Danger of Success

Job Loss

Some of the most “successful” people in the world hate their jobs.

In the first pages of his new autobiography, former tennis star, Andre Agassiz, writes:  “I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion.”  Turns out that Agassiz won eight Grand Slam titles with a ‘can do’ skill.

Agassiz’s father forced him to hit 2500 balls, fired from a machine at 180 km an hour, starting at age 7.  Ten years of such daily rigor helped turn him into a champion. But, as a champion, he felt “nothing.”  There was no innate pleasure, no passion, for hitting tennis balls.

How many people end up in careers due to early decisions in life, decisions often taken for them by the significant people in their lives—parents, family members, teachers, coaches, or others?  Some people are channeled down a certain professional path using can do skills long before they’ve had a chance to discover and nurture their natural talents and motivations.

A can do skill is something we learn or acquire through training and experience.  It might be built on a natural talent.  Surely, Agassiz must have been born with a talent for physical coordination, a knack for moving his arms, legs, and torso in a coordinated fashion.  But, according to him, that body was not designed for hitting tennis balls.

What we lack in passion, we make up for with sheer will and determination.  Agassiz was often a picture of determination on the tennis court. Similarly, nobody can deny that Tiger Woods may be the best golfer ever!  But, like Agassiz, he lives a lopsided, unnatural life of daily practice.  This kind of freakish and slavish devotion to skill development produces certifiable stars but it does not normally produce individuals who are passionate about their work, or innately happy with their lot in life.

It reminds of that quote on a Starbuck’s coffee cup (The Way I See It #26): “Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous.  If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.”
Agassiz hated his work but stuck with it—one assumes, for the rewards.  He was trapped by the golden handcuffs as much as any builder, banker, or bureaucrat who hates their work.   Through a painful routine that numbed him to the joys of life, he did his job for money until retirement.

There is always a trade-off.  Agassiz has admitted to substance abuse and addiction.  Depression in the Public Service is now at public health crisis levels.   The private world of Tiger Woods is torn asunder.  You can’t cheat life!

I encourage individuals to discover and develop their passion into work that will sustain them for a lifetime of employment.  The key to self-fulfillment is to enjoy what you do day-in and day-out. Why would you stop doing something you love?

Retirement, I reason, is for people, like Agassiz, who don’t like their jobs, or for people forced out of their jobs for reasons beyond their control.  A lot of very rich people keep working; they don’t need the money; they love what they do.  Conversely, many wealthy individuals who got rich doing what they don’t enjoy, move onto something else first chance they get.

When your work utilizes your natural talents and motivations, when your daily grind is helping to create what really matters to you in life, then you are in your right work.  There is a flow to it, an innate satisfaction abounds from it, and you derive genuine joy from what you do, a joy that is clearly evident to others.

18 thoughts on “Danger of Success”

  1. Have wanted to tell you that I really like your new format and this month, really enjoyed the articles – more than usual as they struck at note in me.  The work and doing something you don’t like but are stuck and the musical man.  That is so good.  So this person can now play music to his hearts delight.  How good is that! Keep them coming.

  2. Hello…
    I would just like to say that this is a really good newsletter… Also, after having found your site, I have gone ahead, left the corporate scene and am now getting in touch with my passions.
     
    I sent you an invitation on LinkedIN, I do hope you would like to join my network.
    Thanks, you appeared on my path at a critical moment.
    Best Regards,
    Christel

  3. Are you writing about Andre Agassi here? I’m not familiar with Andre Agassiz. Your writing seems to be riddled with typos and errors. All the best.

  4. You made some good points there. I looked on the internet for the subject and found most guys will consent with your website.

    1. Do you really think most guys would agree? We live in a world that seems to reward means not ends, e.g. at the end of the day, the last one standing wins; by any means possible; it’s how well you play the game but whether you win or not; and similar notions fostered by the competitive fabric of our society.

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