āI first ran for Congress in 1999, and I got beat. I just got whooped. I had been in the state legislature for a long time, I was in the minority party, I wasnāt getting a lot done, and I was away from my family and putting a lot of strain on Michelle. Then for me to run and lose that bad, I was thinking maybe this isnāt what I was cut out to do. I was forty years old, and Iād invested a lot of time and effort into something that didnāt seem to be working. But the thing that got me through that moment, and any other time that Iāve felt stuck, is to remind myself that itās about the work. Because if youāre worrying about yourselfāif youāre thinking: āAm I succeeding? Am I in the right position? Am I being appreciated?ā ā then youāre going to end up feeling frustrated and stuck. But if you can keep it about the work, youāll always have a path. Thereās always something to be done.ā