You’ve done well, if you do say so yourself. You are proud that this was, to the most part, due to your own hard work and sacrifices made. Of course you can remember the days of your shades of green, gopher running and being the last one in the office. You may even recall the nights at the laundromat. It is very easy, however, to let the success go to your head and we witness this time and again among the YP set. Your success may have gone to your head if…
You Speak with Your Pre-Success Friends Less and Less
You meet hundreds of people on your journey to the top and increasingly find yourself surrounded by like-minded fellow young professionals and older mentors alike at some of your city’s most coveted events, hottest new restaurants and at the best hotels when away on business – all while wearing your crisp new designer suit or cocktail dress. It is expected that the savvy YP is constantly meeting new friends and business connections but we see many forgetting their “pre-success” friends altogether – the ones who have been there through tree houses, teenage tears, first apartments and everything in between. Success in our big cities can prompt YPs to forget about their roots, especially those who have come to “the big city” from surrounding suburbs or even small towns. Because their former best friend is not up to tune with the hottest restaurants, rolling around in the best cars, or can’t offer you anything more than their friendship, doesn’t mean they cease to exist. Don’t believe us; give them a call.
You Are Rude to Service Staff
You used to be a bartender or server yourself and, as such, you used to appreciate what a pain-in-the-ass job it can be. You would even over-tip, happy to finally be on the other side of the table or bar. Now, you barely look servers in the eye when they take your orders, unwilling to look up from your BlackBerry or iPhone or present company mid-order, send things back for no apparent reason and, no matter how much you are going to spend, expect a royal greeting and for the world to stop the second you walk into the establishment. Or you’ll leave.
There is a Difference in How You Treat Different Types of People in Your Company
When you began, you were pleasant, cordial and friendly to everyone who crossed your path – from co-workers to the cleaners. Now, you don’t have the effort to be chatty and “on” with everyone, especially if it gets you nothing in return. You may be strategically pleasant. You may bend over backward for the CEO of your company (grabbing him or her coffee and sending them relevant articles about their new hobby or passion), but stop asking the secretary how her day was or smiling at the mail delivery person, who has now become invisible.
Relationships Become Less About Love
Relationships become less about love, compassion and good old-fashioned romance. They cease to develop organically and honestly like they once did. Instead, who you date becomes calculated; as you become more pre-occupied with how it looks to the outside, how the other looks on paper and your arm alike, and how you will benefit from dating him or her. You can’t fall passionately in love like you used to (your mind won’t let you) and seem to become emotionally void, as now that you’re successful, showing emotion is a sign of “weakness” in your otherwise controlled life.
You Choose the Best Option
Instead of opting to hang with good friends in a low-key backyard BBQ you opt to only reserve those occasions for “off nights” like Sundays or Mondays. You would rather be on a date with that “perfect ten” you just met, the first to try the city’s latest restaurant or at the hot-ticket event of the evening. Something “better” could arise at any given time so you are reluctant to secure plans until the 11th hour…unless it involves, of course, purchasing a block of tickets for that must-attend charity event or accepting front row tickets at a concert. Your flaky attitude means that all plans are essentially loose and can be unapologetically broken last minute.
You Forget About Past Times
Everyone had a guilty childhood passion – whether go-carts, running through sprinklers, watching fireworks or even camping. We’ve seen many YPs turn rigid with their success, unable to let loose, be silly and embrace his or her inner child. In the same vain, they are unable to appreciate the simple pleasures in life, like a sunset, a delicious apple or first beautiful spring or fall day. Living in the moment becomes a thing of the past as you become too worried about securing the next best thing, making money and what could make the moment even better.
We know you mean well, and we’re not trying to be harsh, but a little “checking” of one’s self time and again never hurt.