"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." That's a quote by Will Rogers. Will did it all. He was a movie star, radio host and newspaper columnist. He was one of the most beloved men of his generation. On his tombstone, he wanted the words "I never met a man I didn't like" carved on it. He died in a plane crash in Alaska in 1935.
Rogers had a lot of folksy sayings that made a lot of sense. I like the one above because of how simple and true it is. Have you ever met a person who had a lot of talent at something, yet never amounted to much? I see that sometimes in my profession. It's almost like they worked hard to become an analyst, but once they got the title, they just seemed to stop working. They would rather just rest on their laurels. Well, these people rarely last long. They will get a job with a fund, work there for about six months to a year and are then sent packing. Why? Usually because they fail to live up to their potential. One guy I knew had a degree from Harvard. In the five years I knew him, he had four jobs. He went from working as a salesman for Goldman Sachs, to working at a hedge fund where he bombed. He then went to another hedge fund, then another, never making any real money as a portfolio manager. After he joined a third hedge fund, I lost track of him. I imagine he has moved a few times since then too. When someone is successful, we say "they are really hitting their stride." We call successful people "movers and shakers." All of these things connote movement! Thus, if you really want to make an impact in anything you do, make sure to keep moving in the right direction. Don't rest on your laurels. No one cares what you did yesterday. They care about what you are doing right now...and what type of impact you will have on the future. Keep working towards your goals. Don't give in to mediocrity. Do your best at whatever you decide to do. Don't take the attitude that you can get by with just "good enough". People can tell a lot about you by what you do. To use karate as an example, you can really tell the difference between which people practice and which people don't. The ones that do are typically in better shape and pick up the material much faster than those that don't. Their kicks and strikes are cleaner, and usually more powerful. Whatever you decide to do in life, don't settle to be one of "those" people. Put effort into whatever you decide to do. If you won't put the effort in, then why bother to do it at all. If you get on a track, remember there are trains and there is roadkill. Be a train...don't get run over because you decide to sit back and relax on the tracks!
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