A lot of design is done in the name of innovation and recognition. We try to design what’s new and what’s next in order to become a leader or gain recognition. But as we chase the extraordinary, are we losing sight of what really matters?

DesignShift: From chasing the extraordinary to valuing the ordinary.

Our strive for more often makes us feel less. Less happy with the work we are doing. Less satisfied in our relationships. Less content with the things we create. The same way we fail to notice the beauty of ordinary people, we forget to notice the beauty of an ordinary life.

What would happen if we shifted our mindset from one that is motivated by fear to one that is catalyzed by love?

I often think about how fear drives many of our decisions and actions. The fear of people stealing our ideas. The fear of the competition going to market before we do. The fear of getting fat. Or old. Or forgotten.
Fear can motivate us to take action; To go to the gym when we don’t feel like it or to keep working on our ideas when inspiration starts to fade. But fear also brings with it a sense of not-enoughness. The fear of not doing enough. The fear of not being enough.

What if… fear is not the best way to achieve our goals or save the planet? What if LOVE could be our motivator and catalyst? Fear is rooted in scarcity: I’m not enough and I don’t have enough. Fear prioritizes “me.” Love centers wholeness: I am already enough and there is enough for everyone. Love prioritizes “we”

What if… instead of saying: “l am fighting climate change because I'm scared the world will end” we said: “I love this earth so much, therefore I want to do everything I can to protect it.” Instead of thinking: “I need to share another post because I am scared that I will become irrelevant, we centered the idea of: “I love this topic/idea and I want to gift it to people?”

If we moved from fear to love, how would our work change? If we moved from fear to love, how will our lives change?