LIFE & LETTERS / NO.5

E is for EXPECTATIONS

I've been struggling with this one for quite a while now, and I have a knack that many other creative types deal with the same issue. I struggle with balancing the expectations that I have of myself as a designer and as a person, as well as the expectations that I feel others such as my professors, friends, and family have for me. While putting some pressure on yourself or feeling that external pressure is good and pushes you forward into places you could never expect, when do these expectations become more of a hinder than a motivator?

I certainly don't have all the answers, but I've started to realize that expecting myself to take on the whole world is first of all, not possible, but it isn't healthy either. When you put too many expectations on yourself, you start to cripple under the pressure and fail to really be doing the creative work that you have the potential to do. When these self expectations became too much for me to bear, I started to write some life rules for myself. Design and my personal life are so integrated that I made my list a general place to turn to when I started to feel the expectations getting the better of me. I think that sitting down, and writing a list of small sayings or motivational rules to turn to when you're in a mental bind like this has been life-chaning. It's just a small thing, but it's so great to turn to when you're in need.

1. Family comes first.
2. You can never do it all, so don't try.
3. Sleep, Kelsey, sleep.
4. Take care of the body and the mind — the rest will fall into place.
5. Practice every day.
6. Slow down and experience the moments of the day.
7. Take time to have fun.
8. Don't be afraid to fail.
9. Get out of your comfort zone — that's where the magic happens.
10. Stay optimistic.

That is just a portion of some of my rules, but I know that when I'm abiding by these, I'm meeting my own expectations. Sometimes, that's all you need to get by.

Be sure to stop over at my blog to see what Life Letter Ciara talked about and illustrated today! Just follow the link on the image below!



Life & Letters covers topics for creatives and bloggers going through the alphabet one letter at a time.