You are invincible
It’s Tuesday morning, 11am on the second day of your west coast trip. You’re already on your third meeting of the day, the previous two of which you of course CRUSHED.
You’re PUMPED.
You’re weaving through traffic, almost like you’re predicting how other drivers will move, as your jam is blaring through the speakers of your rented convertible sports car. The sun is shining on your now perfectly tanned skin, ocean-views on your left, mountainous delight on your right, as you shift into fourth gear and hit the accelerator exactly at the apex of the curve you’re about to enter. The world stops, everything makes sense, this is what you’re meant to do, and truly, in that second, nothing else matters. You crack a smile, take a second to digest… you’ve made it, you’ve reached a micro-moment of nirvana that you’ve been working towards for a long time…
You’re fucking invincible.
You arrive at your third meeting, panache in over-drive, self confidence through the roof, and you take that meeting to newer heights. You realize there’s another level. Holy shit! It’s exciting, almost dangerous in its possibilities. You don’t stop, you push further, yourself, your employees, your co-workers, your investors, your family… you elevate, and force everyone around you to elevate.
You want more, but you’re restrained. More resources, more hours in the day, more people willing to push the envelope who aren’t afraid to try and fail.
What a day… If only every day was like today.
And then, you get a phone call. You knew it, it was coming. Just as you were predicting traffic earlier, your heart skips a beat when you see that phone screen light up. Even the way your phone is vibrating in its stupid wiggly plastic holder seems different than usual. You answer, knowing exactly how the call will go. Your heart sinks, your spirits chatter, you turn off the music, and take a big sigh.
You’re not invincible anymore.
A feeling of disdain sinks in, you’re angry… physically angry… but almost immediately and instinctively, your mind goes into resolution mode. You theorize, your plan your chess moves, you come up with 15 different scenarios in your head, you prioritize, and you decide. Your action plan is set in motion, you make that first phone call, you lay the state of the world, and you put your team into action, and demand status updates every 15 minutes. Like clockwork, SMS, email, phone call, SMS, email, phone call, slack message, and there it is… a light at the end of the tunnel… a possibility that did not exist a few minutes ago, that YOU created. Out of nothing. Thin air. It’s magic time again. Music’s back on, smile’s back on… there really is a new level to you.
You’re invincible again.
You hit the nearest restaurant, order the most unusual thing on the menu, and decide to scour the web for business events near you. It’s what you do. You enter the venue, scope the people, and network selectively. Boring, interesting, douche bag, competitor… COMPETITOR? You approach your mark, drink in hand, action plan in mind. You manoeuvre, you swerve, you aggrandize, you manipulate… nothing. Damn, he’s good. Let’s try another angle. Let’s be straight up. Shit, did I give him too much?
That feeling sinks in. It’s all too familiar. You’re not invincible anymore.
You go back to your hotel after that dizzying rollercoaster of a day. You’re beat. You left it all out there. You find that usual bench outside your hotel, smoke the day’s last cigarette, remembering what they said. You reminisce about the day it was, analyzing every decision, every move, every impulse, and realize, at that moment, life gave you lemons, and you made lemon meringue pie. You go to bed, satisfied. You crack a smile, and you realize… I am fucking invincible… until you’re not anymore.
