Soon after starting my career, I had a chance to meet a highly accomplished Taiwanese entrepreneur during his visit to our company. (My first job was at a Korean internet company – I worked there in lieu of the compulsive military service.)
I was lucky enough to sit next to him during dinner (the fact that I was one of few people at our company who could speak English definitely helped.) I asked him (just like any junior person would do), what advice does he have for someone like me, who’s just starting out the professional journey?
He thought for a moment. Then, his answer resonated and stayed with me to this date: Shine in small things.
He didn’t inherit any fortune, yet he became a self-made mogul. He said he gave all of himself in whatever job he was doing – big or small. When he was 17 and was working at a local restaurant, he was (what he called) a “shining star” – He might have been doing mundane tasks, like mopping floors or washing dishes, but anyone could see he was the hardest working person in the entire restaurant.
Did his success all begin from that restaurant? We don’t know. But if success is opening a series of doors, I’m sure his unwavering work ethic helped open whatever first few doors.
In this era of great resignation and quiet quitting, it’s becoming harder to see people who are giving 120% of themselves to their day jobs. A lot of people think their day job is just a job, and their true passion lies elsewhere.
But I think that’s a missed opportunity. You’re not shining in anything. You don’t get noticed by the world. Before shining in big things, you gotta shine in small things first.
If you’re crystal clear about what your true passion is, why toil away at your day job? Jump ship, start from the bottom in the new field, and shine in small things there. Life is short – way too short for half-assing anything.