Way of the turtle

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Way of the Turtle

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Some might have considered this a terrible experience, but I 
didn’t. The things I really enjoyed in life were not affected much
by my change in condition. I liked to go out with friends to lunch
and dinner, have discussions with interesting people, talk about
doing something challenging with a group of people, and the like.
None of those activities required much money, and I was more able
to do them in my new job in Silicon Valley than I had been able
to do in Lake Tahoe or Reno, where I had lived previously. I was
actually having more fun and enjoying my life as much as or more
than I had when I had had millions because I was able to do some-
thing that I really loved.
That experience also gave me greater empathy for those who do
not have money or are in poor circumstances. I now know what it
is like not to be able to eat when hungry and to live from paycheck
to paycheck.
I also learned a tremendous amount about start-ups and entre-
preneurial management during that period. I had not realized it,
but not having worked for anyone else had been a significant dis-
advantage. It is certainly more difficult to manage people well
when you don’t know what it is like to be managed yourself. As a
consultant, I was at the bottom of the organization chart. I had
no direct reports or even the silly little perks that employees get,
which somehow seemed important since they were not available
to me. I also had no real power. I could effect change only
through influence. That was a disadvantage, but it forced me to
hone my skills of persuasion, and I was able to effect some
changes when people believed in my perspective. Since it was a
bigger challenge to effect change with no real power, I enjoyed
it immensely.
When All Is Said and Done
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243

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I believe that the lessons and skills I learned in that period have
been invaluable and will continue to help me in my future efforts.
I have experienced things that many people fear; I feared those
things myself. In every case the reality of what I feared was never
as bad as the fear itself.
I say this to encourage you to chase your dreams, even those you
may have given up on. If you fail in the attempt, learn from that
failure and try again. If you persist, you will move closer and closer
to your goal, or you may find that another goal becomes even more
important. 
Go ahead and take that trade. It may not turn out the way you
expected or hoped, but then again, it may turn out even better. You
will never know if you don’t try.