The Value Of Catastrophe

And how it can help you gain the freedom to make the right decisions

What a roller coaster weekend. While I don’t have any commentary on Silicon Valley Bank, the whole thing did remind me to finish up an article that’s been sitting in my drafts for weeks now. Today I’ll be sharing some of my thoughts on the value of catastrophe and how going through failure and major setbacks gave me the freedom to do what I needed to do.

There are a lot of crazy things happening in the world right now that makes me think about the value of catastrophe. Let me clarify a bit, first. I’m talking specifically about business or professional catastrophes. Not personal ones. Not things that affect your health or loved ones. I’m talking about catastrophes that affect your job, career, or money.

I’ve experienced a catastrophe twice in my career

The first time was when I failed the New York bar exam.¹ I’d worked incredibly hard for the prior five years, sacrificing everything, to set myself up perfectly for my legal career. When I graduated from law school I thought I was all set - I had a job at one of the most prestigious firms in the world, and was told that I had a golden ticket.

When I failed, I realized that it could all be taken away from me in an instant. It didn’t matter what accolades I had on my resume - if I couldn’t pass the bar, I couldn’t practice law. Although I did end up passing on my second attempt, the experience of being blindsided by the bar exam potentially destroying my career shook my world. I began to realize that relying on credentials and “golden tickets” was too risky.²