Do You Have Your Eye On the Prize Or the Wrapping?

Most of you reading this post are either goal oriented or want to be. Goal oriented people have a specific result in mind they wish to achieve. It could be a book, album, a type of art or a particular product they are trying to create or produce. While some will have their eyes fixed on the prize itself, others will have their eyes fixed instead on all that is expected to come with the prize such as fame, fortune, or a certain lifestyle. In other words, the wrapping.

For the true creative or the artisanal entrepreneur, they will tell you it is all about the art. They feel compelled to do what they do. They are value-expressive. They are sharing with the world their true values in the art they create or the products they produce. They would create or produce, even if they couldn’t make a living at it, because they must.

People who feel this passionate about what they do feel successful as a result of just doing what they do. The reason is, their definition of success depends on their ability to create using their own unique natural talents. They are successful because they are pursuing their purpose with passion. This is what makes them happy. If they couldn’t pursue their true purpose in life, they would be utterly miserable.

If the passionate artisanal entrepreneur makes money doing what they love, if they become famous or are rewarded in other tangible ways for their creations then so much the better. But, most likely those things were not part of their original intent. To them, it is icing on the cake.

It is certainly okay to want those things if you are a creative. But, if your art is just a means to an end, if your primary reason for creating is to make money or to gain status, then your art will suffer. You will never produce your best work under those circumstances. Besides, there is no need to worry for the wrappings of success. They will always come if your prize, a reflection of your truest self, is sought and won.

Making money for money’s sake is not art. It is one result of making art. Money is just a wrapping of the prize. Money gets spent. It is the same with fame. The luster of fame will eventually dull. Wrappings are always discarded or lost. It is the purpose driven artist’s art that endures, even when the artist doesn’t. 

Prize wrappings never endure. Just like real wrapping paper. Over the years I have tried to save wrapping paper. I have been told numerous times I should save the paper, bows and ribbons. So, I would gingerly peel it all from a present and neatly put them away so I could reuse them at a latter date. I have no idea where any of the saved wrappings are now. Even if I did manage to reuse some of what I’d saved, it was never reused more than once. The wrappings of success are no different. They are just as impermanent.

Could this be why artists pour themselves into their work? If their work has value and is enduring then, so are they? Because their art is a mirrored reflection of who they are, or were?

If you are a entrepreneur and you are creating or producing but your aren’t happy, first and foremost, are you pursuing your true purpose? If you believe you are, then do you have your eye on the prize or on the wrappings?

If you are burned out and laboring away at a job you have grown to hate only because you enjoy the money or other rewards it brings, are you producing your best work? Are you reflecting your truest self to the world? Don’t you think it’s time to discard the wrappings and let loose your creative self in pursuit of your prize?

If you have found your true purpose and passion in life, are busy pursuing your dreams and goals and are fully engaged in living then you know what I am about to say is absolutely true – there is no further need to wrap prizes. You already have all that you need.