Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, China, Chinese Culture, Wieden+Kennedy, Youth
I want to write about something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently.
I turn 54 this year and if truth be told, the life I have is more than I ever could have imagined.
While I’ve worked hard for it, I also accept that I’ve had more than my share of luck.
Right place, right time.
Meeting people I should never have met.
Having some disproportionally believe in me.
Mates who went on to become important in their job.
Basically, a bunch of stuff you can’t really plan for … though if I have any skill, it’s been to be able to run with it and invest in it rather than stop.
Which basically translates to working hard, staying in touch, always being interested in stuff and constantly looking or thinking for new ways to help them win better – even when they don’t want it – hahaha.
It’s a work ethic that frankly was driven by survival and ambition.
Survival … because I knew I couldn’t win on brains – especially having not gone to university – but I could compete on effort. And ambition … because I knew I wanted to see what was possible, even though I didn’t have a plan and didn’t have any idea what ‘the goal’ could be, would be or should be.
I say all this because recently I got asked what advice I would give to someone starting out who doesn’t know what to do and I realised I didn’t really have an answer. Part of it is because my context is about as different as it could be for someone starting out … but also because I wouldn’t want to give advice, I’d like to listen why they feel they don’t know what to do.
But that said, I think their attitude is kind-of brilliant.
Of course I appreciate they don’t feel that way – quite the opposite – but that’s more because of what society and social media has done to make them feel that if they don’t have a plan, then they’re lost … and not only is that shit, I think being open to stuff is the best way to approach life.
That’s not just because we no longer will have one career for our whole lives, but because if you’re open to everything, then anything can happen.
Frankly that last point is one of the driving forces behind everything I’ve done and hope to do … and while I appreciate there’s privilege in that approach and attitude, it is also about openness and comfort with a degree of uncomfortableness.
But I get it is scary.
It’s hard to think of things you may lose … but as I’ve said many times, the other way to look at it is in terms of what you will gain, and literally everything in my life – bar my relationship with Paul – is because of this.
That doesn’t mean it’s for everyone, but it might be for more people than who actually do it – but don’t because they are paralysed in this grip of feeling they should have certainty for their life when the real power is to embrace the lack of it.
I say all this because I was recently on a podcast about this subject called Work Without Borders.
It was a real thrill for me because it was founded by an old Wieden Shanghai colleague – Flora – and her friend, Calvin, which meant I got to talk about very special times in China and beyond.
Listening back to it, I realise how fortunate I have been.
From having parents and family who backed me and encouraged me, to companies being willing to take a chance on me … which is why I hope anyone who listens to it doesn’t think I am suggesting they should be like me, but to be be open to whatever the fuck speaks to them.
And while I appreciate some may be in situations where they have responsibilities that directly influences what they can/can’t do – which means what happens may be different to what they hoped it would be – I believe they will still end up with experiences and lessons they wouldn’t get if they simply followed what everyone had blindly – or meticulously – done before.
You may ask how I can say that … and it’s relatively simple.
Because what companies called ‘the great resignation’ was actually ‘the great reset‘.
Where millions realised the path they had been made to feel was the only path they could follow, was taking them to the exact same place as everyone else.
A place of conformity and pressure rather than curiosity and possibility.
And while there are no guarantees in life, fulfilment is born from openness, not closed mindedness which is why I will always love this quote by Peter Ustinov:
“People who reach the top of the tree are those who haven’t got the qualifications to detain them at the bottom”.
How good is that? God I love it.
Which is why if you’re worried because you don’t have a plan – remember this.
Some people have advantages.
Some people have a plan.
Some people have luck.
But we’re all making it up. Every single one of us.
So while clarity can be a powerful beast, not having it doesn’t also mean it’s bad.
In fact, if you embrace it, you may just find it can take you to even more amazing places.