Dealing with Doubt
The Work is More Important than Your Reputation

It is entirely normal to worry about what others think. In fact, that’s what makes you a functioning and cooperative member of society. If other people’s opinions didn’t affect you in the least, you’d be a sociopath at best. I’m gonna assume you brush your teeth and wash your hair as to not offend other people. And that it’s important for you to be sensitive to other people’s feelings (in fact, that awareness is an advantage in responding to the marketplace).

But when it comes to what strangers think of you and your work (unless they are paying you or a co-worker who is counting on you as part of a team), you have to do your best to take their remarks with a grain of salt: both the negative AND the positive. Their outside opinion is exactly that: outside of you and your relationship to your work. They are seeing you through their lens, their life experiences and worldviews. They will never understand or appreciate what that work means to you.

Here’s a rule that helps me keep things in perspective: The work is more important than your reputation.

Fear of judgment means you’re trying to protect your ego. On the flipside, seeking praise and validation is about selfdom. But, this was never about your pride, this was about your work – two separate things! This sounds crazy but try to divorce your personal sense of worth from the work that you put out into the world. Let them (the rotating cast of haters, trolls, and gatekeepers) attack your character, your taste and skills. If you truly believe in your work, then offer it regardless of what they say. The only person who can stop you is you.

Over time, you will see that their jokes and scorn are flimsy and unsustainable. The compliments and flattery are even more fleeting. However, a body of continuous work is sturdy and irrefutable. Let the work, not your reputation, precede you.