Commit yourself to taking enough risks that you will fail some of the time. If you're not failing, we're not doing something sufficiently difficult or creative.
Scott BerkunWhen I'm the speaker, I know that special moment [just before speaking] is the only time I will have the entire audience's full attention. Unless an alien spaceship crash-lands on stage midway through the talk, the silence before I begin is the most powerful moment I have. What defines how well I'll do starts with how I use the power of that moment.
Scott BerkunBig thoughts are fun to romanticize, but it's many small insights coming together that bring big ideas into the world.
Scott BerkunInnovative ideas are rarely rejected on their merits; theyโre rejected because of how they make people feel. If you forget peopleโs concerns and feelings when you present an innovation, or neglect to understand their perspectives in your design, youโre setting yourself up to fail.
Scott BerkunThe temptation many creative people I know have is to strive for popularity. To make, do, and say things that other people like in the hopes of pleasing them. This motivation is nice. And sometimes the end result is good. But often what happens in trying so hard to please other people, especially many other people, the result is mediocre.
Scott Berkun