Success Has a Shelf Life

On July 21st, 1998, an album titled "Life in 1472" was released by a very well-known artist named Jermaine Dupri.

I may not look like a guy today who once listened to rap music, but the truth is, I will still debate you that the best rap era was the 90s, today's rap music sucks, and 2Pac may still be alive somewhere.

Anyways, that Life in 1472 album had a number of interludes between songs. The kids today don't know what an interlude is, but back then, rappers used to love to put some skits or commentary, or whatever, in between songs. Sometimes it happened at the start of the song, sometimes at the end; either way, you knew the interludes if you knew the album well.

One particular interlude on JD's album featured a voice message recording where you can hear the tape click, and a woman says, "Jermaine, don't burn no bridges, because the same people you see coming up are the same people you gonna see coming down."

Then Jermaine announces, "I ain't coming down!"

The truth is, we all come down eventually, even Jermaine Dupri did. At one time, he was one of the biggest rappers, controlling the Atlanta rap game during a time when everyone had a territory. That Life in 1472 album was huge. Everyone knew the lyrics to "Money Ain't a Thang," or "Sweetheart with Mariah Carey." Jermaine Dupri was huge. Was is the key word here.

We all have our peaks, our lows, our highs again, and more. Nobody can sustain it forever except maybe Dolly Parton.

Your favorite athlete has a shelf life. Your favorite actor won't be in a hit in a few years. Your favorite singer will lose their luster. The list goes on.

The same thing happens in our careers. We love to imagine this perfect chart where every year the title gets bigger, the paycheck gets larger, the company gets better, and our influence continues moving up and to the right. That's just not how careers work. Sometimes you get promoted. Sometimes you get laid off. Sometimes you make more money and then take a job making less. Sometimes you're running the room, and two years later you're trying to convince someone to let you back into one. Careers have seasons, and believing every season is supposed to look like your best one is a great way to make yourself miserable.

That's also why you have to enjoy the wins when they're happening.

When you get the promotion, enjoy it. When the company is crushing it, enjoy it. When you're making more money than you've ever made, take a second and appreciate it. When everyone suddenly wants your advice, your time, or your attention, enjoy the hell out of it.

We have this terrible habit of immediately moving the goalpost. We get what we've been chasing for three years, and within 48 hours we're worried about the next thing. Sometimes you need to look around and realize you're standing in a moment you used to dream about.

More importantly, don't become an asshole when you're there. Don't burn bridges. Don't treat people differently because suddenly you have the bigger title, the nicer office, the larger paycheck, or the ability to decide who gets invited into the room. Be courteous. Answer the email. Help people when you can. Treat the assistant with the same respect you give the CEO. You have absolutely no idea who is going to be sitting across the table from you five years from now or whose phone call you might desperately need returned.

Relationships have an incredibly long shelf life when you take care of them.

I've watched this play out over and over again throughout my career. The people who build great relationships tend to have much softer landings when life inevitably changes. Former employees become clients. Old bosses become references. Customers become friends. The person you helped ten years ago suddenly knows someone at the company you're trying to get into. Relationships have an incredibly long shelf life when you take care of them, and they're one of the few career assets nobody can take away from you when the title disappears.

So enjoy the ride when you're going up, but never convince yourself you're never coming down. You probably will. Then, if you've done things right, you'll probably go back up again too. That's the game. The goal isn't to create some mythical career where nothing ever goes wrong. It's to build one where you appreciate the great moments, remain a decent human being during them, surround yourself with great relationships, and know that when the line on the chart eventually starts pointing in another direction, you'll be just fine.