Comments on: Beyond the 9-5

By: JR Moreau

JR Moreau — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:28:58 +0000

This is a great and inspirational article. I try to think about this mindset every day as I work towards my ultimate goal(s) of entrepreneurship.

By: Darren Newman

Darren Newman — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:10:01 +0000

So very true Dana…so very true indeed!

By: Dana Hess

Dana Hess — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:59:57 +0000

Another quote: “We do what we have to so we can do what we want to.”

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:34:19 +0000

Making yourself the ultimate competition is wonderful becuase there is always room for improve. I’m running my first marathon and believe me, I’m not competing against the other 20,000 people running it… its against myself. But you have to be careful.

The quote “living your life like most people wont, so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t” sounds somewhat precocious. Before you are willing to spend all your time for the goal of ultimate success, be careful of what you are sacrificing. Be it college years, friends, or time with family, you never know what life is going to throw at you - everything can change in an instant. I’m completely supportive of working hard and loving what you do, but if you have no one to share it with at the end of the day, what’s the point?

“The work never ends, but college does” from Tom Petty comes to mind. If you find yourself still in your office alone at midnight, just remember that your computer screen will still be there tomorrow - and computers don’t have feelings. Relationships on the other hand can change over night, and wont necessarily be the same over time after never being a top priority.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:41:54 +0000

Paul,

I totally agree with doing what’s right for your life. My post was geared toward doing what you have to do to reach your potential. For some it might not be applicable to their career and that’s a choice each of us make. It’s not about being famous or being rich, its about self actualization.

By: Ryan Stephens

Ryan Stephens — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:24:38 +0000

In my experience, putting in the extra hours and doing the extra work isn’t near as hard as trying to explain to friends and family why it’s important to you.

I work hard and play hard, but I just play less now. I still go to 3-5 social occasions a week (from a 1 hour happy hour event to a 4 hour football game), yet in my last semester of graduate school, my friends can’t comprehend why all of my spare time isn’t focussed on ‘hanging out.’

I guess when you get ‘there,’ where ever ‘there’ is for you, perhaps it will make sense to them.

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:50:46 +0000

Paul - I disagree. You say there are certain things you can’t sacrifice like friends or family. The idea is that there are some periods of time that you DO HAVE TO SACRIFICE these things in order to achieve ultimate goals and optimize your chances. Some people aren’t willing to go through that though.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:34:06 +0000

I see what you are saying — and I love the Bolt reference. It drove me crazy when he slowed down at the end. I know he wanted to make it look effortless — but why not do your best at the Olympics!

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:49:26 +0000

I agree for the most part about what you are saying about competing against yourself rather than getting it done and then going home. BUT you also need to keep in mind what is rewarded inside your company if that is where you are trying to succeed and what your ultimate goals are. Not all of us are trying to be “the most famous” or “the best paid” some of us just want to succeed to the best of our abilities and love life. And there are certain things you can’t sacrifice, be it family or friends. There are a lot of rich successful people that don’t necessarily enjoy life, so make sure you make decisions knowing the sacrifices and make sure you are doing it to achieve YOUR goals.