When the Jet.com CEO graduated from college, all he wanted was a job that looked good on his résumé and would pay well. So when he landed a job at Banker's Trust, he felt "lucky."
He soon learned that in banking, "the core motivational driver was personal financial gain, cultivating a fiercely competitive environment," he writes. "Over my six years in finance, I learned to approach my career as an individual sport, where I was judged by the size of my bonus and how quickly I was promoted. One morning I fell to the floor of my office, feeling an electric jolt in my chest as a result of stress. Although it was not a heart attack, the message was clear. I had worked incredibly hard to get to the top but I was there alone — and it was unfulfilling."
He eventually left that industry to pursue his lifelong dream of being an entrepreneur.
"At 22, I evaluated my first job based on what I could get out of it. But I have since learned that you can achieve much greater success if you focus on what you can give. Ultimately, I have realized that success is not a measure of your salary, title, or degree, but the impact you have others and the collective happiness of the people you touch."
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-would-tell-their-younger-self-2015-5?op=1#ixzz3ZtISWm4R