Alright, well, that one was for me

First you write the book, then the book writes you.

This universal law can bring us peace along our creative journey.

Because although end user of whatever it is we’re working probably won’t appreciate or reward or even notice our diligence, we certainly will. That soothing sense of fulfillment we gain from the experience is something that nobody can take away from us.

It’s like when a comedian, who is secure enough in their talent and material, takes the risk to make a joke that doesn’t get a laugh. They look out at the audience and say, alright, well, that one was for me.

This is the level of okayness with self that all of us can aspire to. We trust that if our tree in the forest falls and nobody is around to hear it, then it still makes a sound, even if only in our own hearts.

Besides, we’re not going to kill ourselves over the possibility of unperceived existence. We perceive it, and if that’s the best we can do, then so be it.

Can you imagine if that was enough for us? What if we all could validate ourselves instead of seeking it in arbitrary things? What if we were no longer making things, but making ourselves?

Leaving the entrepreneur life and becoming a corporate employee gave me no choice but to embrace this concept. Because working the agency and startup worlds, more than half of the projects assigned to me never even made it across the finish line.

They were sunsetted, as the buzzword says. We’d spend months slaving away over this once great idea, only to have the unsophisticated client or the impatient company executive have a sudden change of heart and kill the idea on a moment’s notice.

When that happens, you better believe in the power of workmanship. Otherwise you will beat yourself up for wasting your time trying to peddle somebody else’s dream machine.

Nobody is going to notice our workmanship anyway, so we may as well say, alright, well, that one was for me.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Are you obsessing over the aftermath of your work because of your primal need for validation?