I’ve seen a few narratives about “making it” and the feelings that will presumably accompany the magic moment when we have crossed over into the elusive place that we have been striving towards for so long. I truly don’t mean that as a belittlement or to say that we should not work hard towards it or have goals. On the contrary, we should absolutely work towards our goals.

But in recent years, I’ve come to realize the importance of the condition that my heart is in during that journey. “How” we journey determines the state that we will find ourselves in when we finally arrive at our destination.

Caring and guarding our hearts in the journey is something I strongly believe in. By that, I do not mean isolating ourselves from other creatives, family, or friends, but rather asking ourselves from time to time what the true source of our joy is. Is it in who we are at our core or accomplishing that goal?

The Path To Becoming More Whole

On the path to that “promised land” of destiny, there are giants of insecurity, lesser self-value, and hopelessness that must be slayed along the way. They must be dealt with before we arrive. Our value should not be determined by our circumstances, jobs, industry executives, or by other people in general. Otherwise, those things will destroy us once we’re inside of our destination.

Why is that?

The more whole we become in the journey, the better we will be able to function inside of our destination.

So, what do I mean by “the more whole we become”? It doesn’t mean arriving at a place where nothing will bother us. We’re not robots. It means not seeing our accomplishments as a measure of the worth of who we are. Yes, we should absolutely rejoice over our triumphs and definitely celebrate them when they are achieved, but they should not be a measure by which we are defined.

The Benefits Of Self-Care

There are benefits to this, peace being one of them. Working hard while not emotionally draining ourselves (and others) is another. Other benefits include being able to take criticism without personalizing it, handling deadlines and pressure much better, and being an enjoyable, positive presence in the workplace, on set, or wherever you may be. And the most important one - being able to enjoy our destination a whole lot more.

Things will go wrong. Not everyone will love our work. We will have deadlines and pressures to work through. But in the midst of all that, if we do not look to our work as the source of our self-worth, we will not only survive but thrive. And yes, we will also work hard. And we will celebrate as we should.

More Than The Sum Of Our Parts

Our accomplishments are not the core sum of who we are. Our accomplishments come as a result of who we are. Hard work also comes as a result of who we are. If we look to our accomplishments to determine our value, we'll never be satisfied and possibly be destroyed when something goes wrong. We’ll despair when we get a “pass” on our scripts, get critical coverage or our movie doesn’t get greenlit.

We also can’t give away what we don’t have. If we don’t grab a hold of the joy in the journey then despair is all we will share with others and become a drain on those whose paths we cross.

So, enjoy your friends or family. Take inventory of things to be grateful for. Love well. And yes, celebrate your creative triumphs. Look to simplicity and take joy in those things.

Source Of Joy

One great source of joy in my day is when I sit in my chair, look to my right and see my sweetheart and our daughter smiling or playing cards. With so much loss and pain in the world, I have to stop to treasure that simple moment and breathe it in. That’s how I know I’ve “made it”.

And at the end of the day, we are still creatives. Whether we’re creating for a big major studio or for ourselves, we will always be creatives. It’s in our DNA. And no one industry or executive can ever take that away from us. Rest in that - not defiantly or with fist raised high, but humbly and restfully.

No matter what changes in the industry in the time to come, and no matter what valleys we travel through in our creative journey, we will remain...creatives. Rest in that.

What is the source of your joy?

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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