You Are Not Your Work

Separate your self from the things you create.

Human, you’re working so hard, and I see you putting your all into the thing you’re building. You’ve got your dry warm nose so glued to the grindstone that you almost forgot to take me out for a walk the other day!

You’re putting in the hours, you’re learning all the things, you’re doing deliberate practice and improving and grinding and striving. When you surface, you’ll have created something: a book, a song, a painting, a comic, a business, a powerpoint presentation for an important client.

And maybe it’ll be amazing. Maybe it’ll be brilliant.

Or maybe it won’t be what you wanted it to be at all. Maybe a crushing wave of “Oh god I suck” will come at you, and you’ll want to hide under the porch with me.

I want to remind you, human: you are not your work.

This work does not define your worth. None of your works do.

YOU are amazing, even if your writing isn’t lauded as deathless prose.

YOU are valuable, even if your boss has a liberal hand with the changes she wants you to make to that presentation.

YOU are still capable, even if your business is struggling.

YOU are worthy, completely separately from anything you actually do or make.

You’ll have more works. SO MANY MORE! This is not the only

• book you’ll write

• sale you’ll try to close

• drawing you'll tackle

• app you'll submit

• chance you’ll have to create.

You need to believe in your work, yes, but more than that, you need to believe in yourself, wholly separately from your work.

That way, you can take feedback gracefully instead of reacting as if the reviewer stabbed a fork through your paw. They’re not judging you. They’re judging the work.

And you are not your work.

You’ll have many works, many outputs.

You wouldn’t judge a youngling human based on one example of their crayon skills, would you? Of course not. They are separate from their works, their skills, and they’ll improve over time. It’s the same for you, no matter how old you are in human years (or in dog years!).

You’re still learning, still growing. If you’re lucky, you’ll never stop.

Let your works be what they are, and keep your own self separate. You are greater than your works, and even greater than the sum of your works. You are unique. I’ve smelled a lot of humans, and I can tell you that I’ve never smelled anyone exactly like you. Your smell is not necessarily better or worse, just different (and, of course, my favorite).

Try this affirmation before you start your next creative or study or work session:

I am not my work.

I am greater than my work.

I am greater than the sum of my works.

I am not my work.

Repeat that a few times. You might not feel it to be true, at first. That’s okay. Keep trying, and it will start to sink in.

Your work doesn't need a walk. But you do … and so do I.

Let's go!