I just re-watched this video from last year and I really think it conveys an important message about perseverance. I sometimes get upset at Zack Arias because he comes off as a negative guy on his blog and on twitter. It can be a bummer to take input from a guy who doesn’t seem happy. But, when I watch this video, I realize that he knows he’s got issues, but works though them and has been coming out on top in spite of his apparent seasonal affective disorder. He’s a pro. It has little to do with his body of work that defines him as a professional, it’s his perseverance that makes him stand out (the awesome pictures don’t hurt though). His clients obviously love him and they should.

Some days, I get really frustrated at being an entrepreneur and I have to get out of my head and look at some of the other shitty jobs I’ve had in my life. When I was in school for my second go at it I was working during the day for an electrician. That in itself was not shitty, but the places we worked in were. Every day we were in a different nursing home, being reminded of our own mortality. I was in my early twenty’s and that was the time when the invincibility juice that every teenager is filled with begins to run dry. So, to make that chemical transition into adulthood while witnessing hordes of people in their final stretch of life is downright depressing. I moved on from there into much better environments, but even when I was working a job that many people would die for at MTV in Manhattan, I still had the fear of being outsourced and the constant reorganizations which made every quarter more stressful than the last. Working for someone else sucks, no matter how good the job is.

So, I salute you, Mr. Arias, for your perseverance and honesty. I thank you for reminding me that no matter how stressful my work can be, I’m in control of it and I ultimately set the tone for my own life. Every once in a while you need to look back to move forward.

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