I regularly find myself talking to young people at the beginning of their careers. They ask how I “made it”. How I ended up having a “career” working for such amazing organizations such as eBay, Mozilla and Google. And starting four companies. And doing all the other things I did in the past and do today.
God’s honest truth: It never made any sense to me in the moment. With hindsight I can tell you this great story how one thing let to another. But in the moment: Not so much.
Let me give you an example: After I exited my first startup (not making any money from it) I needed a job. One of my best friends happens to be the guy who co-founded Alando, which later became eBay Germany. When he heard that I needed work he offered me a job. I ended up working at eBay Germany during the most amazing, crazy, exhilarating time of its history. And did some wicked cool stuff.
Was that planned? Designed? Carefully selected? No. I just happen to be at the right place at the right time.
Want another example? I quit a job a ton of people would kill for, after only 90 days — Google.org. I did it on a hunch. It was not the right fit for me. I had no plan. And now I’m having the time of my life and something incredibly cool coming up (psssh… still very hush-hush). Did it make any sense to leave Google? In the moment — no. Did I care? No.
It never made any sense. Don’t bust your brain with trying to make “the right decision”. Make the decision which FEELS right. And if it turns out it wasn’t right — fix it.
P.S.: Talking about which — we just opened applications for The Coaching Fellowship! If you’re a female change maker — apply!