Remember the feeling that comes when you think you wrote all the right answers in the exam but when you are handed the mark sheet and you barely passed?

I am sure most of us have gone through that. 

Well, I experienced almost the same feeling in my early days at Mantra Labs.

I had gotten assigned to a new project and was super duper grateful for this big responsibility. I dived right into it and wanted to do all of it on my own. I really thought I did everything perfectly. 

We know what is said about perfection, it is difficult to achieve. 

“In design, there is no perfection, there is just iteration.” (Design Gyaan 001 )

This is exactly what I said to myself when I failed. (Big words)

My client was this really big organization. I was working till the very last minute for the first meeting and thought to give it my best.

I joined the call with all my designs and just assumed all my work and efforts would be well appreciated.

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.

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BIG FAIL

The 2 words that best fit the first client meeting. It was everything I had not anticipated. 

There were almost 15 top management people present from their end. 

(Nervous alert – the feeling you get when you see the exam paper and know nothing). 

I suddenly realized I was not clear on how to introduce my concept and present my design. All the keywords in my brain seemed to have gone on vacation at that moment. 

(That’s how I wrote my exam answers. Not just me, most of us did.) 

Also, it wasn’t all my unpreparedness and nervousness that led to the downfall of that meeting. They had a very direct approach and their feedback was also not very clear.

I came out of the call almost in tears and was extremely put off.