Tee up Lucky I Got What I Want, Jungle
The Joy of Business
My life changed after reading "The Ride of a Lifetime" by Bob Iger. The book is an autobiography talking about his professional career – from college to being the CEO of Disney.
The undercurrent of the entire book was joy. The joy of problem solving. The joy of overcoming obstacles. The joy of learning. The joy of working with different types of people. The joy of business.
I had never really connected joy with business. But there was so much I connected with in this book, and joy was what I left with. And that sense of joy has had a profound impact on how I look at work. Finding joy in overcoming obstacles. Finding joy in working with different personalities. Finding joy in learning. It's challenging. It's fun. I find joy in my work.
One important piece about work that I feel is often overlooked. Every job in the world has pros and cons. There is no such thing as a job with no cons. One thing I've been very intent on is trying to focus on the positives of my work – downplaying the negatives. More selectively picking my battles. To let go of the stuff that isn't in my control. Leaning into the positives, embracing them proactively.
To be conscious of the good and bad, so I can control my emotion and reaction to both. This is a lifelong pursuit, but one I've been highly conscious of and worked to develop over time.
I want to embrace the problems and challenges in work as opportunities for problem solving and learning. Growth Mindset. The more challenges I overcome, the better I become. The longer I persist through the maze, the better I am at navigating the maze. The longer I stick with it, the more I get from it. The more people I work with, the stronger my network. I love it.
The key for me is hard work and consistency. Those are the two traits that I really focus on. Those are my keys to success. Keep working hard, do it consistently, and good things come. Layer in joy. Layer in focusing on positives. Layer in the ability to embrace the challenges. You're going to succeed. That is the winning formula.