A Swift Kick in the Ass

A Story of Disappointment and Determination

I received this email last week:

My natural first reaction was disappointment. After all, this seemingly life-changing opportunity came to me in the form of a random email.

A design manager from Uber reached out after coming across some of my work online. He mentioned he was impressed with my work and my experience would be a great potential fit for his team.

Fast forward two long weeks, two solid phone interviews, and 9 days of silence and here we are at the above email.

The funny thing is I’ve honestly never considered full-time employment. I’ve been working for myself since before I graduated college and a conventional path has never seemed to be a viable option for me.

It’s not that I consider myself special. In fact, quite the opposite. I’m just like any other white, privileged, millennial male pursuing my purpose in life. I was given the amazing opportunity to go to college, meet others from different walks of life, and have my worldview fundamentally challenged.

All I want to do is help others pursue their own purpose in life by connecting them with others who share their ideas.

To be honest, the initial email from Uber was actually a speed bump or potential hiccup in this long-term plan. After all, how could I pass up the opportunity to at least explore what this might look like?

I’ve learned an invaluable lesson in all of this:

Once you identify your long-term goal, don’t let anything else get in the way, no matter the opportunity.

At this point, working for Uber would have been the sexier (more controversial) choice, and there would have been instant gratification. However, I’m not looking for sexy or instant gratification.

My goal is to help create a future where ideas are shared and pursued freely together. This means people from any culture or background will be able to collaborate and pursue their passion together .

This is why I will read the above email every day. It will serve as a daily reminder not to become distracted by other opportunities that could derail my long-term goal.

If you’ve identified your vision for the future, I suggest you do the same.

I would honestly love to hear your thoughts, perspectives, and experiences in relation to pursuing your passion. Please feel free to share your story in the comments below or on Twitter at @williamfrazr.

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