Be real, not perfect

Categories What I've Learned

When I was 15 years old, an outspoken young friend of mine said to me, “Not everyone is going to like you. no matter how nice you are.” I was shocked. How could it be that no matter how hard I tried and no matter what I did to achieve what I thought was perfection, it might not assure my approval rating?

If you apply that lesson to success in the social arena at large–not just friendships, but also ventures undertaken alone, or business and career pursuits–success is not necessarily determined by whether you do more, better.

We have become conditioned to condemn ourselves and blame “failure” on our not doing or being enough, so It would be wise to take my friend’s insight to heart. Not everyone will be pleased with who you are and how you show up in the world, but the truly great ones–the ones we remember and admire most–show up real, like it or not.

I coach creative people who want to live an artful life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *