Debunk your own myth. Re-invent yourself.

Issue 91: Topple your statue and avoid being a one trick pony

May 8

When you work in an industry long enough, that world becomes smaller and interwoven. Reputation or how people perceive you blends into different aspects of your work. Whether it’s at a meetup, event, and yes, sometimes during an interview, there is nothing I dread more than hearing someone say:

"I've been following you for years on Twitter for some time! I love what you’re about.”

To be honest, it makes me so uncomfortable hearing this. My discomfort is nothing with the person with a kind intent but rather the false expectations it holds of me as a very fillable human. I politely express my appreciation and frantically find ways to downplay what they heard. One might assume this will never happen to them, but it likely will as they continue progressing in their career. The thought of having a platform or reputation makes me cringe, yet, here we are. It’s not something I strive for, but somehow it happened. All I care about is sharing ideas, having conversations, making incredible products, and helping build great teams. Even if you do not contribute to it, certain mythology about you can develop and it’s important to debunk it before it starts, avoid resting on your own laurels, and find ways to innovate yourself.

Debunk your own myth

Have you ever discovered something about a person you admired and were disappointed they didn’t meet the expectations of how you viewed them? This happens all the time. This is what happens when your hero-worship. There are people I look up to because of their professional accomplishments. However, I no longer hold any expectation of infallibility with them.

This tweet from @celestesaurus (incredible handle) resonates a lot with me:

Celeste @celesteasaurus

you and your heroes are at least one person’s villain. people earmarked as villains in your story have probably been extremely positive influences in others’. people are very rarely ever just one thing, it’s just cognitively easier to think of them that way

It’s not about being perfect, because you can’t be. Instead, focus on how you can grow and learn. When you debunk your own myth, it creates room to grow and focus on the moment. In Tony Faddell’s book Build, he talks about “the gods of software” in Bill Atkinson and Andy Hertzfeld. In the end, they were two ordinary human beings. Whether it’s fabricated by yourself or others around you, don’t take in your own myth and lore.

Resting on laurels is dangerous

If you’re not familiar with the idiom “resting on one’s laurels,” it means to stop putting in the effort, trying to innovate, or working to advance one's career or status and instead rely on one's past achievements or accolades to remain relevant or successful. Another danger of living your own mythology is getting complacent about what you’ve done in the past. I’m not suggesting pulling what The Last Jedi tried in obliterating the past. Reflect and celebrate your previous achievements, but don’t be Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamic and live in the past.

Design Twitter has a lot of Uncle Ricos, who preach about how design should be. They preach retweetable like they are Charles Barkley in the postgame show for NBA on TNT, speaking of their own era vs. the modern era. This type of behavior often fosters what I call “unusable wisdom.” It’s wisdom stuck in the past that’s no longer relevant in the modern world.

In Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone’s main character got complacent after winning the championship five years ago. His fame, wealth, and profile increased and he lost the eye on the prize. As Rocky Balboa became distracted, a rising contender named James “Clubber” Lang, played by Mr. T ultimately defeats him for the championship. Resting on laurels is dangerous.

Innovate yourself: seek the next act

In order to innovate, I truly believe one must constantly re-invent yourself. Legendary musician Madonna might be the prime example of what it means to constantly re-invent one’s self. She honestly could have stopped at her self-titled album in 1983 and called it a career. The Beastie Boys could have stopped at License to Ill, but they innovated on their music. The late great Kobe Bryant was just beginning his next act post-basketball before he was tragically taken away from us.

What you do now may only be Act I of what you’ll do for the rest of your life. In the unwritten future, there are multiple paths of where one can go. Invest in those possibilities and continue to develop as you’re living your own present.

Legends are built because of action and impact

There is a great quote in the Star Wars game “Knights of the Old Republic” where Revan, one of the main characters, expresses, "who I am is not important, my message is." Don’t let people build a mythology around you, or focus on creating one yourself.

Topple your own statues before they’re even erected.

Lead instead of focusing on being a leader.
Inspire, don’t focus on being inspirational.
Influence, don’t focus on being an influencer.

Debunk your mythology and focus on the execution. Let your actions and do the hard work were looking back, you experienced a legendary life.