What does your body of work look like? Does it measure up to the likes of Walt Disney, J.R.R. Tolkien or Steve Jobs? Not necessarily in terms of fame and notoriety, but instead in terms of you’ve really given it your all. The common thread of the three men I’ve listed is a 100 percent commitment of their passion to the body of work. When I think of these three men I don’t think to myself – he did this or that half-way.
Do you know what your body of work is?
Have you given thought to what your body of work looks like? You may not think about it often but you already have a body of work. Look back on what you’ve completed. Are you proud of it? Was it the best work you could do at the time? Or, did you leave a little bit on the table? Could you have stretched a little further?
Your body of work is not complete
The good news is that your body of work is not yet complete. I find myself in the middle of a project that could well be a defining moment in my body of work. It’s a team effort in which both Steve Jobs and Walt Disney specialized. Our team is putting together some amazing color measurement technology. I’m pulling out all the stops to make sure I am giving 100 percent to the project. My hope is that others on the team see that commitment and follow my lead.
Your body of work is your legacy
Sure, we all know the three names listed above. Two left this world long ago, but the work they did lives on. In my industry their are folks long dead who’s names live on because of their body of work. If you are at all familiar with color you may know the name Munsell. He’s been dead since 1918 but his impact on the world of color remains to this day.
Your body of work matters, please don’t sell it or yourself short.
Sometimes I have issues because I have to say no to many things. The main reason is because although they sound interesting I cannot commit. Hopefully I can keep on building on my body of work.
I guess I have always been very passionate about everything I do. When I was in the Military I strived to be the best soldier I could be (not sure if I did it but I sure as hell tried). When I saw I could not commit myself because my passion was not in being a soldier all my life I decided to go to college. I worked on my degree to later find out that I had to move towards where my real passion is technology.
Now my passion is using technology to align it to business goals and I find the online world a perfect place to be passionate about it 24/7.
Hopefully there will come a moment where everything I have been passionate about and the many lessons I have learned throughout my experiences will give me an edge over others. Until that moment comes just like Disney I will be striving for the perfect product not making money.
Great post Jim!
Learning to say no is a very important business skill….I find myself still working on it to this day.
I also more than I should say yes to something I should have no… 🙂
Decisions are hard sometimes and easy at other times…… I suggest that the easy decisions don’t count as much…….Bodies of work tend to be based on the push against the status quo…..or, just stand alos genius……..Disney bought “swamp land” in Central Florida, but “sold his vision” and changed the world. Jobs sold his vision and arguable failed via his dismissal from Apple…….but, returned (a la ; Return of the King); Tolkien; and then really changed the world. Do not forget about timing…….not too early……never too late…….otherwise, too early and your a “visionary” with no success……too late…..and your at risk of being an also ran…….who educated everyone else and got nothing in return…….
Stephen, You my friend get it. Run towards the hard stuff (with good timing of course) because that is where the successes beyond our wildest dreams lie. Changing the world is not typically easy work. Fun, for sure, easy, not so much.