Do you need it? From whom or what? Why do some people seek it from say, having many ‘friends’ or going out a lot or cozying up to random people they meet? “Look at me, look at me,” they scream with their 1,000,001 social networking pictures. Okayy… ask yourself, what have you achieved and what do you want to achieve? Have you gotten a step closer?

In my own industry it’s hard not to want to be validated by awards. There is merit in your work being judged for a certain standard of craft and creativity… but for it to be effective in meeting the objectives, craft and creativity can often be sacrificed. Truly great stuff measure up in all ways.

I’ve been disappointed by the lack of any recent wins and even anything much to submit in the first place, and I said as much to the in-house Donald Trump… he talked about the economy, how billable work has decreased so there’s no chance for us to do any novel stuff anyway, blabla… Oh well.

On a more personal level… I think the way I validate my place in this world is really, what have I done today to make a difference to someone/something. Did I cheer up someone with a lame joke, did I show empathy or kindness to somebody who needs it, did I discard somebody’s feelings, did I make a significant contribution in my work? It’s not at all how many people like me (and I know I’m not exactly your charming air kissing socialite) but how I treat the people/things I care about. 

I think it’s only when you set a bar for yourself is when it really, really doesn’t matter what other people think of you. You self validate.