i used to think i worked hard, lived a healthy and cozy life.
i met my mentor after my last promotion. I admired him so much, because he was only slightly older than me, living life like a boss, he essentially gets paid big $$$ to share his opinion by text message and that's it and was very cool as a person. What astonished me, was that he didn't finish university, nor did he have any accolades like I did but he was definitely doing better than me.
he showed me the power of going all-in and drinking lots of coffee. I am not saying this is the best way to live, but the results are so obvious, its like night and day.
by all-in, i don't mean just doing a better job, but committing your life to your craft. I committed 12-14hours a day, weekends too. Cut off drugs & alcohol, friends, family, and fun. Coffee was my only necessity. What amazed me, was the confidence that I had built in my persona from working so much. I remember going into a conference, and the VP introduced us a new team member who was supposed to be our "expert" in client relationships. I worked so many hours with our client, that it was laughable that this random guy could tell me how to manage my own client. I had the confidence enough to tell the whole team, I didn't need the "expert" because looking at what i achieved with the client, and he would waste time to only achieve half. 4 months later, they got rid of him, and they gave me 50% of his salary to teach others.
the results were worth it for me, as i achieved a status that I never imagined I could reach. I am not at the finish line, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
my biggest regret is not doing this earlier in life
