Tag Archives: career path

The Soundtrack for a Great Career

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This post was spurred buy the recent release of Gatorade’s wonderful tribute ad to Derek Jeter.  If you haven’t seen it, please watch it below.

The ad stood out to me immediately because the soundtrack of the execution is one of my favorite songs of all time, “My Way,” and easily my favorite Sinatra song.  More, much more than this, it reminded me of what I like to refer to as, the soundtrack of my career.  I pulled a couple key lines from every verse to truly emphasize the deep impact of this song.

 Verse 1 – Set the Stage

“I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full”

Verse 2 – Looking Back

“Regrets, I’ve had a few,
But then again, too few to mention”

Verse 3 – Facing Adversity

“But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out”

Verse 4 – No Regrets

“I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried,
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing”

 Verse 5 – My Way (entire verse)

“For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught,
To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels,
The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!”

Here is a link to the complete “My Way” Lyrics

The reason I listen to this song often is to make sure I’m staying true to myself and my own personal soundtrack.  I believe many people spend far too much time living the life others set out for us.  I really don’t care what you do or what your pursuit is, just make sure you don’t lose yourself in the process.

Let this song be a reminder to be respectful, but also true to yourself and what you believe

 

ACTION ITEM: There is a famous quote I’ll share with you as I believe it relates to what Frank is saying to us all.

“If you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to build theirs”

 

The Hardest Work You’ll Ever Do

I hate to gossip.  But, this one is juicy.

I’m about to tell you the inside scoop on the toughest working relationship I have and the painstaking work I’m enduring to make the best of it.  I promise not to name names, but you can start guessing if you know me that well.

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First, a little background on the relationship is appropriate. 

My challenge is pretty simple really.  However, it’s a relationship years in the making with both ups and downs.  Great successes and challenging failures have resulted from this individual.

I’m trying to make this person the best they can possibly be, but I don’t exactly know where that ceiling is.  I continue to challenge and push, but no two days are the same.  I struggle with what sometimes feels like two creatures wrapped in the same person on a different day.

Here are some of the other challenges I have with the individual:

  • Can sometimes lack focus and have too many things happening at once
  • Works too much from time to time
  • Is always looking for more
  • Has a hard time letting go and delegating
  • Will not accept mediocre
  • Can be selfish
  • Is a picky eater (ok that’s not a real gripe, but it is true)

So who is this person and how can I stand to keep him around?

 

Any guesses?

 

It’s me.  Zac Keeney.

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The hardest work I’ve encountered in my career is responsibility for my own path.  It continues to be the hardest work I’ll do because I’m not satisfied with where I am today and what the future might hold.

Please don’t misunderstand this for being ungrateful.  I’m extremely thankful for all the people I get a chance to share the day with.  But success today is far from final.

I will promise my readers this.  No one else is going to take responsibility for your career or your future.  It’s on you and those you surround yourself with.  You and I hold the keys.

That is exactly why this is the hardest work you’ll ever do.  There is no one else to blame for your results.  IT’S ALL ON YOU!  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it and it would become a mundane task lacking joy.

The books to read, people to meet, challenges to take head on, and the passion to continue growing.  It is the hardest work you’ll ever do and it won’t end.  It will also be the most fulfilling because YOU OWN IT!

Yes, you will have many people help you along the way.  No one truly does it all on their own.  Thank them.  Offer to help them and repay your success with an obligation to send them down a similar path.

If you’re anything like me, my strong personality pushes back from time to time and I need a wake-up call or a swift kick in the ass to continue.  Just don’t give up!

ACTION ITEM: If you can look in the mirror and say the work you’re doing on yourself is sufficient, I challenge you to look for more.  What more can you do to challenge yourself?  It wasn’t meant to be easy and the product (you) isn’t finished yet.