Two Roads and a Multitude of Choices

Most of us desire success. Ask any individual and they will define their own unique aspect of success. What some people don’t realize is that there are different roads to take that can cause you to either lose yourself in the process or achieve things in life that are simply irreplaceable, valuable byproducts of real success.

The first road is relatively short and easy. Along the way are Quik-E-Stops where you can fuel up your ego tank. People love you down this road. Or at least appear to. They stand on the side of the road, chanting you on as long as you continue to blow smoke up their ass to mask the fact that you truly have nothing to offer. They love your fluff. Your fluff makes their unattainable pipe dreams seem more real. However, they hate to watch you fall on such an easy road and will bash you the first vulnerability they spot (even if they don’t have the guts to take the journey themselves). If you do happen to make it to the end nobody notices because they all are now focusing on the new full-of-hot-air guy who is just starting and cheering him on. You dine on your overrated quarter pounder with cheese success alone, wake up alone, look around and wonder where the hell everybody is.

The second road is long and rough. Not too many paved highways on this road. Just a long, dirty, uphill trail with a stranger here and there, smiling at you along the way. This road requires you to find your own energy to press on but when you fall there will be people who are very familiar with your battle to help you up and encourage you. They put band-aids on your knees. They share water when you run out. They tell you the best way to climb Mount William. When you reach the end, you get to enjoy the company of friends you made along the way and you discover that while the path you chose was hard to endure: it was indeed a beautiful, rewarding path to take.

In business you can either let yourself get overly excited at the fluff people try to feed you or you can opt out of the bullshit, take a good look at people, what they are trying to accomplish, what motives they have and let those speak for themselves. There is nothing wrong with success or trying to achieve it, however, be aware of those who only want to use you as a stepping stone to hitch them up on that next ladder peg of success.

Which reminds me of a good quote:

“Always be nice to people on the way up; because you’ll meet the same people on the way down“. ~ Wilson Mizner