“When I had a hit album, everything at the record company was great and wonderful. When one flopped, they wouldn’t even take my phone calls…You learn not to allow your successes to go to your head and not to allow your failures to go to your heart. I was prepared by the time I made it into films.” Will Smith

As a creative who’s enjoyed success—and failure—in the rough-and-tumble music and film industries, our friend Will has a lot to share here, doesn’t he?

He reminds us how fickle and heartless the industry players who make decisions about our creative work can be. They are fair-weather friends and it’s a mistake to attach too much importance or value to their views on our work. We need to continue to believe in it, no matter what, while always being committed to improving.

We need to be our own anchors in a storm.

Here’s a definition of a “winner” I love and just heard on Dr. Rob Gilbert’s Success Hotline:* “A winner is a person who is constantly and continuously striving to become better at what they do.”

What a wonderful way to look at winning and the creative life! It dovetails perfectly with what Smith’s two-part survival strategy:

Don’t allow your successes to go to your head: If you think of winning as becoming better at what you do, then success won’t go to your head, because you’ll always see room for improvement. This will keep you humble and remind you that success is relative and fleeting, but getting better is something you can commit to doing every day.

Don’t allow your failures to go to your heart: Rob Gilbert is fond of saying, “there are no failures, just feedback.” Reframe failure in this way and you can keep it in perspective and guard against letting it get you down. Instead of letting it become a heartbreaking event, let it be a springboard for getting better. As Rob says so well, “A breakdown can be a setup for a breakthrough.” When we let what others call a “failure” inspire us to improve and grow, we’re turning it from straw into gold.

So let’s think of these setbacks that come our way as hiccups—as temporary. And now, emboldened and energized, let’s all write on!

*Check out Dr. Rob Gilbert’s fabulous free Success Hotline: 973-743-4690

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