Don't Compromise Easily
Everything has two sides. While I’m mild-mannered, get along with others, and communicate smoothly (well, “smoothly” might be a stretch), there’s another side where I don’t hold firm enough to my views on important matters, like asserting my rightful interests or expressing my design philosophy.
Compromising too easily stems from a fear inside me—fear of rejection, fear of failure. So, I “step back” to accommodate others. To put it bluntly, I sacrifice my own opinions to gain others’ approval, aiming for acceptance of me as a person, not the topic at hand.
When it comes to personal interests, I’ve never been one to “maximize benefits.” I believe in give and take and am willing to forgo some benefits to maintain good relationships. But recently, I realized that for rightful interests, I shouldn’t compromise easily. Making unnecessary concessions on rightful interests actually diminishes my own value. If I don’t respect my own value, how can I expect others to?
It’s the same in the design field. Whether as an individual designer or in design management, I used to “compromise on design standards” for faster decision-making and smoother team collaboration. Even now, I can say that dropping “insignificant” parts for faster progress and seeking consensus in disagreements are necessary for design discussions and team collaboration. However, I should be more rigorous in my professional design attitude. All my stances and compromises should be justified and clearly reasoned, not become “habitual compromise.” It’s far too easy for habitual compromise to become part of one’s personality.
Another area I can’t compromise on is the path of the design studio I’m currently trying. I know clearly that this path is long-term and has a cumulative effect. But in the short term, running a design studio requires investment of time, money, and accepting solitude. Meanwhile, I need to significantly improve my network, communication skills, design skills, and self-management skills. For me, it’s way too easy to compromise on challenges and difficulties, and this requires faith.
Someone as weak as me truly needs to pray and entrust, to believe in what hasn’t yet happened, and to seriously focus on today without worrying about tomorrow. (I wrote and erased this part many times; I don’t want to fall into the prosperity gospel trap. It’s just my honest thought for now.)
In Jesus’ name, amen.