Dying To Thriving, All Because of Lunch

Clay Colvin
5 min readAug 26, 2019

I was dying at work, and a boring story over lunch led me to thriving.

Photo by James Pond on Unsplash

Sharing my story contradicts my own preconceived notions, but I’ve learned I must do so! My internal battle sounds like “sharing is whining, and nobody wants that” versus “you’ve seen the power of your story!”

To thrive, you must fight against the voice telling you to stop. Tell your story, and listen to those around you. I did, and I took a small step that led to long term thriving.

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

My Career 1.0

Back in the day, I am an introverted engineer simmering silently with discontent. I loved the great people I worked with, yet they were boring and introverted, just like me. I couldn’t believe my self imposed corporate jail sentence was the only path to a fulfilling career. I worked on a 400 acre manufacturing campus, and listened to my peers walk on eggshells planning their next relationship moves with their bosses. Upward mobility for a small pay raise depended on little more than how well the person ahead of you in the food chain liked you.

Even with the clarity of hindsight, I was smart enough to know relationships matter. In spite of that, I was shocked that being liked was nearly ALL that mattered to get ahead.

I was trained by my parents to work harder than everyone, to hustle more than everyone, and to get more done. Great service, results, and a smile works right?!? Wrong, not here.

So if a smile is the only requirement, am I okay to pull that off? The flawed voice in my head said, “You have no other choices. This is the career you chose.” Anger and fear had set in as if this is the only job I’ll ever have.

How did flawed thinking change?

Most small Georgia towns have a similar look and feel. At first light, you are drawn to find the local breakfast hot spot. When the sun is high, and the heat is radiating off Main Street or Depot Street, small town Georgia pauses and community happens over some fried and fattening food. I was a stranger in town with my new job, but I felt right at home as a community of coworkers…

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Clay Colvin

20 Year+ Entrepreneur & Advisor — passion for technology, purpose, and real relationships. One Life of Loving God, Family & Friends, Work, Church, & All People