Volume XXII, Number 36 (Issue 1092) | September 2, 2024
Life Seldom Turns Out the Way You Imagined
Do you recall what you wanted to be when you grew up? Perhaps you dreamed of becoming an astronaut, firefighter, ballplayer, ballet dancer, rock star, doctor, lawyer, etc. Definitely not a banker, actuary, or accountant. I mean who dreams of that? Not me. Courtesy of my Swiss cheese memory, my first clear recollection of a professional dream did not develop until I was well into my teens. That is when the prospect of going into a sales and service job was presented to me by my father. Faced with that possibility, I knew then the life of an accountant was my destiny.
No offense to my accounting and finance friends but talk about dullsville. At this point I feel some explanation may be needed. As a less than gifted athlete and only an average musician, any serious dream of being either a professional athlete or rockstar had to be ruled out for practical reasons. Add an introverted personality to the mix and the thought of interacting with the public on a routine basis quickly ruled out other career choices. People, after all, were too unpredictable whereas numbers were entirely reliable. On top of that, they did not require small talk for success – or so I thought. By process of elimination, I concluded a degree in accounting was in order. Furthering that practical train of thought, I must confess I lack an ear for foreign languages and accounting was one of the few degree plans that did not have a foreign language component.
Fast forward a few years and I received my undergraduate degree on Saturday, August 17, 1974. Two days later, on August 19, I reported to work as a financial analyst at Texas Commerce Bank. For the record, my starting salary was $975.00 per month. Following my first raise I was making a whopping $1,100 a month so I quickly set a goal to be making $30,000 per year by the time I was thirty. Fortunately, I did a little better than that. But enough about compensation in the early years. Within two years of joining TCB I was assistant manager of the profit planning team. That role required
me to interact with lots of people, not just the eight individuals who reported to me. Still, numbers and the written word were my bread and butter.
That did not change a lot when I was recruited by and accepted a job with a consulting firm. Numbers, financial modeling, and writing remained my stock-in-trade. Until 1980 that is, when I had the crazy idea of starting my own consulting practice. It was at that point I faced the harsh reality of the need to sell. And sell I did – though with limited success at first.
Eventually I discovered a sales approach that served my needs. Still, it was outside my comfort zone. Over time I got better at it – at least good enough to pay the bills and my staff, feed my family, and stay in business.
Then came 1996 when it dawned on me I was no longer enjoying what I was doing. Furthermore, a series of events told me I had some untapped talents coupled with an increasing interest in an emerging field that would permit me to take my career in an entirely different direction. The personal retooling needed to embark on that career shift was daunting, expensive, and time consuming. I was middle-aged and abandoning a successful technical career to embark on a path entirely focused on people and helping them transform their potential into new levels of performance and fulfilment. Can you spell R-I-S-K? Sandy was supportive but not without a full measure of apprehensiveness.
Fortunately, nearly thirty years removed from that decision, things seemed to have worked out. Only not in the way I had planned or envisioned. It is said if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans for your life.
Soli Deo Gloria
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
Transforming Potential into Unmatched Performance
Copyright 2024 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Recent issues of Musings may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are always welcome.