The importance of the stories we create for ourselves
“You have to exercise rebellion, to refuse to tape yourself to rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. And then you are going to live your life on a tightrope.”
Philippe Petit – Interview for Man on a Wire
This quote is from an interview with Philippe Petit for the 2008 film Man on a Wire. The documentary tells the story of his 1974 high-wire walk, 1,300 feet in the air, suspended between the tops of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
Philippe started out as a French street performer. He had seen a picture of the Towers in a newspaper before they were built and set to be the highest buildings in the world at that time. That sparked his imagination when he was just 17.
With this big ambition, he went on to train with a Czech circus performer. Prior to the Twin Towers stunt, he walked between the towers of Notre Dame in 1971 and between two of the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973. He didn’t have permits, and these stunts, including the World Trade Center walk, were all illegal.
At the World Trade Center, which was still being completed in 1974, he had two teams assisting him. They had to secretly scout the building in the lead up to ‘the walk,’ eventually sneaking in equipment to the North tower past guards early one morning.
After setting up, and over a period of 45 minutes, Philippe eventually crossed between the towers eight times. He became so comfortable that at one point he got down on one knee and laid down on the cable.
After completing the stunt, Philippe and his accomplices were arrested and charged, with a judge eventually telling him that the charges would be dismissed if he performed for children in Central Park—which he did. In 2024, Philippe marked the fiftieth anniversary of the stunt with a new show in the city.
Finding purpose through our work
I found this story inspiring to think about at the start of 2025.
For me, design is worth doing because it’s hard. It’s how we put ourselves into challenging situations, and the ambition or inspiration we need for that work.
There’s also risk and uncertainty. A lot of the time, we just have to focus on taking the next step. Success depends on things like developing good technique, investing in the right equipment or processes, and, depending on your experience, practicing. You get help and support, starting smaller and building your confidence. You need to be adaptable to changing conditions.
But there’s an importance to finding purpose and inspiration in the work you’re doing. The work you’ve been given or have the opportunity to do. The team, or project you’ve got the opportunity to be part of.
You might not immediately see it, but you have to be able to find it. It’s about challenging ourselves, and it’s about being willing to choose and shape our stories. Day in and day out.
The stories we take as true
In her 2020 book, the sports psychologist Dr Pippa Grange reminds us of the importance of the stories we take as true. But, most importantly, that we can control our stories.
“…we build our identity and our beliefs about what’s possible on the back of stories we take as true [but] we can control our stories, even when we can’t control the circumstances”
Dr Pippa Grange, Fear Less: How to Win at Life Without Losing Yourself
There are always a lot of things outside of our control, but design is about working with those constraints. It’s hardest when it matters most. But it’s about the willingness we have to shape the stories we’re part of, even when we can’t control the circumstances.
We all have the ability to influence, shape and impact what happens next in a positive way. That’s the purpose we can find in our work. The ambition and inspiration we can find for ourselves, and the potential of what comes next.
This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 20 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky and LinkedIn.