I’m always intrigued by men who are bound and determined to prevent hair loss from happening. I saw a guy the other day who was bald, save for the “power donut” on the sides and a little patch of hair transplants right above his forehead. It reminded me of what it looked like when my daughter cut all of the hair off her Barbie a many years ago. I’m not sure the look fooled anyone, least of all a guy like me who long ago declared “Mission Accomplished” on hair loss and just shaved it off.
Certainly we all need to push forward to accomplish goals but when all indicators point to a loss, it’s time to accept it and move on.
Some of the most popular men in Hollywood are “Bic Heads” while the guys like Donald Trump valiantly but futility try to wage war on thinning hair. Accept defeat and move on.
I once heard a story about a child who tried as hard as he could to make the school chorus. He just didn’t have the voice. Fortunately, he had a teacher who introduced him to playing a musical instrument instead. He became the best clarinet player in the school band and went on to become a music major in college and is now a music teacher.
All of us have talents and gifts. If you find yourself futilely trying to make something work and just can’t make progress, reassess where you’re at and find another avenue in another area. By leveraging what we do have, we’ll find the satisfaction we want in an area we may never have considered. I had an unremarkable career in the Navy and as hard as I tried, I failed to achieve any of my goals or promotions. My current career is a much different story. It makes much better use of my talents and I’ve been able to achieve far more than I imagined and exciting opportunities and challenges come to me almost every week. It would have never happened if I chose to slog out a full career in the Navy.
Einstein or Nietzsche, or Buddha, or Lincoln (I think this one is attributed to everyone via meme) said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Whoever said it was correct. Maybe we ought to follow that advice.
So this week, do a deep assessment of where you are. Take an honest hard look at your career direction and see if you’re really leveraging your gifts and talents. If not, why not do a serious course change?