The Most Important Thing

Oct 30, 2009

Image by janusz l via Flickr

The tension between fame and a meaningful life is strong. It is easy to confuse one for the other. This struggle is more acute for an Entertainment designer since we are a nation (and culture) built on the idea the winner takes all.

Anytime a show is not number one, it is deemed a failure by the tabloid press. Think about some common statements of defeat:

I wasn’t picked to lead the team.
They didn’t like my idea.
Only a few people showed up for my party.
Only one person wished me happy birthday.
I didn’t show up, and nobody even noticed.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:

Quality is more important than Quantity.

I know, that is such a cliche, but it is true!

If you weren’t picked to lead the team, be grateful you are free from the stress of leadership and participate to the best of your ability.

If they don’t like your ideas, ask yourself if you pitched them to the right people, or if they need some tweaking and improvement.
Who cares if only a few people show up for the party, did you all have a good time?

I am not saying that we have to always look for a bright side in every situation. Sometimes their just isn’t one. What we need to do is:

1. Identify our Real Obstacles

It is easy to feel sorry for ourselves and have the ‘Poor me’s, but that doesn’t help anyone but the people and things between us and our goals. If we don’t know what we are really up against, we cannot make a plan to overcome the obstacle and move ahead.
Just don’t forget, sometimes we have to make a turn and go off in a new direction. That’s what innovation is.

2. Find the Path

Once you see the obstacle, next you need to figure our the way around, through, or over it.

I have a superstition about the path I follow. When I am on the right track, I have the motivation to carry my through. When I am not, I don’t.

The real objective is to have a life that makes a feel alive, not merely one we survive as long as we can.

My dad is most alive when he is fixing things. It would be ludicrous for him to have worked his way into management. It would have sapped the zeal of life from him. He followed his bliss, and still does in retirement.

The easiest way to find your path is to help others to find theirs. That is why I am always volunteering to help people out. A lot times, the solution to my problems is the same as theirs, and it easier for me to see without the emotional attachment I have to my own.

3. Stay on the Path

Remember, the most important thing is to follow your bliss!

Passion really does equal life. The more passionate we are about our life, the more we feel alive. The real trick is not loosing site of the things that make us feel alive.

Your turn

What tricks do you use to identify and overcome the obstacles in your life? How did you find your bliss and what are you doing to keep following it?