That's Outside My Boat

Be Ready to
Alter Your Course

Don’t wait for someone to discover you’re not adding value; you know first. When you discover that about yourself, have the guts to stand up and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to move on to something else.’ Your confidence should come from the experiences you’ve built and from your toolbox.”

Even if it’s not perfectly right, pick a direction and go, because there are hundreds of opportunities out there. Go where you can add value, and things will be fine. This is the way to enjoy life’s journey.

and head off in a new direction

takes a lot of guts to say, “You know what? I’m leaving the boat.” But it’s not the end of the world. Take your toolbox with you,

add enormous value

After some retrospection, I found that when you fire yourself from a job, you go out with dignity; you go out with your personal esteem intact. You discover very rapidly that you will carry the skills and knowledge you have into your next job. Remember: leave the boat, but don’t forget your toolbox.

Most people get into a job and they stay in that job way too long. They’re unhappy. It affects their personal life, it affects their friends, it affects how they work. They start learning more and more about less and less, and they’re really not adding value to the company anymore. They know it. They may not have been discovered yet, but they know that someday they’re going to be discovered, and it gets to be a miserable existence. This is the time to fire yourself.

Therefore, if you feel trapped in your boat, you can leave that boat at any time, but be sure to take your toolbox of skills and knowledge with you.

BUSINESS TODAY, you have a lot more options than you think you have. You’re in your boat, but you can be in another boat in a second.