It’s Ok To Win.

I would know failure if I met him on the street. I know exactly what he looks like. Instead of punching him in the face, I think I’d probably give him a high five or something. Because we’re tight like that. I know exactly what it feels like to fail becasue I have never let myself miss a failure. I never let failure just slip by and I’m not totally sure that I’m proud of that.

I wonder how many times I’ve let myself miss a win? I get so busy kicking myself for something I screwed up that I missed what I didn’t. I wonder how many times that’s actually happened in my life. I think we’re so attuned to the failures we encounter in pursuit of winning that we forget to celebrate the win. It’s human nature: We want to learn from our mistakes but what if the real mistake was not celebrating the win? What if the real mistake was not acknowledging the fact that through all the screw-ups and pot holes along the way, all the times we ran out of gas or fell down, we got back up and still finished the freaking race?

Failure is a part of making awesome stuff. But you know what else is a part of that?
Making. Awesome. Stuff.

It’s ok to make something, look at it and say: I made that and it’s awesome. In fact, I think it’s a disservice to your art if you don’t appreciate it when it’s done. We don’t have to make ourselves miserable in order to make good art. We don’t have to live in the failures all the time. Sometimes it’s good to stop, look around, and be proud of what you’ve made. It’s not prideful, it’s not self-serving, it’s appreciation and it’s good.

Don’t be afraid of failing, becasue you will. Don’t be afraid of winning either becasue if you are, then you won’t.

Happy Monday!

Question:

When was the last time you celebrated a win for you?