5 things I found out the hard way

Some great advice here from people who have done it. Thought it would be nice to add my own. If you have any tips why not share them.

1. Have belief in what you do.

The best ideas are the ones no one else has come up with yet. At times it's difficult for people to get their heads around 'new' ideas because they don't have anything relative to compare it to. Find some like-minded people and share your ideas with them first. Once you've convinced yourself your idea is good it's up to you to convince others. Self belief and passion will do that job for you.

2. There is no 9-5.

To be great at what you do any boarders between your 'work' and what you love need to wafer thin. Like it or not you can not do everything you need to do in the timeframe formally known as 'work hours'. It's not sad checking your email when you are holiday or out of 'work hours'. What is sad is being in a job you hate so much that the idea of checking your email out of work hours is so repulsive.

3. Do. Learn. Do. Learn. Do. Learn.

Bad news for anyone paying off a massive student loan but experience will count for more than any peice of paper telling you you're now qualified to be a doer. If you reinvested all the money you spent on your education on doing what you love would you be in a better place now? Get your hands dirty doing as much as you can and you'll learn so much more.

4. Forget about awards and forget about your ego.

I've watched good people turn bad chasing awards. I've seen happy people broken because their brilliant product used by millions wasn't given a badge by 10 men sat around a table. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to win awards but don't let your ego turn you into an award chaser. You are ultimately serving the user not the panel.

5. For goodness sake take advice.

The best bit of advice I can ever give is 'take advice'. When I was younger, and a hell of a lot more arrogant than I am now, I rarely took advice always believing that I knew more than anyone could ever tell me. There were many crashes as a result. These days I spend so much time seeking out advice and learning from those that have 'done it'. I'd be insane not to. Invite someone for a brew and chat and you'll be amazed how it can change your life.

 

Comments

[Jo Roach]

Great list, especially number 4. Ego is an absolute killer in creative teams. It reduces other people's passion and commitment, and worse still it takes your focus away from what you're creating.

A couple from me:

6. Tell other people when they're great
When someone around you does or says something extra special, tell them. And then watch them fly. We all work better when we feel confident and happy, and helping someone else to do great things can be even more rewarding than doing them yourself.

7. Fail Better
When you fail, admit your failure. Understand it and then take what you learned and use it in future. I admire people who can confess to screwing up, because I know that they have real confidence in their talents and the wisdom to keep learning. And most importantly that they are trustworthy.

[hugh garry]

Thanks Jo and great point about recognising 'trustworthy' people through their understanding and acceptance of failure.

[Sam Horner]

8. There is always room for improvement but know when to let go.
A project, product, (insert thing) is never perfect and can always been improved but know when to let it go. Don't over cook your steak.

[hugh garry]

Cheers Sam. Is there a veggie analogy option?

[Sam Horner]

Don't.....over slice your cucumber??

[Martyn Davies]

10. Don't bury your head in the sand
When you discover an issue, don't pretend it isn't there, don't pretend it will just go away and don't worry about being blamed for it. Flagging problems early and communicating the actions to solving them will win you more respect in the end. Most of all, don't go it alone. A problem shared is a problem halved after all.

[Nevali]

11. You can't do everything

Other people will almost always be working on similar things or in similar areas to you, and trying to do everything yourself is a recipe for disaster. Keep your eyes and ears open and figure out when to work with others and build on what they've done.

12. Don't flog a dead horse

Don't keep at things just because you've invested a lot of time and effort in it: sometimes projects, however dear to your heart, need to be put out of their misery — and doing that gives you the freedom to move on to something new. Throw things at walls, see what sticks. Sometimes it'll be nothing, sometimes it'll be a lot.