If you find the work unworthy of your mortality, you better find something else to do before it’s too late.
Don’t wait until you’ve grown up to be who you want to be. I understand the value of working and learning under someone. But be careful doing that too well and for too long. Other people will have difficulty seeing your potential because they see you as an expert servant. Try to avoid being the best at anything out of line with your goals. Focus on your dream, and pursue it with a vengeance. Live it, breathe it, and ignore anyone who stands in your way. Break the hierarchy. Skip steps. Knock the ladder down. Do not compromise. Do not wait. Be who you want to be NOW.
Very few people can get anything done alone. Do not think for a second that you can get away with sitting in a room by yourself all day and end up building an empire. The odds are not great because you will lose inspiration and steam. It has nothing to do with what you are capable of. It has everything to do with keeping your dream fresh. If your dream sits inside of you and never escapes, it will get stale and die.
How do you keep your dream alive? Share and build it with others. Other people can act as bouncing boards. You send an idea out into the world, and it comes back to you in a different form. As an artist, it’s exciting because you can better-understand how others will react to your vision. As a businessman, it’s imperative to get outside feedback. More often than not, you are too close to your dream to see the flaws or incongruities. Find a friend and get outside of your head.
But getting feedback on your dream is not enough. You need to keep pumping the piston by passing the idea back and forth. Strong bouncing boards will shape your idea and make it stronger. Find a collaborator with whom you can pass ideas back and forth consistently. Find a collaborator who is accessible, trustworthy, and near the same wavelength. Try to avoid skipping a beat. Don’t drop the ball, or the idea may shatter.
Keep collaboration alive. It may very well be the key to achieving your dream.
Craig Ormiston 