Tuesdays With Ryz- You Don’t Need the Approval of Others

Don’t do things for the approval of others. You will never be able to fulfill the expectations of others, just as you will never be able to know what those expectations are for you from those fans you are looking to please. Instead, firmly stand for the choices you have made – choices in who you are, what you do and what you stand for. You choose how you present yourself to this world, who you share it with and what you do with the gifts God has given to you. Do what it is that brings you to your knees with a crippling amount of gratitude, joy, happiness and sense of belonging to something much bigger than the golf claps and “thumbs up” reactions you so desperately desire to receive. But this is easier said than done.

We want to be accepted and feel a sense of belonging as we are tribal by nature. We want the accolades to stand out and lift us up. I’m not saying they aren’t powerful and beneficial. But doing something for approval, acceptance and accolades is the wrong reason for doing ANYTHING.

I had to give myself this “big boy/girl” talk when our team submitted a piece of our work for an Addy Award. Our team develops creative for our clients to tell their story…that’s it. It is their story and they want to share it with everyone, unapologetically opening up to the world to, in some way, shape or form, help others. We don’t tell the stories expecting awards or accolades, so when we were notified we were one of 24…yes…24 agencies to receive the highest honor from the American Advertising Federation for one of our campaigns, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a exhilarating wave of emotion. All I can think of was Sally Field standing with her Oscar saying, “You like me! You really like me!” Our peers gave us their Chuck Norris thumbs up in the biggest way possible but, for us, we were already winners.

You see, we produced and did something that we believed was the best we could do and the best for our clients. We stood tall in all that we created something that embraced everything we are and stand for in this world and industry.

So the next time you produce something, whether it is a friendship, a memory, a scary decision about your future, a path to guide your child, a partner in life or maybe just a new discovery of who you are, do so without seeking the approval of others. Do it with the conviction and confidence that you have done so in a way that will last longer than any approval it will garner. Because, in the end, the only thing approval, award or accolade you need is from the person you see in the mirror looking back at you.