Only the Paranoid Survive

by Andrew S. Grove

Going through a career inflection point is not an easy process. It is not without many dangers. It calls upon all your best resources. It calls upon your understanding of the new world that you wish to become part of, your determination to take control of your career, your ability to adapt your skills to that new world and your resolve as you deal with the fear and anxiety of change. It’s a bit like emigrating to a new country. You pack up and leave an environment you’re familiar with, where you know the language, the culture, the people, and where you’ve been able to predict how things, both good and bad, happen. You move to a new land with new habits, a new language and a new set of dangers and uncertainties. At times like this, looking back may be tempting, but it’s terribly counterproductive. Don’t bemoan the way things were. They will never be that way again. Pour your energy, every bit of it, into adapting to your new world, into learning the skills you need to prosper in it and into shaping it around you. Whereas the old land presented limited opportunity or none at all, the new land enables you to have a future whose rewards are worth all the risks.