Through a series of missteps, I had dinner with a friend on the final night of Memorial Day weekend. Apart from catching up, we spent time discussing deeper things that we all deal with – careers, work and personal situations.
Although this person is a friend, in my professional opinion as someone who has produced 200+ TV shows, I can confidently say that she is one of the better people suitable for a job that requires on camera experience. Her current gig? Entirely different.
And she’s not alone. I was once in that bucket and every once in a while still am. It takes a lot of courage to go out and do the one thing that the system has failed to do – believe in your self. The system is designed to be a series of education levels, job promotions, two-week vacations and a path to retirement.
I have yet to find anyone who agrees with that
But, the system is not designed for failure. The system is designed for success and learning through failure. I can’t even count the amount of times, me or my ideas have been rejected. You will always ether be too young or too old to have a relationship with someone. You will always either be too rich or too poor to afford certain items. And you will – always – have the world against you regardless of how good your ideas are.
Fortunately, none of that matters.
My mentor and the one and only person who taught me photography was 70 when I met him. I had dinner with him and his wife at their house when my grandmother passed away and when the rest of my family was dealing with the rituals. Age doesn’t matter. Relationships do.
4 years ago, I couldn’t truly afford a plane ticket to Bangkok for my brother and I. Last year, we flew to Hong Kong for 2 days in business class. Money doesn’t matter. Experiences do.
3 years ago, the studio I was running and was the majority investor in, didn’t have enough money in its bank account to buy another meal. Less than 24 hours later, we booked a campaign that saved us from shutting our doors. Safety doesn’t matter. Believing in yourself does.
3 years ago, I was fired from my first adult job. 72 hours after that, I was hired to run ad campaigns for two of the largest companies in the world. Failure doesn’t matter. Courage does.
Life is a about experiences and people that you meet. Make it worth your while and make sure that you believe in you. Others do, so why not you?