Navigating the Noise: Finding Your True Self Amidst Worldly Expectations

🥳 Happy New Year 2024!  

Hey, 👋

It’s increasingly easy to lose touch with your authentic self as a creative professional these days. The nonstop external pressures and societal expectations we face can often drown out our inner wisdom. We get so caught up in chasing arbitrary measures of "success" that we disconnect from what truly matters most. This year, try to cut through the noise to rediscover what rings true for you.

🎭 The Social Script

There's a powerful "social script" that shapes common expectations for what a successful life trajectory looks like—graduate from university, build an impressive career, get married, buy a house, have kids, and retire comfortably. This linear path is so standardised that it's easy to just follow it without questioning if it aligns with your passions. Counter to creativity. It's important to check in with yourself and assess if you're following this script unconsciously rather than consciously charting a course aligned with your creative spirit.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parental Pressures

Many parents naturally want their children to have greater financial stability and more career opportunities than they did. This often shows up as pressure to pursue jobs solely for status or money rather than fulfilment. Of course, parents want the best for us, but their definition of "best" can steer us off course from what we find meaningful. It's key to have open conversations with parents about your true interests and values when it comes to work.

👥 Peer Comparisons

With carefully curated social media feeds that make it seem like peers have picture-perfect creative businesses or work lives, it’s tempting to constantly compare yourself. When we judge our own worth and success based on surface-level perceptions of those around us rather than inner truth, disappointment follows. Remember that what you see online is just a snapshot, not the whole picture. Focus on your own path.

📱 Social Media Distortions

The highlights floating across our social media feeds set unrealistic expectations for how we should be spending time or achieving goals. It’s hard not to get caught up in the illusion that everyone else is living their "best life" while you are falling behind based on what you see online. But social media is all about appearances—don't let it distort your reality.

🎯 Reframing Success

Try redefining the narrow conceptions of success, worthiness, and status that dominate society today. What constitutes "making it" to you? Instead of chasing validation through likes, followers, promotions, or prizes, get back in touch with the internal rewards that light you up. Define success on your own terms.

🗺️ Charting Your Own Course

Let your unique values, passions, and talents be the compass for charting your professional path as a freelancer or creative, rather than following the herd. Design a life and work roadmap aligned with inner convictions rather than outer achievement. Forge your own trail.

🧘 Making Mindful Choices

Check in with your core self before making big decisions about the next steps to take in your business or creative pursuits. Be sure your choices stem from intentionality rather than reactionary responses to external benchmarks or pressures to keep up with others. Choose mindfully.

💭 Conclusion

In a noisy world full of other people's voices competing for attention, make sure your creative gifts don't get muffled. Don't lose sight of your true north in the face of immense external expectations. Carving out time for self-reflection allows for mindful action aligned with inner truth rather than outer noise. Stay true to yourself.