January 25th, 2020
We think awards mean something because anyone that gets an award will tell the whole world, post on social media, and probably even put it in their email footer and Twitter bio - and they will receive a lot of praise for it.
Forbes 30 Under 30, Product of the Year, Winner of X Startup Competition, etc - we see it everywhere.
But what do those awards mean? Pretty much nothing - they are a distraction from getting actual work done and building a business or idea or even a legacy.
Awards have their place though, and they can definitely help you achieve bigger things. They are an easy way of saying "I am legit" and showing off. It's also an easy way to show others your accomplishments in a digestible format - for example - I can tell someone who doesn't know anything about startups that I got a startup award and they would probably be impressed.
But I think awards also connotate being part of a "scene" - to get awards you almost always have to know the right people and make the right "moves" - whether that's continually telling a "story" or even gaming the system.
Because when you get an award - you are being recognized by the "industry" - do you want to be well renowned in your industry? Or do you want to be well renowned by the public? In other words, do you want to make great art in the eyes of other artists, or great work in the eyes of the people - your customers!? You can't always have both - but for me - I hate being recognized by my industry - I want to inspire people outside my industry. In my opinion, that's where you have a real impact and platform.
There's no issue with getting awards, but I don't think we should seek them out. It's a form of validation, and seeking validation is one of the worst things you can do.
Comedians are not remembered for their comedy awards, they are remembered for being funny. Creators are not remembered for getting "Creator of the year", they are remembered for creating great content.
And anyone can give out an award - they are subjective most of the time - that's why they mean nothing.
Forbes 30 Under 30, Product of the Year, Winner of X Startup Competition, etc - we see it everywhere.
But what do those awards mean? Pretty much nothing - they are a distraction from getting actual work done and building a business or idea or even a legacy.
Awards have their place though, and they can definitely help you achieve bigger things. They are an easy way of saying "I am legit" and showing off. It's also an easy way to show others your accomplishments in a digestible format - for example - I can tell someone who doesn't know anything about startups that I got a startup award and they would probably be impressed.
But I think awards also connotate being part of a "scene" - to get awards you almost always have to know the right people and make the right "moves" - whether that's continually telling a "story" or even gaming the system.
Because when you get an award - you are being recognized by the "industry" - do you want to be well renowned in your industry? Or do you want to be well renowned by the public? In other words, do you want to make great art in the eyes of other artists, or great work in the eyes of the people - your customers!? You can't always have both - but for me - I hate being recognized by my industry - I want to inspire people outside my industry. In my opinion, that's where you have a real impact and platform.
There's no issue with getting awards, but I don't think we should seek them out. It's a form of validation, and seeking validation is one of the worst things you can do.
Comedians are not remembered for their comedy awards, they are remembered for being funny. Creators are not remembered for getting "Creator of the year", they are remembered for creating great content.
And anyone can give out an award - they are subjective most of the time - that's why they mean nothing.