Attitude Adjustment: Turning Envy Into Inspiration
Design annuals used to kill me.
They would taunt me with their overstuffed pages filled with impressive, mostly high-quality work that would hint at the promise of inspiring me to do great things; to reach a precipice of creative brilliance and achieve final, absolute perfection.
And then I would open the first page. And then I would get irritated. Then annoyed. Then, sometimes, angry.
I let envy get the best of me. I repetitively mumbled “Why didn’t I think of that?” as though it were a mantra while flipping through page after page of remarkable work. Any and all work of my own that I was pleased with just moments ago was suddenly discarded as less than. Secondary. Coach class. Expected. Boring. But this other stuff? This stuff in the magazine? That was good. I should be that good. I should be better.
The same thing happened when listening to other creatives give brilliant presentations or when a killer TV commercial surprised me by actually being so obnoxiously good that I’d grit my teeth and leave the room in response. It was the stuff that I didn’t think of but felt like I should have that gave me the most grief. I confused that reaction for passion for years.
Not all that long ago while watching one of those aforementioned brilliant presentations, I realized that I’d rather be inspired than envious. As great idea after great idea was shown on the overhead, I realized that that’s the stuff that made me want to be a creative in the first place. That’s the stuff that sticks with you and keeps you up at night.
Inspiration should get you excited about what’s next, not what isn’t. It should add a shot of raw caffeine to your tank and make you want to be even better, while still being appreciative of your skills (assuming you’re any good). It should be a jet pack with multi-colored streamers on it that pushes you to the next level, not a boulder tied around your ankle (also with streamers).
I’ve already tried the alternative. The bitter, old man syndrome does not work. Ever. The folks who tear down everything around themselves in order to feel taller and more capable than the competition are deluding themselves. The reality is that the time and energy spent on mentally softening the foundation of those around you isn’t doing anything to harm your competition. While they’re moving forward, you’re stuck in first gear, waving your fist in the air and coming up with unconvincing excuses for your potential failures as well as your competition’s successes. That approach doesn’t work. It’s stifling. It’s a dead end.
I still say “I wish I had thought of that” when paging through design annuals. I still feel the twinge of envy when someone other than myself creates something that impresses me. But I use it now. I look forward to it. It’s downright inspiring.
Keep on writing and chguging away!
Enjoyed reading your take as it applies to our business of helping our customers succeed. Positive thinking is an excellent use of our time and I use it, even in stop and go traffice!