There Are Times When You Should Move On

Sometimes we have to be patient and sometimes we have to get moving. Wisdom is knowing which time is which and when to do what. I know, easier said than done. But we all know when we've exhausted certain possibilities -- and quite possibly ourselves -- in the course of finding out. Wouldn't it be great to know everything first?

That could save a lot of time. One way is to train your brain to do some assessing first. Do the "scenario" test: What if I quit this job, what would tomorrow bring? Maybe some adventures, but without a paycheck. What if I stayed in this job? The same old stuff but with a paycheck. What if I thought about a new career? A good plan, because you can stay in your job while you're working your brain toward something more challenging. Sometimes that will even open up opportunities in your present job. Do the brain work first, asking yourself a lot of questions.

If, at the end of trying to make your current situation better, it is an obvious dead end, then it's a good time to move on. Maybe it's just not a good fit. It's like a relationship -- on paper all the important things seem to add up, but the chemistry just isn't there to make it work in reality. Jobs can be that way, too. Just as I've hired people with terrific credentials only to find out it's simply not a good match, for them or for me. You have to cut your losses quickly. That's a good thing to learn if you want to be successful.

When we hear of extremely successful people, it's usually safe to assume they've had some obstacles or difficulties along the way. There's a lot of trial and error before something is effortless or polished. Michelangelo said something worth thinking about: "If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."The problem is, we usually only see the end result and not the process.

There was a guy who was a very successful businessman, but his first passion in life was the piano. He was very dedicated and disciplined, and he achieved a certain virtuosity, but he finally realized he would never be one of the greats. In other words, he knew he would never be a Horowitz or a Gould, and he had very high standards for himself. So he quit the piano and applied himself to business and he became enormously successful. He just knew he should move on, and he did. He remained a musician in his private life and maintained a healthy balance for himself with his interests. He said if he'd remained a pianist, he would have been frustrated. He did a lot of thinking before he made his move, but he knew it was the right decision.

It's not always easy to move on -- it's leaving something behind in a way, but sometimes what's ahead will be better. We've got to do things we're suited for and hopefully that we enjoy. Success is a great feeling, and success should add to your health, not detract from it.

I sometimes tell people they are not cut out to be entrepreneurs because it's true. Some people are, and some people aren't. It will save you a lot of time and hardship if you can figure that out first. As with anything, you have to see how you handle pressure and the risk factor. It's similar to going through the set of questions we had at the beginning of this essay. Learn to scrutinize yourself and your capabilities, and find the time for some thought-provoking thinking. As Confucius said, "Learning without thought is labor lost." Don't let that apply to you. Learn, work, and think in equal proportions, and you'll be going in the right direction.

The above is an excerpt from the book Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education In Business and Life by Donald J. Trump. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2009 Donald J. Trump, author of Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education In Business and Life