LIVE TO WIN.

I became a Mot?rhead fan when I was 14 years old, before I had ever actually heard them — all because of the slogan on the shirt you see in this photo: BORN TO LOSE/LIVE TO WIN.

To me, for someone born in a very small (minded), economically devastated town, those six words were a call to greatness.

They meant that no matter how tough or unfair your situation or circumstances, victory was absolutely within your reach. And when I started listening to the band, and felt that attitude reflected in all they had to offer, I was sold. Say what you like about Lemmy — he lived his life 100000000% on his own terms, and never gave it a second thought. He was unapologetically himself and he wasted no time considering what anyone else thought he should or shouldn’t do.

Now, people routinely make fun of hard rock and metal, calling it sophomoric, dumb, et. al.

The positive slogans and messages this music is full of get made fun of as well, labeled as trite or cliched or whatever.

Personally, I think that’s a sure sign that those people have already given up. Decided that the work of going after and insisting on getting more than what’s currently on offer to you is just too much damn work. It’s a lot easier to just kick back on the couch, be a spectator and judge and label it all as “dumb.”

And you know what? That’s fine.

But I am sick to death of seeing this defeatist bullshit, particularly in our #UX and #design communities. I’m sick of seeing people be marginalized by bullies masquerading as “experts,” sick of seeing people allow and even champion it. Sick of the gatekeeping. And I have increasingly made it my mission to combat it. Specifically:

– It doesn’t matter whether or not you were born into privilege.

– It doesn’t matter whether or not you know all the “right” people.

– It doesn’t matter whether or not you know the answer.

– It doesn’t matter whether or not anyone supports your beliefs and choices.

– It doesn’t matter whether or not anyone agrees with what you’re proposing.

– It doesn’t matter how much experience you do or don’t have. 

– It doesn’t matter how many projects you have in your portfolio. 

– It doesn’t matter whether or not you can code.

– It doesn’t matter whether or not you use the “right” software tools.

– It doesn’t matter what methods or processes you do or don’t use.

– It doesn’t matter where you learned — from a university or a bootcamp or Udemy. 

– It doesn’t matter if anyone believes you can do it.

There are only that — count ‘em, TWO — things that matter:

1) Whether or not YOU believe you can do it.

2) How hard and how long you are willing to FIGHT for that belief. How many times you are willing to get back up after being taken to the floor for the one-hundred-thousandth time.

Everything else is periphery, I promise you. 

None of this is easy. It’s not ever going to be and you should stop expecting it to be. But as I’ve said many times before, the only thing that is ever going to stop you…is you.

LIVE. TO. WIN.