Last year during the holidays, my family and I ordered PF Chang’s as a way to break up the laborious meals we’d cook up for family parties. Nothing quite says relaxation like a bowl of orange chicken, am I right?
I got this fortune cookie that read: “Your career is about to take off”.
Weeks earlier, I had signed my contract to start a mid-market sales role at Gong. I was excited but equally nervous because the last start-up I went to turned out not to be a fit for me.
After five successful years at one company and four unsuccessful months at the next, I had a layer of imposter syndrome creeping in.
Will I only ever be good at one company?
Am I washed up?
Will I ever get back in the swing?
Maybe you’ve had the same thoughts.
The fortune cookie got some “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” but it wasn’t something I paid any mind to until I was doing a year-end-review and scrolling through pictures in my phone from the past year.
I remember my conversation with one of the sales leaders at Gong during my final stages of the interview process. “If you come here and work your ass off, you’ll wake up to a new career in 2-3 years”.
That thought has lingered in my mind over the past 12 months. When I’ve dealt with difficult customers, when I was stressed about deals, when I wasn’t sure what the next quarter would hold: I kept those words close in mind.
So – has my career “taken off” in the past 12 months?
It’s a hard question to nail down.
I’ve learned more about sales than I ever have. I’ve met more growth-minded people than I ever have. I’ve met amazing Raving Fan customers. I’ve made money. I hit President’s Club (LFG).
But there’s more brewing – and this is just the start.
Whether or not you went to PF Chang’s this holiday season, I’m wishing y’all nothing but massive personal and professional success and happiness in 2022.
Let’s get it.