Leave your ego at the door

I would like to share with you a few lessons I had learned during the last few months while working in the animation industry (even though it can easily fit into many other fields of experties of course).
I remember I first heard about it while I was still a student at Animation Mentor and it was "burned" into my conscience ever since... EGO (the green monster sitting on your shoulder).

The industry is full of many great people, who are wise and super talented and it is only natural to have a large ego for some of them.
Sometimes you may be working on a shot, and see something you like, or got an idea you want to work on, and it's great (especially if your bosses likes it too), but you would come to realize that it won't always be the case, and you'll have times you would make something you like very much but your peers (director/producer, other animators, etc) may not, and you would like to stand up and fight for what you believe, protecting your idea/work.

At AM we learned something extremely important - leave your ego at the door (or in other words - it's not YOUR movie you are working on, its THEIR movie and THEY are paying you to do what THEY want, so you need to know when to just say OK and do stuff you won't always agree with.

Of course I don't mean not to say anything, but it would be better off for everyone if you'll take their request under consideration and give it a try any way, and you know what? They just might be correct and your shot will shine!

It isn't easy applying this idea, and it would take time to make it a second nature (I struggle with it in many other issues in my life, and that is why I though it would be nice to share my thoughts with you) but in the end - it would make you a more relaxed person, there for it will be easier and more fun to work with and most important - you become more experienced due to the amount of things you have tried (and wouldn't have done otherwise).