Remember: for every person who might find your work annoying, there’s a dozen who find it inspiring.
Inspiring!
So do your thing.
And let the annoyed be annoyed.
Category Archives: Success
Feedback
Feedback is sometimes so welcomed. You had no idea that’s what people were thinking!
But feedback should be treated like dinner party guests.
Be skeptical of anyone who came empty handed.
Who’s the one
Who’s the one person you owe the most for shaping your career?
This is an important question.
And if you don’t know the answer almost immediately, you might want to start looking.
Your shots
Expect every shot to go in.
You’ll be surprised more often. But disappointed far less.
Summer and Winter
Winter is for working.
Summer is for fun.
But if you do neither of the former, do you really get either of the latter?
The high dive
You’ll have a long time to think about it.
Climbing up every step.
You’ll want to back out.
Say you don’t need to do it.
That you’re good.
But no.
You’ve made it this far. You’re gonna do great.
No, you might not love it. Yes, you might belly flop.
You might not want to try it again.
But you’ll never regret trying.
Jump.
The original
Your first customer. Reader. Student. Supporter. Fan. Audience.
Your first everything that you do which requires you to put yourself out there will probably be your nana.
Yes, she’ll be your customer, reader, student, supporter, fan, audience no matter what. And she’s probably not the only one anymore.
But don’t forget to thank her for your continued support.
She always appreciates it. And so do the people who came after her.
Love you, Nana.
Three years of experience
It may feel like you have a ton of experience.
You’ve been doing good work your entire career!
But if you’ve only been out of college for three years, your entire career is only three years.
It’s like a toddler saying they’re great at walking.
They might be. But drop them in an intersection in Midtown Manhattan and they’re gonna get crushed.
Point is this: enjoy your time as a toddler. You’ll be an adult dealing with toddlers before you know it.
You’re going to be asked to lie
Generally not outright.
Probably in the form of positioning or messaging or just by supporting work you know isn’t in your client’s best interest.
Definitely to yourself.
So be ready for it.
And be sure you’re using your PTO days.
Because dishonesty is exhausting.
Practice
At practice, there’s no way to fail. No worry about what might happen.
At practice, there’s no way to win. No guilt about succeeding.
At practice, it’s just for fun. No stress about anything.
But sometimes you gotta play for real.
And when you do, think of it as practice.