Hi,
“I didn’t take vacation. I started a new job and it’s still my first 100 days.”
This is what my neighbor said to me the other day. He was asking if we had been around or away, as he hadn’t seen us for a while.
He was coming back from the gym. I was coming back from walking our dog with our son.
We talked a bit more in the elevator, then in the hallway leading to our apartments.
“I started a new job. I’m in my first 100 days…”
I asked where he works, having already formed a guess in my mind.
“I work at an investment firm.”
I had guessed financial services of some form or another. Our building had undergone a conversion over the past few years. The “sales team” had been pushing luxury condos on seemingly willing buyers during that time.
This neighbor moved in after the conversion. He looked youngish to me. I discovered he was in his early 30’s.
My sense was it would take a financial services compensation package to buy into a building like this. Or at least that’s the way I had already assumed for him.
He said it again. “I’m in my first 100 days…”
I’ve seen blog posts or other headlines pass by talking about the first 100 days. I’ve never read the articles.
I can only assume they tell you bust your *ss to kick *ss. That way the company that hired you sees they didn’t make a mistake. You prove to yourself you’re worth them bestowing this “position” or “opportunity” on you.
Then, as we were reached his door, he looked at me, to sum-up the conversation. “I just have to keep pushing…” I responded by telling him I hope he takes care of himself in the meantime.
I couldn’t help to think this was
The Dream at work. My neighbor couldn’t have said it more concisely.
The Dream keeps pushing us. It keep pushing us to push. Push to achieve this, to prove our worth to others, to ourselves, by acquiring the symbols of success. Then push more to prevent those symbols from decaying or being taken from us or becoming outdated, or smaller and less expensive than they should be for the stage of The Dream we have “achieved”.
It was another reminder of how powerful the dream is. It also got me thinking again about what gives The Dream its power? How does it compel us to keep pushing to push?
Let me know by replying directly to this email. I respond to every reply.
Catch you next week,
Chris
