What would make you quit?
Once I interviewed a talented young person that asked me this question at the end of the process. This is the time where candidates might ask about next step in the process and similar questions. As you can imagine I was not expecting that I would be asked that and it caught me off guard. The answer that came through was the true reflection of the person that I was back then, many years ago: “I never quit”.
This impulsive answer came from my past instinct fuelled by my inflated ego, where I would see quitting as a weakness. Particularly the feeling that quitting is giving up and not being successful in a specific challenge or circumstances. An approach that changed during the MW programme.
Time allocation and priorities
As part of preparing for the MW exam, I spent evenings researching theory topics and a lot of weekends travelling to London for blind tastings with my co-study group. All this time sacrifice came with a reduction of my time with my family. My young children and my wife saw very little of me for a few months and I started to see how that was affecting our family.
This made me think what were my real and foremost priorities. Was the MW study or my family what required my attention? The latter was clearly the answer and I looked at the examination in a complete different way. Rather than preparing for it dedicating as much time as possible, I put as much time as possible for my family and only leave some reasonable time aside for the studies, at a level that I could continue to sustain during the whole programme.
MW result and revelation
The result from the MW exam this June was highly encouraging as I was invited to resit exam with the understanding and with more preparation I would be able to pass. This showed me that a) the examination body recognised that I could pass in the future and b) my re-allocated time with more balance of my free time was delivering results.
Now it was for me to decide if I wanted to carry on or quit, which now could be an option from a new perspective. If I quit it would not be a failure and instead it would be a commitment to what is important for me right now, leaving behind my ego and focusing on the needs of my closest loved ones.
Future possible gain or present guaranteed reward
For short-time delay on possible reward, I completely endorse Walter Mischel’s Marshmallow Test, a book I read and recommend parts of it. If waiting 20min or 1h is going to deliver more of what you want, it is worth waiting and it is an act of discipline and commitment.
When I refer to future in here is many years from now, which in the context of the Master of Wine certification can easily be 6-7 years if not more. There is no guarantee of passing the final exam regardless of money and years spent so the marshmallow test would not even apply here. In stark contrast, I reflected on what I could do and experience in the coming 6-7 Yeats with my free time with my family.
The sad and unexpected death of Phil Tuck MW this summer, whom I knew well and admired, made me reconsider how to make the most of my life now. Our life is only the present as now because we don’t know what future might bring. Sacrificing the coming years to a possible outcome rather than enjoying closely with my family and friends is a clear choice, hence deciding to quit and concentrate in the here and now.
Becoming an ME
Being the third generation of a wine family and having spent time in wineries and tasting wine since I was a teenager, means that wine is in my blood and soul. Moreover, decades working in wine across countries and companies in senior positions, gives me a unique perspective of the wine world to the extent that becoming an MW was not a “must have” and rather “nice to have”.
My shift of perspective has brought me to seek to understand others better, willing to find ways to make their life better and ultimately make the most of my life at current moment. It is more about ME to be in the best mental and physical place to benefit others.
It is part of this drive that has pushed me to write these articles under mastering life, a subject where nobody is a master and we are all offered the opportunity to learn as we go along. More importantly, I am looking to learn more from others to eventually share with everybody else so there is a mutual benefit. Quitting the MW programme, will release time to first dedicate to my family and loved ones and second explore life learning in a much wider sense. The mastering of wine will continue naturally as it is hardwired in me at the right and balanced pace.
Thank you for sharing the journey to your decision with such candour. Your thoughts have resonated with me.