Growth Mindset: Neil Gaiman's Commencement Address

Wow. I always knew Neil Gaiman was a pretty incredible writer, but I didn't know he was such an inspiring speaker. I'm not nearly as artistic as I want to be, but I don't think his advice was only for the artists. I think when he says that we just need to "make art", he really just means that no matter how bad things get, the best thing to do is to keep doing something.

This is so powerful because so many times in life we feel as if something we encounter is insurmountable, that we're failures and won't ever succeed, that we're not living up to our potential, but these are all really mental things. If we continue to just do things instead of trying to think our way out of situations, we're be able to heal better as a result.

I really connect with this because I'm in a difficult point in my life: searching for a job. It's frustrating, and when you receive no response for a while, it makes me feel really bad about myself and my accomplishments. However, Gaiman's advice will help me carry on into a better future.

Neil Gaiman, image from Flickr user Stanislav Lvovsky