There is so much wisdom and inspiration to glean from Dan Wieden’s story, but the thing that most resonated with me was the transformational impact the permission to fail had on Dan, his agency, and the thousands of associates that have worked within or around his creative network. Dan believed true greatness was born from a “willingness to F* something up” while being “utterly yourself”. I couldn’t agree more, but if I’m being honest the thought of stepping into that level of vulnerability is terrifying. If you’re like me and believe that greatness is truly that accessible why aren’t we pursuing it in this way? We’re afraid!
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt
I would argue that the fear of failure is the number one reason most people will come nowhere close to reaching their full potential. It will not be from a lack of effort, unclear objectives, missed deadlines, or poorly executed plans. Nope, we will simply not bother to try. We all have so much more to give but sadly we’ve allowed ourselves to become ensnared in a way of living that favors retreat over advancement. We’re all so afraid of failure that we choose self-limiting over self-actualizing.
Failure doesn’t exist! It’s a manufactured construct to keep us perpetually feeling void of “something”. Failure is defined as lack of success, but success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Is there ever really a time where we are without accomplishment? No. Failure’s relevance is only in relation to a term in which we define for ourselves. So what could there possibly be to fear about something that doesn’t exist or at a minimum is based off of something we’ve defined?
Not ready to nix failure from your vernacular? I totally understand, so here is another perspective to consider. It is often said that the more we try to avoid something, the more we create it. Meaning there is no such thing as avoidance when it comes to attention and energy. Where attention goes, energy flows. So if you’re focusing your attention on avoiding a failure you’ll only get more of that, more “avoided failure”, which is not success! You see, we must focus on that in which we desire and take action to create it. In order to do that we must first give ourselves permission to fail, so we can begin to focus on doing something that matter.
Dan’s story highlights how we can liberate ourselves from the fragile and ineffective operating systems we’ve allowed ourselves to be governed by and start living in a way that will stretch us towards our full potential. Dan Wieden lived his truth every day and we’ll use his story to help you design a way of living that provokes you to grow and create your breakthroughs On Purpose.
STEP 1: RETHINK EVERYTHING
STEP 2: BE A VERB
STEP 3: PUSH YOURSELF
STEP 1: RETHINK EVERYTHING
Your life is getting too familiar! Consider that your warning. That may seem like a strange heads up, because in most instances familiarity feels like a good thing. It would be challenging to get into any type of meaningful work if we were constantly fretting about how to get to the office, where to park, how to operate the copy machine, or how to properly submit a monthly report. Familiarity certainly has its place, but if we are not careful, familiarity can stunt your growth and prevent you from reaching your full potential.
Familiarity can stunt growth because it can lead to complacency and distort our motivation. Instead of being motivated by our dreams our motivation becomes centered around maintaining our comforts. When we are familiar with something, we know what to expect. This can make us feel comfortable and secure, and over time this can lead to a reluctance to take risks or try new things. For example, if you are familiar with your job, you may be less likely to look for a new job that offers more opportunities for growth. To make matters worse, you will also become less likely to engage in new challenges at work.
Dan fully appreciated the deleterious effects of “knowing” on the creative process and made concerted efforts to eradicate that type of thinking from the culture. Wieden+Kennedy started by ignoring the rules of advertising and that ethos has remained within the organization today because the status quo is being questioned by everyone, everyday.
Take a moment to reflect on where your life has become too familiar? Could you incorporate some lifestyle design strategies that might encourage you to constructively question things?
STEP 2: BE A VERB
“People are more of a process than a thing… we’re verbs not nouns!” - Dan Wieden
This may be the most liberating quote I’ve ever read. Nouns are definitive, it either is or it is not. The purpose of a noun is to classify, identify, or denote. Processes on the other hand are dynamic, they’re active, and continuously evolving to achieve their purpose. Which of those would you rather identify with? Can you not just feel the weight of the world sliding off your shoulders when you start to try on this notion of being a process? It really changes everything.
Things are, therefore they must always be. Things are more concerned with appearing to be than actually stretching themselves to fully be. So, as a thing I would rather set smaller goals and appear to be more successful, than to set bigger goals, appear to have failed, but have grown in understanding of myself and acquired new insights into my true capabilities. If you see your life in terms of I am or I am not, you've already failed. You are already disconnected from the journey itself.
Processes do not care about appearing successful or as having failed. They only care about the action necessary to achieve their purpose, and they are willing to undergo countless metamorphosis ultimately going to whatever length to get it. You can't evolve to anything better without "failing". You can't do the unexpected without "failing." You can't fully be if you’re not “failing”.
How can embracing the idea of being more of a process than a thing help you seek more of the growth opportunities life is trying to provide?
STEP 3: PUSH YOURSELF
The key to growth is to set goals that perpetually push you to move out of your comfort zone. Research has demonstrated that humans function most optimally when operating in a state that necessitates us to use 70-80% of our stress management capacity. This is a sweet spot, the zone in which what is in us is called out of us and a state that is highly conducive to growth and creative expression.
What you’re looking for is something that you’ve never seen in yourself before. This doesn’t mean it is not within you. I can assure you that it is. Dan Weiden would say, “you need to stretch to become utterly who you are.” In order to continue growing as a person and a professional, you have to set goals that are unreasonable for the current version of yourself. That's the point of pushing ourselves. It’s not about relentlessly doing more of the same to accumulate more of what is familiar. No, it’s about pushing yourself to stretch for things that you cannot yet do, so that at some point you’ll be equipped to do the thing you have not yet done.
How could you go about designing your life to ensure you were continually pushing yourself to stretch into your untapped potential?