Yesterday I read this article, “Dirty Little Secret of Success“, by Jeffrey Zeldman. It struck a nerve in me right away because it deals with the human condition and how that relates to being successful. But in my opinion Mr. Zeldman, with all do respect, you got it backwards.
I believe those with a fulfilled heart and a great sense of purpose can achieve more than those who are “broken” and seeking the approval of others. But then again I guess it all depends on how you define success. If it’s in dollars and cents then I think you’re missing the point. For me success is how much I love my family, the work I do and the God I serve. There are no standards except to do my best and give it my all.
Let me hear you
What do you think? How do you define success? Would you say we’re all still broken people or a people with hope?
So encouraged to hear your proclamation of the acceptance that God gives us in Him. I believe the thing that separates people like us is that we trust God and His sovereign plan for our lives and He is at the controls of which projects you accept, how you plan your workday, and ultimately every detail of your business.
That is security, not the insecurity that Zeldman was speaking of. I do think Zeldman is a pure talent and is gifted at what he does but like I mentioned before that is an unparalleled advantage for the believer in being able to be directed by the Spirit of God and His purpose in doing their work.
Good stuff Kyle,
-codyL
.-= codyL´s last blog ..What is a website worth? =-.
Great thoughts, Kyle. You touched on art a little bit and where you draw inspiration from, and that resonated with me a great deal.
Most people are under the mistaken impression that all good art is bred by a kind of depressed view of life; or put another way, art is not produced out of happiness. I’d like to suggest that the opposite is true. Very few works of art throughout history have been as melancholic and, frankly, as grotesque as what humanity has produced within the last 100 years.
Art is meant to uplift and is at its best when derived from a fulfilled, inspired POV—and if you look at some of the great artists of old, they’re main source of inspiration was the God of the Bible.
I’ve go to agree with Zeldman on this. A certain torment, unease with the status quo and with ones self has to lie at the heart of inspiring, unique and meaningful works. ‘Satisfaction’ breeds a complacency and mediocrity that is hard to shake and will never be the basis for anything that touches the human spirit.
I’d argue that all great art, no matter what era, comes from a darker place and the world we live in has always had elements of the grotesque and macabre. Art has always reflected these darker sides real or imagined.
As for artists of old drawing inspiration from the Bible i think that can be attributed to 2 things. The fact that the church comissioned huge amounts of the art we consider classic works of that period and that the church was a huge influence on peoples day to day lives with people taking the bible as a factual document for centuries, something that science and progress have eliminated except in the most hardended christian.
None of this is to say a roundly tortured soul is all that’s required to create but we all have this light and dark in side of us and it’s our inner conflicts, doubts and need to reinvent yourselves and our surroundings that inspire great creative works.
Nice background. Aperture is coming.
.-= Chris Wallace´s last blog ..Tuesday Freebie: Aperture Desktop Wallpaper =-.
Just wanted to say how much I like the great and simple design of your website. After some exploring, I wanted to comment about your FAITH section and your current comments regarding your video blog. I find it interesting that without hesitation you mention your faith in God, but never give any recognition to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Why is that?
To know God and make mention is one thing, but Jesus says in John 14:6 . . .
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me.” . . . please clarify.
Michael, thank you for your comments. I used to have to prove something to myself by saying the name Jesus every time I talked about God. I am not ashamed of my savior Jesus Christ. But I now know in my heart when I speak of God I am talking about the great “I AM”, who is wonderfully 3-in-1. Please take a moment to visit my thanks page: http://kylesteed.com/thanks – and hopefully you will see what I mean.
I understand. As a brother in Christ, I applaud you for sharing your statement of faith and believes that this world needs to hear more about.
Carry on my friend, God Bless.
On another note, is it possible in the near feature to ask you some tech questions concerning your site without having to publish my questions. Maybe through an email address? If not, I understand.
Michael
I’m a 100% with you. In addition to that, being honest, I really don’t know why people bother themselves so much about success. I prefer Harpo Marx’ way of life. That makes sense to me:
.-= Christian Sisson´s last blog ..Letterpress =-.
Hey Kyle, first time to your site, and am really loving your posts. I had to head over and read Zeldman’s post after yours. It just seems like a waste of his time. Time he could be using to become even more “successful”.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hey, and way to go.
Thanks Matt for stopping by, and thanks for the support. I hope I didn’t come across as bashing Zeldman or trying to make myself look “more holy” than him. I know what it’s like to go through trying times and not see God clearly. I know Mr. Zeldman is a huge inspiration to a massive amount of people and I hate to see him using his influence to spread words of hopelessness and despair. I know there is always hope and I hope he finds it.
Oh no, you did not come across as such by any means. Agreed about his influence, and his remarks do not change my view on his work, it is great. He has done a great deal for the advancement of Web Standards, etc. He should just accept that looking to God as a source of inspiration, motivation helps some of us.
Take it easy!
.-= matt rossi´s last blog ..CSS Custom Cursors =-.
Couldn’t agree more, Kyle. I believe there is definitely a personal drive that can be discovered when a person is down & out, but it’s certainly not the driving force behind the greatest people I personally know. Most of them couldn’t care less what others think of them because they are well-aware of their own worth and choose to lead.
Life is about balance to me. Extreme success in a single category (i.e. work) all too often comes at the expense of another.
I hate to be potentially offensive, but don’t you think there might be more fulfilling ways to happiness than religion?
Should we not stop looking upwards at the heavens and focus on what is around us?
David, you’re absolutely right. My relationship with Jesus Christ is much more fulfilling than any religion. Thanks for your comments.
My thoughts exactly.
So I stumbled upon Chris Wallace and now you and it’s interesting to see so many good designers with faith, and not hidden, it seems in business, faith is something to hide less you scare someone and lose business, but having faith doen’t mean pushing it on client or people, i guess its like having faith in anything…
anyways
if I believe in a “creator ” then creating seem to a natural responce
thanks for sharing
Hey buddy! Just wanted to say “all do respect” should be “all due respect”
I make silly errors like that all the time. I thought you’d appreciate it if I pointed it out.. if not, please excuse me and feel free to delete this comment.
In addition, everything that I have seen on your website (including your faith) has sent you directly to the top of my list. I would love to network with you, so if you have some time, then shoot an email my way with any work you may be interested in doing- web design related. I often have a heavy workload and need assistance.
Oh, one last thing.. if you have (or know of someone who does) an invite to dribbble, please let me know! Thank you, and God bless!
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