It's easy to think that your first professional opportunity is going to define you for the rest of your career, but take a look at bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell and you'll see this isn't the case.

Gladwell was fired from his first job after just two months, and the experience taught him that there are no shortcuts to success. When he was 20 years old, he took a job at a magazine in Indiana, and quickly realized he lacked the discipline he'd need to be successful.

"I was 20 years old and I couldn't wake up before 11 o'clock in the morning," he told CNBC Make It in 2017. His inability to make it to work on time ultimately led to him being fired.

Since then, Gladwell has come to profoundly appreciate the value of hard work. "I have learned many things subsequently, but you know, one of them is the importance of discipline," he says.