Your chances of success are directly proportional to the degree of pleasure you desire from what you do. If yo... — Michael Korda

Your chances of success are directly proportional to the degree of pleasure you desire from what you do. If you are in a job you hate, face the fact squarely and get out.

Author: Michael Korda

Insight: Most of us assume that success requires gritting your teeth and powering through discomfort—that the miserable job is the price of admission. But there's something almost practical about the opposite idea: that enthusiasm isn't just nice to have, it's actually fuel. When you genuinely enjoy what you're doing, you naturally work harder, experiment more, notice details others miss, and stick with problems longer. You're not forcing yourself; you're drawn forward. That's a material advantage, not just a mood boost. The tricky part is that this doesn't mean chasing only fun or waiting for perfect bliss. It means being honest about the difference between "this is hard but I believe in it" and "this slowly drains my will every morning." We often talk ourselves out of leaving bad situations by normalizing them or by fear. But Korda's point cuts through that: staying in work that actively repels you isn't noble persistence. It's just slower self-sabotage, and it affects not just your career but how you move through life. The harder conversation is what comes after getting out—which is usually less dramatic than it sounds. It's not about finding your passion so much as removing the active toxin and giving yourself room to actually discover what engages you. Sometimes that's the revelation. Sometimes it's just the relief.