Why MOST designers FAIL

I've been a designer all my life, my friends are designers, I married a designer, I'm raising a designer and I've hired tons of designers. Being surrounded by designers is a beautiful thing. But there's nothing worse than witnessing the failure and slow death of a great designer. 

Why MOST designers FAIL

Many people believe we all enter this world as blank slates. In reality we all enter this world destined for greatness, bursting with creativity and appointed a purpose. Some of us are fortunate enough to walk in our purpose, while others will live beneath their potential and some will fail. the choice is yours. No one will force your hand, but wouldn't you rather die trying than to have seen greatness and never reached for it.

Endless Possibilities

Have you every met a young child who's imagination goes from 0 to 1000, with no warning?  Does your mind bounce from idea to idea, finding endless possibilities? Are your dreams so vivid, detailed and expansive they overshadow your every thought? Well, Chances are you're a designer. We all start out believing in endless possibilities, magic is real and our parents are like gods. But somewhere along the way between riding bikes, playing tag and geometry we start trading endless possibilities for bits of the world and preconceived truths. Designers have the supernatural ability to never stop believing in magic. In actually designers realize that they can make their own rules and their own magic. 

The BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

As we grow through our teen age years and into adult hood we are taught to mark our success with letters like A+ or numbers like $50,000 and phrases like "free lunch". Which can both be good things, but no one mentions the blah, blah, blah feeling that sets in. Yes, You can ace through all of your classes, land your dream design job making $50k a year, marry the love of your life and still be haunted by "The BLAH". For a designer this can be the death of you. It may take years or even decades before you even realize it's there. "The BLAH" starts like a small itch, but can quickly grow to overshadow every aspect of your life. Once "the BLAH" sets in it can take seconds, years or even decades ot get rid of it. 


What is this awful BLAH? It's the realization that the magic you fought so hard to hang onto is not being used in a truly fulfilling way. Like dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet, the moment you leave the restaurant you feel your hunger set in. Your spirit is crying out searching for meaning and purpose. As designers we are vessels for creative purpose to flow through. It's easy and fun to fill all of our time with work, family and social media. BUT, If we are not using out creative genius for something really meaningful our spirits will cry out in pain. I call that cry "The BLAH".   


A Natural High

When's the last time you met someone who seemed happy and carefree? Not in the Fiona Gallagher from Shameless way, but the Oprah or Beyonce kinda happy and carefree. Sure, Oprah and Beyonce are wealthy celebrities, but more importantly they are living in their purpose. When you see that kinda happiness in someone it radiates from within. It's the natural high, the joy and peace your spirit experiences when you are fulfilling your purpose in a meaningful way. Not everyone is appointed to a national or global level of greatness. Some of us are destined to be the greatest pre-school teaches, the greatest secretary or the greatest friend. The sooner you realize your predestined purpose the sooner you can cure "The BLAH".  For some you may wake up one day quit your job and dive right into it. For others your pain, misfortune and disappointments may eventually mold you into it. You might stay at a dead end job 9am-5pm and work on your dream business from 5pm - midnight. Others might live every moment to put a smile on their loved one's face.  But  In time your purpose may evolve and grow into something else.  As long as you have a beat in your heart and a spirit in your body you have a purpose.  There's a natural high that no one can take from you and it's just keeps getting better. As a designer the most important thing you can do is find and follow the creative beat in your heart. It will lead you to peace, joy and happiness. You will be free to experience a natural high unlike any other. If not your creative genius will wither, the childlike ability to make your own magic with fade and you will fail and die a slow boring designers death. 




Resources from this episode

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I participate in Amazon Associates and other affiliate programs and earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through the links on this page (at no extra cost to you).



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  • Eric Jones on

    Hey, this is Eric and I ran across godtivity.com a few minutes ago.

    Looks great… but now what?

    By that I mean, when someone like me finds your website – either through Search or just bouncing around – what happens next? Do you get a lot of leads from your site, or at least enough to make you happy?

    Honestly, most business websites fall a bit short when it comes to generating paying customers. Studies show that 70% of a site’s visitors disappear and are gone forever after just a moment.

    Here’s an idea…

    How about making it really EASY for every visitor who shows up to get a personal phone call you as soon as they hit your site…

    You can –

    Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It signals you the moment they let you know they’re interested – so that you can talk to that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.

    CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.

    You’ll be amazed – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus a half-hour or more later could increase your results 100-fold.

    It gets even better… once you’ve captured their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation.

    That way, even if you don’t close a deal right away, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.

    Pretty sweet – AND effective.

    CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.

    You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!

    Eric
    PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
    You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
    CLICK HERE http://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.

    If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=godtivity.com

  • Eric Jones on

    Hey, this is Eric and I ran across godtivity.com a few minutes ago.

    Looks great… but now what?

    By that I mean, when someone like me finds your website – either through Search or just bouncing around – what happens next? Do you get a lot of leads from your site, or at least enough to make you happy?

    Honestly, most business websites fall a bit short when it comes to generating paying customers. Studies show that 70% of a site’s visitors disappear and are gone forever after just a moment.

    Here’s an idea…

    How about making it really EASY for every visitor who shows up to get a personal phone call you as soon as they hit your site…

    You can –

    Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It signals you the moment they let you know they’re interested – so that you can talk to that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.

    You’ll be amazed – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus a half-hour or more later could increase your results 100-fold.

    It gets even better… once you’ve captured their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation.

    That way, even if you don’t close a deal right away, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.

    Pretty sweet – AND effective.

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.

    You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!

    Eric
    PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
    You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.

    If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=godtivity.com

  • Eric Jones on

    Cool website!

    My name’s Eric, and I just found your site – godtivity.com – while surfing the net. You showed up at the top of the search results, so I checked you out. Looks like what you’re doing is pretty cool.

    But if you don’t mind me asking – after someone like me stumbles across godtivity.com, what usually happens?

    Is your site generating leads for your business?

    I’m guessing some, but I also bet you’d like more… studies show that 7 out 10 who land on a site wind up leaving without a trace.

    Not good.

    Here’s a thought – what if there was an easy way for every visitor to “raise their hand” to get a phone call from you INSTANTLY… the second they hit your site and said, “call me now.”

    You can –

    Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know IMMEDIATELY – so that you can talk to that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.

    Time is money when it comes to connecting with leads – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later can be huge – like 100 times better!

    That’s why we built out our new SMS Text With Lead feature… because once you’ve captured the visitor’s phone number, you can automatically start a text message (SMS) conversation.

    Think about the possibilities – even if you don’t close a deal then and there, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.

    Wouldn’t that be cool?

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.

    You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!
    Eric

    PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
    You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.

    If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=godtivity.com

  • Eric Jones on

    Hey, my name’s Eric and for just a second, imagine this…

    - Someone does a search and winds up at godtivity.com.

    - They hang out for a minute to check it out. “I’m interested… but… maybe…”

    - And then they hit the back button and check out the other search results instead.

    - Bottom line – you got an eyeball, but nothing else to show for it.

    - There they go.

    This isn’t really your fault – it happens a LOT – studies show 7 out of 10 visitors to any site disappear without leaving a trace.

    But you CAN fix that.

    Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It lets you know right then and there – enabling you to call that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try out a Live Demo with Talk With Web Visitor now to see exactly how it works.

    Time is money when it comes to connecting with leads – the difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes later can be huge – like 100 times better!

    Plus, now that you have their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation… so even if you don’t close a deal then, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.

    Strong stuff.

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.

    You could be converting up to 100X more leads today!

    Eric
    PS: Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
    You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.

    If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=godtivity.com

  • Eric Jones on

    My name’s Eric and I just found your site godtivity.com.

    It’s got a lot going for it, but here’s an idea to make it even MORE effective.

    Talk With Web Visitor – CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com for a live demo now.

    Talk With Web Visitor is a software widget that’s works on your site, ready to capture any visitor’s Name, Email address and Phone Number. It signals you the moment they let you know they’re interested – so that you can talk to that lead while they’re literally looking over your site.

    And once you’ve captured their phone number, with our new SMS Text With Lead feature, you can automatically start a text (SMS) conversation… and if they don’t take you up on your offer then, you can follow up with text messages for new offers, content links, even just “how you doing?” notes to build a relationship.

    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to discover what Talk With Web Visitor can do for your business.

    The difference between contacting someone within 5 minutes versus a half-hour means you could be converting up to 100X more leads today!

    Eric
    PS: Studies show that 70% of a site’s visitors disappear and are gone forever after just a moment. Don’t keep losing them.
    Talk With Web Visitor offers a FREE 14 days trial – and it even includes International Long Distance Calling.
    You have customers waiting to talk with you right now… don’t keep them waiting.
    CLICK HERE https://boostleadgeneration.com to try Talk With Web Visitor now.

    If you’d like to unsubscribe click here http://boostleadgeneration.com/unsubscribe.aspx?d=godtivity.com



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