Fish aren't interested in your goals or well-being, and we run into people who are as uncooperative as fish. Here is where patience and perseverance can serve us well. My perseverance was tested as a candidate for APA president. Although I addressed the issues, traveled extensively to meet members, offered my agenda and sought help from supporters, I was not elected. Doing well in tennis is more than being skilled in hitting and serving.
Strategy becomes important, and implementing strategy requires flexibility.
Sometimes that requires you to test yourself, to develop your potential. Being head of a psychology department was not in my self-image because of personal doubts. I doubted whether I had the right financing and budgeting skills, and I worried I would be incapable of giving faculty negative feedback when required. Because of circumstances, I accepted the risk of serving as acting head, had the opportunity to challenge my doubts, and discovered hidden skills waiting to be developed. For me it provides balance to the intellectual life of an academic.