I almost “made it” today

Pete Horsley
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read

Have you ever had that feeling that you were on the edge of “making it”? You think that if this [fill in the blank] pulls off, then you will have “made it”.

I almost “made it” today.

Well…not really, but I was reminded in a small, but funny way of our desire for significance, for people to think you’re okay; for them to think you’re moving up in the world.

I do have a cool job. As part of Remarkable I work with an amazing team of people Ben Reid, Lydia Hascott and Alyssa Wynants, and we get to work with an incredibly talented bunch of tech startup founders all trying to create impact for people with disability.

Last week we had privilege of having Naomi Simson — Founder of Red Balloon and Shark Tank Australia judge come to speak to our startups and mentors on her startup journey. I’ve always admired Naomi — she’s created a business that people love, she’s created a workplace that is engaging and energised, she’s doing good in the world and she’s a polished presenter to boot.

It was a great night — one of those nights that you have to turn out the lights to give people the hint that it’s time to go home. Lydia — who emceed, and I, along with our venue host — David, were given the opportunity to have a photo with Naomi at the end of the night, then express our thanks for her making time to speak. Great night!

Then Naomi contacted us to say she would write a blog post mentioning us. Amazing! She has close to 2 million followers on LinkedIn and has massive presence on our TV screens through the current series of Shark Tank Australia being televised at the moment. Her blog came out today.

“I’m moving up in the world,” I subconsciously thought to myself.

Then I saw the photo on her blog

Damn you big white box!

“Damn you, big white box!!” I very consciously thought to myself.

I had to laugh.

It did make me think that the search for importance — to “make it”, should be held lightly. It is fleeting, like trying to catch wind.

Significance, real significance, comes from knowing your calling (it is literally what vocation means) and knowing that you are contributing to something beyond yourself.

If that is the measure of “making it”, then I’ve done enough for today.