TIP 284 Designer Career Success: Mindset Changes That Make a Difference

I love receiving your messages.
You share with me your happy and tough moments too.
Your stories on your design journey are truly inspiring.

Thank you!

Some says:
“I am exciting to join a design school next September!”,
“I have just been hired by a design company!”
…

While others say: 
“I am an engineer, I always dream of becoming an industrial designer but I can’t.“
“I am not good enough, who am I to succeed?”
“I can’t draw, I will never make it”
“I am too old”
…

Some of you realise their dreams to become a designer.
While others wonder if they can realise them.

“The Pursuit of Happiness”
with Will Smith and his son Jayden is one of my favourite movies.

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1. IT’S ABOUT YOUR MINDSET NOT YOUR ACTUAL SKILLS

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Today I want to show you that your success
does not depend of your actual skills.
But your mindset.

Your mindset is built from
all these little voices that “play in loop in your head.”

“I can do it! I want it!” : D
or “This is not for me. I have no time. It is too difficult…” : (

These voices are directly related to your future success.
And the good news is that you can decide to which voices to listen to.

If you tell yourself “I can”.
You will take action toward your goal,
and seeing opportunities you never saw before.
(They was already there, but you couldn’t notice them)

If you say “I can’t”, then for sure you won’t achieve anything.

Put on the work, search, create. Be ambitious!
And amazing opportunities “will come to you like a magnet”.

That’s what we call the Law of attraction.
We attract what we reflect.

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2. TO LEARN TO SUCCEED, YOU MUST FIRST LEARN TO FAIL

In american movie,
there is a fascination for a 2nd act.

When the hero fail, he always get up stronger! 

That is how you should tell yourself to never give up.
We all can take the wrong choice, fail, do mistakes. It happened.
But we can all decide to correct, solve, learn.

Life is permanently in motion.
There is up and down.

But if you wanna become durably happy.
Stop complaining or blaming society, politics, parents… and build something.

Listen to your ambitious voices that tell you to follow your dream that excite you.

Like how I decided to rewind my 3 years diploma university to level 0 to restart a Master degree in Product design, that I obtained with honours. 🙂

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3. LISTEN TO YOUR AMBITIOUS VOICES

 

I used to study business and marketing for 2 years.
It was boring. But I still had no clue of what I wanted to do of my life.
So I kept searching. And enroll for a 3rd year in IT. It was boring again…

One day,
I decided to stop trying to do like my friends
who went to Business or engineering school.

But listening to what I love.

I loved drawing.
It was just a hobbie though.

But I decided to take that seed inside me, and make it grow.
Since, I enroll a Design school.
Worked hard, great things happened!

Such as:

• my internship for BETC EURO RSCG product design department in Paris,
• or in Japan for Daihatsu (Car design)
• or my experience in Adidas in Germany,
• or all the years in South-East Asia in the fashion and shoe industry…

All these that were beyond my initial dream happened
because I decided to listen to the positive voices
telling me to grow the passion inside me.

If you listen to you first, you’ll start writing your own story.

 

4. RATHER FAIL THAN REGRET

Your parents may want you to become a lawyer, a doctor, an enginneer.
Why? Because it shows stability, status and pride.
But this dream is their dream.

Not yours.

My parents never really knew what I did in my design school and career.
But they knew I was happy.

And I made a career with it.

I believe that : Stability, Status and Pride are important.
But they don’t bring true happiness for me.

I need Creativity in my life. 

I had no friends or relatives who has ever put
Creativity in their career plan.

It is ok. But not for ME.

I had to make a try enrolling my design school. It was intimidating.
At least, I won’t regret not giving it a chance.

I realised that I rather fight to become a great designer
than a mediocre salesman or IT engineer.

Waking up every morning feeling that Life is worth living.

 

5. DECIDE TO LIVE HAPPY

No matter what you do.
Stop wasting energy at blaming others or complaining.

Instead nurish a positive energy to build yourself. 

That will give you the strength to take a decision to try.
To take a choice for YOURSELF to be happy.
To be strong, and believe in your passion.

Prove people who didn’t believe you they were wrong.
Think first for yourself. So, you can follow your own path.

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6. FOLLOW THAT SHINING STAR

Dont try to plan everything.
Accept the part of randomness of life.
But follow that little star that shine above you. Follow it with faith. 

It is your decision to keep your head up. And keep up.
“Dream big, target the moon and you will land in the stars.” 🙂

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7. LIVE LIFE LIKE A GAME!

It won’t be every day easy.
You will face obstacles you never had before.

You may want to give up sometime.
But if you love what you do, every single day wont be work, but a game!

With that mindset, you will keep up no matter what.
Together, let’s make your life score a maximum of points!

Cheers,
Chou-Tac

PS: Tell me in the comments or send me an email
at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com your stories or ask me your questions. : )

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