stubbornness and inflexibility that comes with being an authority/expert, which also kills the freedom of the mind.
I really like this approach to life. Opportunity really comes when you least expect it. I've been canned from jobs and thought my world was over only to find an even better job. So now I try to see everything as an opportunity. It sounds cliche but it really helps.
Thank you so much for this post, this gives me a little bit of hope and urge me to keep trucking.
I too was a man full of rejection:
1. I was kicked as a co-founder of a successful startup.
2. Upon finding a full-time job, a year later I was fired and have a lawyer to write demand letters for me which I never comply.
3. Found another job to work remotely that require me to have a Macbook Pro, but being financially short I converted my only desktop to a hackintosh. Then months later they send somebody at my house and upon discovery that I don't have a Macbook Pro I was fired.
4. Found another job, months later I was being shouted to leave the office and was fired.
5. Found another job, I was really happy I was into mobile app development, and 2 weeks away from release and shipping of the app, I was fired and the app didn't get shipped.
Right now I'm hoping to get into developing my own product, only if I have the strength to move on, and this post gives me a little bit of hope, I say 'Good luck, bad luck, who knows?'
I've been listening to the 4HR WorkWeek by Tim Ferriss (because 580 is so much better with an audiobook.) In it he describes getting comfortable with rejection. One of his exercises is to ask 3 attractive people for their number. Hmrph...might try that. :)
