It’s what every artist & entrepreneur wants to hear, including me:
— I’m so proud of you.
— You completely nailed it.
— I wouldn’t change a thing.
— You did a great job.
— You’re a creative genius.
All of us crazy artists & treps crave applause & acknowledgement. It boosts moral, provokes confidence, and fuels persistence. However for some, that’s enough. For some, being a starving artist or a struggling CEO is enough success. They could easily spend the rest of their life surviving off the praise & approval of their friends & family. Heck, you get tons of sympathy: “You worked so hard on this.” Plenty of agreement: “It’s a tough world out there.” And a boatload of assurance: “I’m sure you’ll make it some day.”
For others it’s not enough. For others, applause is a temptation to repeat the same thing over and over, and acknowledgement is a sweet cookie that often spoils your appetite to persist. The pro likes cookies too. However no amount of praise can replace insightful, constructive criticism from experts, and useful worthwhile feedback from fans and customers. Of course if you’re not ready to hear the truth, then head for the cookie jar.
“The important thing to me is that I’m not driven by people’s praise and I’m not slowed down by people’s criticism. I’m just trying to work at the highest level I can.” —Russell Crowe