1 year ago I was working in a crappy restaurant in Times Square. I was waking up at 4:30 every morning to serve breakfast to European tourists who may or may not have been aware of the American custom of tipping. If it sounds like hell, you are not far off. But after a failed experiment in Real Estate sales, steady money was a welcome presence in my life.
Rewinding a bit further, to when I was in college: My girlfriend called me out for adopting a pained expression whenever anyone complimented me. I insisted that this was intentional, that I wanted to keep my ego tamed. That I had allowed it to rule my thoughts and actions in the past. That I didn’t approve of the person I was then. She thought this was bullshit. That ego was a key element in any self-actualizing human. That I was doing more harm to myself than good.
Over time I came to understand that she was right.
And pride myself now in achieving what I consider to be a very healthy balance between self-awareness and self-esteem.
I look at the progress I have made over the last year and am very pleased. I have developed technical skills I thought were well beyond my capabilities. I have honed professional merits and grown as a negotiator. I have come into my own as far as aesthetics and style. The workload I am facing just for the month of January is testament to the fact that a little brains and a little talent (wink) can take you places.
And every single day I see something that shows me how far I still have to go.
There are a ton of talented designers out there. There are countless brilliant, focused, and hardworking coders. I look at sites like dribbble, conceptfeedback, & css-tricks and I strive to be producing work of that caliber. I long to be a contemporary of such inspired and inspiring creative minds. I want to help set and defy trends in communication, marketing, and commerce.
More than anything I want to succeed at a job that I like doing.
Particularly if it involves sleeping later than 4:30.
Happy New Year, friends.
S.