There’s a certain beauty in the innocence of being a child. Pretty sure I’ve shared something along the lines of this observation before (just in a diff context), but remember when “corporate things” seemed so “perfect”?
For me it was the logos & lines on the basketball court at MSG & the lines on the field at old Yankee Stadium. They looked perfect. Crisp. I couldn’t imagine how they got done w such precision. Clearly it was something that happened in the wee hrs of the night, machines that made no mistakes.
This belief extended to things like Super Bowl halftime shows & all the graphics, the corporate logos when you’d pass by them on buildings & they were just emblazoned in your mind standing for these massive/untouchable entities, & even the way actors flawlessly delivered lines on stage during a play.
The beauty in that innocence is that we were in awe…it fueled our ambition…we wanted to do great things as well & be part of great brands & productions, or even build them ourselves.
Then as we got older, we started to notice the cracks & the imperfections. At the baseball games we noticed the lines being spray painted & a few spots that weren’t so straight…we noticed one of the actors whose voice quivered…we saw one of the corporate giants go out of biz & their logo not mean as much to us up on the side of a large building.
Now, as I’ve gotten older, & been fortunate enough to go to mtgs w “higher up execs” I’ve seen this trend – that there’s no such thing as perfection – & that realization extends beyond things like brands & logos, but to things like ppl & decision-making.
We’re told from a young age that there are “experts” in many areas. They “know” what they’re talking abt…& have all the data/info where their decisions are flawless. But here’s the thing – they’re not. They may have more EXPERIENCE. They may be making decisions based on more cases to pull from…but it doesn’t mean they’re “right.”
This happens w docs who diagnose us…& it happens OFTEN in the biz world, w ppl who tell us what “will/won’t work.” I’m not advocating that we dismiss the “experts.” I’m advocating that if you have experience: your opinion, your calculations, your gut feel – they matter in a big way too. The REAL experts I’ve been in a room w (for things like podcast launches, documentary script writing sessions, brand creations, public speaking advice, etc.), they’re the ones who have the confidence to say: “this is what I THINK will work, but it’s just a best guess.” We are all just figuring it out. No one has all the answers. Let that be a confidence booster that the decisions you feel in your gut are right, once you get all the ADVICE you can, may be exactly what IS right for you!
