The Creator's Mindset

Last week I introduced a process (Think. Make. Share.) that just about anyone can utilize to take an idea or concept and bring it to life. While not necessarily easier, this process certainly makes bringing a product or service to market more attainable for those willing to put in the effort.

But today we’re going to take a step back.

Before thinking, before making, before sharing, the creator or entrepreneur must be prepared and ready for the challenges that lie ahead. They must have a mindset tailored to the way of the entrepreneur. They must have a mindset that allows them to push through the psychological barriers that stand between the starting point and success.

Let’s call this mindset the Creator’s Mindset.

It has three components.

Component #1 - Endurance

Theodor was a talented writer and illustrator. He found stable employment working for a few national publications producing political cartoons and comic strips, but what he truly wanted to do was publish his own book. He started writing and when he had a complete manuscript he took it too a publisher.

And the publisher rejected it.

So he took it to another publisher.

And the second publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the third publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the fourth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the fifth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the sixth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the seventh publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the eighth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the ninth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the tenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the eleventh publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twelfth  publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the thirteenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the fourteenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the fifteen publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the sixteenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the seventeenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the eighteenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the nineteenth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twentieth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-first publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-second publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-third publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-fourth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-fifth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-sixth publisher rejected it. So he took it to another publisher. And the twenty-seventh publisher rejected it.

So he took it to another publisher.

And finally, the twenty-eighth publisher decided to publish the book. So in 1937, Theodore’s first book was released. He called it “And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street.”

It was published under his pen name, Dr. Seuss.

When you read the account of Theodor Seuss Geisel, most articles say something like “he was rejected 27 times before someone finally agreed to publish it.” And sure, twenty-seven sounds like a lot of rejections.

But scroll up and look at it again written out.

That’s endurance.

That’s the Creator’s Mindset.

Component #2 - Going Against The Flow

In the mid 1960’s, a college student named Fred wrote a paper for an economics class in which he described the need for a next day courier service. In the paper, Fred outlined the infrastructure that would be necessary for such a service to exist. His professor responded by suggesting that the paper wasn’t even worthy of a “C” grade because the concept was simply not feasible. 

A few years later Fred went on to launch FedEx, the first overnight delivery service in the world.

Walt worked for a small newspaper in Kansas City. He was interested in cartoons, animations, and storytelling. However, after working with the newspaper for only a short time, the editor fired Walt because he apparently “lacked imagination.” 

It wasn’t too long after being fired from the newspaper that Walt started the company we know today as Disney, Inc.

These are just two examples of individuals that went against convention, against the odds, against the flow, despite authority figures suggesting such paths would lead to certain failure.

As an entrepreneur, you must be prepared to chart your own path. Others around you, even those that you love dearly and that dearly love you, may very well doubt your idea or call you crazy or try to convince you that you are wasting your time.

But if you are truly committed to finding success, you must tune them out.

You must fight the current that is their doubt and skepticism.

You must move forward.

That’s the Creator’s Mindset.

Component #3 - Embracing Failure

The path of the creator or entrepreneur is a path that can cause an extreme amount of anxiety for many individuals. It often means leaving the security of a regular income or putting your work or name out into the public sphere where it is exposed and open to criticism. Everyone knows what you are doing and will find out if your concept, idea, product, service, business does not work out.

Everyone will know if you fail.

It is the fear of this failure that keeps many (if not most) individuals from choosing the entrepreneurial path. The problem is that the weight of this fear often distracts from the amazing opportunity that failure presents for entrepreneurs and creators. There are certainly negative consequences associated with failing, but there are also numerous benefits that can come from trying something out only to discover it doesn’t work. Failure is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to mature, to discover, to explore. In this respect, I would argue that the potential positive outcome of failure outweighs the potential negative outcome and, therefore, it should be embraced, not feared.

Failure is a part of the entrepreneurial journey.

Bill Gates. Milton Hershey. Walt Disney. Henry Ford. Thomas Edison.

They all failed, and yet, they all succeeded in spite of their failure.

So do not fear failure.

Learn from it.

Celebrate it.

Embrace it.

That’s the Creator’s Mindset.

Endurance. Going Against The Flow. Embracing Failure.

As an entrepreneur or creator, you will be rejected. You will face challenges and doubts. Your idea or concept will not work the first go around. But if you are truly dedicated to your idea or concept and want to find success, you must have a mindset that will allow you to keep pushing forward until it clicks.

You must have the Creator’s Mindset.

Don’t quit after 27 rejections.

Don’t listen to the crowd that tells you your idea is not feasible.

Don’t be afraid to fail.

Have Endurance. Go Against the Flow. Embrace Failure.

This is the Creator’s Mindset and with it you will succeed.