4 ms·
Ask HN: Coping with impending success?
New account, longtime HN user.
I think I'm about to get called up to the big leagues, and I find myself oddly nervous. I don't get nervous around the famous/powerful people in my world, but I am, perhaps, a little too used to being a relative nobody, myself. I'm comfortable with the scrappy underdog role to a fault. Now my efforts are beginning to bear fruit, and doors are beginning to open to me that haven't been in the past.
I don't want to mess it up. I need to relax. I suppose time will tell if I belong at that stratum, but in the meantime I was wondering if any of the more successful readers of HN remember this point in their careers, when they were on the brink of succeeding in a bigger way than they had ever succeeded before.
Can you share what it felt like, how you coped with it, and how you took the opportunity for all it was worth, rather than messing it up?
Any replies appreciated...
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Edit: Also, even if you're not a superstar, have you ever personally known anyone with a big opportunity, who blew it? What mistakes did they make? Or, if you know someone who dealt with their opportunity stunningly well, how did they do it?
- jacquesm 17y agoStay yourself, be genuine. Treat people that you believe are out of your league like you would treat anybody that you would afford respect, but not too much. I've met some pretty famous people and I think that that is the attitude that is most appreciated by the other side. Treat them like you would like to be treated if the situation were reversed. I know all this is common sense, so probably nothing useful that you didn't come up with yourself. Your hard work is starting to pay off and that means that you have a right to speak, so do so, don't be shy. I wouldn't call myself 'more successful', but I've been in that position some time ago and of all the 'famous' (or wealthy, or both) people I've met I'm pretty sure I learned more about doing business than I ever thought possible. Keep your ears wide open, these opportunities are not going to come by with any frequency. good luck!
- icey 17y agoStart by learning how to accept congratulations. And after that you need to learn how to say no to friends and family. Other than that, just remember that when you get called up to the big leagues, you're still at the bottom of a big pile. Don't forget how to be a scrappy underdog.
- vaksel 17y agoI think you need to read the Felix Dennis book "How to get rich". He talks a lot about what you are asking about. And its pretty short, so you can read it over a weekend
- getting_there 17y agoI'm not driven by getting rich, I'm driven by seeing my work come to fruition & having an impact. (I'm very driven by this, though.) Will his advice apply? Anyway, I'll check it out, thanks.
- vaksel 17y agoYeah should apply, although in your situation you can pretty much start reading mid way through. That's where he deals with management level things you should/shouldn't do in order to preserve your success.