4 Simple rules to surviving this year and throughout your career

4 Simple rules to surviving this year and throughout your career

Sean Patrick, President & Co-Founder, Patrick 2 Paradisi Inc
sean@patrickparadisi.com
Previous work experience include Instructor Web Design and Marketing at Sheridan College.
VP Digital & Creative Services at Mosaic Sales Solutions.

Sean started the presentation by asking us “What is Design?”

Design is a process, it is about thinking, it is about planning. You will learn by struggling. Good or bad at least you will have learned something. A designer is not an artist. You are a problem solver. When done perfectly no one notices.

Rule # 1 - Don’t be afraid to fail

Failure does not define you. We learn from those failures. It is a necessary step in learning and creating great work. Try everything, you may find something new you didn’t know that you are really good at.

Identify that fear of failure. You’re not getting it because of the fear of failure. Know your fear triggers. A good example is the scary blank page. You have the opportunity to start something. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It may even be a failure. It doesn’t matter the important thing is that it starts the process. It doesn’t get easier you just get better at it.

Rule # 2 - I am an Expert

Know what you’re good at and what your not. Then move on. Try everything to learn what new things can feed into what you’re good at or open up a whole new world. Heed this warning “Be careful what you get good at doin’ cause you’ll be doin’ it for the rest of your life” – Jo Carson.

Rule # 3 - Look around you

It’s important to identify failure. If you don’t the small failure will become a bigger failure. If you’re struggling on one project all day and have six others you haven’t touched…look around you. Do something else. Take a break.

Sometimes when you’re struggling stop thinking and look at what people thought. “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – Issac Newton.

Rule # 4 - Be prepared

Think about it. Share your thinking. Never give up that time to prepare. Getting the project done is only half the challenge. You need to own it and share the thinking behind it. Preparing is part of the process.

This is how I’m going to remember the 4 Simple Rules. My acronym is FEAR.

F – Failure is okay
E – I’m an Expert at…
A – Look Around
R – Be Ready




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