Inner Compass
One of the most impactful quotes I read this week was by Tony Dungy, author of Quiet Strength:
“When you have success, it is easy to stick to your convictions. But when success is delayed, sticking to what you think is right is difficult”
The universe is boiling over with rhetoric on how to find success and fight for it. We see this especially prevalent in recent years with the trend towards entrepreneurship and start-ups.
Knowing what success is will define whether we achieve it. The rationale is simple; if we don’t have a clear destination in life, we won’t know when we’re ready to “pang kang” (or 放工 “fang gong” in Hokkien), meaning to stop work. Yet, no one really talks about defining success. There are several ways to look at it: earning a billion dollars, retiring young, listing a company or even becoming the leader of a nation.
These are great things to aspire towards, but they don’t say anything about a person. This world has been screaming capitalist notions of raking in money before anything, and it can be difficult to navigate our way if we don’t have an inner compass to guide us.
That got me thinking over the past few months whether making money is all I want to do with my business, or making a difference is what I really want out of this journey. Yet, it is also important to note that the two are not mutually exclusive.
Tony Dungy’s own journey was one of grit, faith and patience. For 15 years he stuck to his guns, believing in a different kind of success from what everyone else did — that Football was more than winning and losing. It was about developing character in his players to become great community citizens.
In professional American Football, having such a mindset and belief system cost him many job opportunities. Managers wanted (and still want) a coach who constantly had his eye on the prize; someone who could lead the team to victory — to traditional success.
Given such a nature of competitive sports, Tony’s story was expectedly longer than the average coach’s, taking 15 years to become a head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs.
While the Tampa Bay Bucs were known as losers in the community, not once did he compromise on his own nor his team’s integrity. This despite prolonging the road to turning their losing streak around.
The team trudged through losses and jeering in the very community they represented. Yet, they held on to the vision helmed by their head coach Tony. Day by day they trained and he watched their character grow through perseverance and consistency.
The Bucs would eventually become 1999 NFL Central Division Champions three years later under his leadership and in the wake of his 2001 departure, continue to build momentum on his legacy to win the Superbowl in 2002.
The process they committed to and followed through with made their victories all the more sweeter. This is the kind of success I want: when as an entrepreneur I reach the top and look back, I know I made an impact not on my bank account, but in the lives of the community and those under my charge.
And so when the going gets tough and the road seems long, may I stand fast in what I believe is right.