Comments on: Dirty Little Secret of Success

By: How do i acquire a low-cost uk business coach? This is really pretty cool. Not too shabby for my first post. « Ali's awesomeblogs.org

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:53:51 +0000

[...] People who “get you” and support you in achieving the big goals you have for yourself. I wonder where you find this? Businesses, like yours, at various times need guidance. The ultimate question is do you know how to [...]

By: Zeldman | Silicon Meadow

Zeldman | Silicon Meadow — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:06:32 +0000

[...] Dirty Little Secret of Success Thu, 2009-10-22 12:44 [...]

By: Backstoryesque: Boys, girls, and posession

Backstoryesque: Boys, girls, and posession — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:18:21 +0000

[...] girls, and posession Reading two rather curious posts (one on content, one on business) today, I was surprised, pleased, and slightly awed to see them referring quite naturally and [...]

By: New Jack Librarian

New Jack Librarian — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:25:27 +0000

[...] posts. But I don't despair. Partly this is because I largely write for my own reasons (that and I'm fundamentally broken) and because I think I know why the reason behind The Blue Skunk Rule…We don't need any more [...]

By: Trimming ignorance one frame at a time

Trimming ignorance one frame at a time — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:54:14 +0000

[...] success Thu, Oct 22 2009 12:06 | Permalink The dirty little secret of success. I pretty much agree.http://www.zeldman.com/2009/10/22/dirty-little-secret-of-success/ ChrisB Comments (1) See Older Posts…var showComments=1; var reverseCommentEntries=1; var [...]

By: A heart broken entrepreneur is a successful entrepreneur

A heart broken entrepreneur is a successful entrepreneur — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:41:13 +0000

[...] really drives a creative entrepreneur to succeed? A contented person with a whole heart, who has never doubted for a moment that she is loved by [...]

By: Hacker News | Dirty Little Secret of Success

Hacker News | Dirty Little Secret of Success — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:43:14 +0000

By: Littlest, Yellowest, Differentest

Littlest, Yellowest, Differentest — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:32:55 +0000

[...] By Zeldman. This rings truer to me than I would like to [...]

By: Scott Lassiter

Scott Lassiter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:35:34 +0000

Wow, this is the truth. Maybe this is why I am tired, I am still on the computer, and looking for some ZEN from the masters like JZ. Thanks Mr. Z for some inspiration…..since I am the one designer in group of several .NET developers. Remember it is always the designers fault, because…..if we did not make something beautiful and creative, it would be easy to develop, which would mean more time to develop…..right:)

Thanks JZ. Nighty Night.

By: Leroy | for the kids

Leroy | for the kids — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:13:01 +0000

This is my second time reading this post and it hit me like a bomb. I’m going to copy the text and past it on my bedroom wall. All the work I have done over the past year and a half that has lead to a lot of improvement in my skills and business life is due to the fact that exactly some of the stuff that you mentioned happend to me. Got hit by four major dissapointments over the course fo a couple months and I felt need to restore my dignity through achievement just to “show them.” I doubt that I could have done this without the adversity.

By: Dirty Little Secret of Success | Lemaetech

Dirty Little Secret of Success | Lemaetech — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:51:28 +0000

[...] Dirty little secret of success. [...]

By: china calling

china calling — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:07 +0000

bull’s eye, old friend. i liked the higher frequency of these tormented and deeply human insights of yours 10 years back. hope all is well.

By: Jeffrey Zeldman

Jeffrey Zeldman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:53:44 +0000

Golly. Thanks for sharing that!

By: anonymous

anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:01:47 +0000

Fascinating topic. I hope you don’t think this is pretentious,
or not apropos, or ill-intentioned or whatever, but I think a good portion of what you’re saying is remarkably reflected in the life of one Agnese Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (aka Mother Theresa).

At the beginning of her “call” to start her work among the poorest
of the poor, she experienced an extraordinary closeness to God that
lasted for a number of months. But not long afterward, and
throughout most of her remaining years on earth, she went through
a spiritual “dark night of the soul”.

Jeffrey said: “You have to have been abandoned, betrayed, ridiculed,
unsupported at some point when you needed it most.

Only a restless, broken heart can drive you to do what is necessary.

…you won’t be able to do those things, not really,
not all the way, not as they must be done, unless
there is a brokenness in you.”

From one of MT’s letters: “I feel just that terrible pain of loss,
of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not really existing.”

So maybe Mother Theresa would never have persevered with her incredible call and touched millions of lives were it not for the incredible abandonment she felt after the initial joy?

From a (crass) “business” perspective, you could call her a success:
she started alone, and now has over 4,500 sisters in 133 countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20031018/ai_n11429355/

I started reading some of her letters, and it gets so heavy
at times that you have to take a break just to breathe again.
http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Teresa-Private-Writings-Calcutta/dp/0385520379

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:10:02 +0000

oh my god, thanks for day-lighting this little nut. i”ve been pretending that i have a whole heart for as long as i can remember. maybe that’s why i’ve had such a problem smiling daily in my cube and returning home happily each pm. i’ve been a fricken restless bitch masquerading as a nice girl for over 40 years…god i’m tired.