December 24

As a creative, so much of what I make is defined by my intuitions, preferences and influences. As a result, my work is highly personal, as it should be. At the same time, there is a subtle switch that can be thrown that causes me to start to believe that who I am goes only as far as the latest work I’ve done or the title I hold.

I am not my work, and I am especially not defined by how my work is received. That is not an excuse for laziness, it’s permission to engage fully and freely and to bless everyone I encounter without worrying about what they think of me. This is hard medicine to swallow in a culture that celebrates title and the little spaces we carve for ourselves in the marketplace. Not me, not any longer. And I hope, not you either.

Here’s the challenge: Where in your life are you allowing your work to define who you are? Where are you allowing how you appear in others’ eyes to drive your decisions?

You are not your work, and you are especially not defined by how your work is received.

Question: Where in your life are you allowing your work to define who you are? Where are you allowing how you appear in others’ eyes to drive your decisions?