The best revenge is living better than, or at least never again
thinking about, the person who made your life miserable. And ten
years later, that person might be in a position to help you, or just not
get in the way. People who complain about others and how they got
screwed are, well, losers. Note: if you believe someone has treated you
unethically (such as harassment), don’t be afraid to speak to a lawyer
and mentors about what to do (there’s no one size fits all here).
Regression to the Mean
Nothing is ever as good or bad as it seems. All situations and emotions
pass. When you have a big victory, pull in your horns and be risk
avoidant for a period. Regression to the mean is a powerful force, and
the good luck (and a lot of it is luck) will cut the other way at some
point. So, many entrepreneurs who make a lot of money on one
venture turn around and lose a lot of it because they believe the victory
was due to their genius and they should go bigger. At the same time,
when beaten down, realize you are not as stupid as the world, at that
moment, seems to think you are. When beaned in the face, the key is
to get up, dust off, and swing harder. I’ve been hit in the face several
times, and kept getting up. Also, a couple times, I was looking at
private jets (during economic booms/bubbles), only to have the
universe remind me I wasn’t that smart. However, I’ve achieved
Mosaic status on JetBlue.
Go Where Your Skill Is Valued
Within your organization, figure out what the company is good at—its
core functions—and if you want to excel there, have a bias toward one
of those categories. Google is all about engineers: the salesmen don’t
do as well (though it’s still a great place to work). Consumer packaged
goods companies are brand managers: engineers rarely make it to the
C-suite. If you’re in the discipline that drives the company, what it
excels at, you will be working with the best people on the most
challenging projects, and are more likely to be noticed by senior