I just wanted to take an opportunity to come out and say… you are not your compositions. Sometimes it may feel like you are. This can be when the composition turns out well, or especially when it doesn’t. It seems to strike the worst when someone criticizes your composition. So let’s just take a moment to discuss.

You Are Not Your Khakis

I love the movie fight club. It is just awesome. But I remember one line specifically from the movie when Tyler Durden says “You are not your khakis.” What he is getting at, is that we as humans have a tendency to associate our personal worth with the worth of our stuff, or accomplishments, or any number of things that are in no way connected with our worth.

A little thought experiment. Think about someone close in your life. I mean really close, like a family member, spouse, child or best friend you’ve had for years. What makes them worth something to you? Is it because they do something really well? I hope not. I hope the reason is, because they just are. You love them for… them.

Love Thy Neighbor

So if you love them for who they are, then you should be able to understand, that they love you for who you are as well. You see, most people in this world, in the end, just don’t really care about your accomplishments. I hate to say it, but its true. That is why, you have to separate yourself from your accomplishments.

Separating yourself is not just good for feeling like you are worthwhile, but it can actually allow you to accomplish more. You won’t have the feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, or depression that come with attaching yourself to “failed” work.

The Key To Happiness

The key to happiness, as far as I can see, is to be content with what you’ve got. Easier said than done right? But this is very important. Drive to accomplish goals and envy are two different things. If you are content with what you have now, this gives you the emotional distance from the process of learning and growing to really achieve your potential.

So Here is Your Task

Be happy with your compositions. For you are not your compositions. To leave you with an example, here is Beethoven’s “Wellington’s Victory.” It’s a good thing we do not measure Beethoven by the worth of this composition, because it is… well… we love Beethoven anyway, because he is a human being.