Don’t Ever Give Up

I always wonder if people are put in our lives to teach us something. And although it seems random, it often happens when I need to learn the most.

I had another ordinary encounter with an extraordinary person that completely changed my perspective on perseverance.

Here’s what happened…

Tony

Over the four years spent building esellas, I often felt like giving up.

I was having one of those ‘throwing in the towel’ moments, and I decided to go for a walk.

I was coming to the end of it when I saw a familiar face. It was a doorman from my building. But he was standing at the entrance of another building.

“Tony?”

“Oh, hi, Chris”

“You work here?”

“Yup”

“Really! Often?”

“I work about 40 hours a week, sometimes a little more”.

Tony easily works 40 hours at our building.

“How long have you been working here?

Tony paused for a second - “Let me see. About 20 years.”

Tony had worked at our building for 43 years. He started at 18.

“You’ve worked 80 hours a week for the past 20 years?”

I am not blind to the fact that a second gig is what it takes to make today. To get to even a modest wage. But 80 hours seemed excessive. At 61, it felt unusual. It got me curious.

“Is this what it takes?”

“No. It just sort of happened this way.”

Tony went on to explain.

When The Barclay was converting from a hotel to condominiums, he was told by incoming management that he may not have a job. As a backup plan, Tony found part-time work at another building.

Eventually, Tony retained his job at The Barclay.

While he no longer needed the part-time gig, he didn’t have the heart to leave. The other building helped Tony when he needed it. Tony was grateful and, therefore, forever loyal.

“They kept asking me to take more hours. I kept saying yes. Before I knew it, I was working full-time at both places.”

“That’s very admirable, Tony. But haven’t you fulfilled your obligation? Why do you keep both jobs now?”

In the humblest tone, he responded

“Because I made a commitment. And, I never quit.”

Sam Altman, founder of ChatGTP, says the most underrated quality of a founder is sheer determination. It’s not brains or creativity but grit. Most people simply give up.

Entrepreneurs aren’t the only ones with a difficult road. All of us fail and fall. When this happens, many of us stop.

We work in an age where employers and employees easily give up on each other. Employers ignore the long-term payoff by investing in people, while employees often feel underutilized and undervalued.

But occasionally, you meet a man like Tony, who defies conventional thinking methods and reminds you of more important values.

They’re the principled and uncompromising ones. Tony and the people like him make up the strong fabric of our society and workplaces.

I’m glad I didn’t stop walking, but I needed to get back to work.

Happy Not Stopping!