Woke up today like I wanted
Frankly, it's scary how fast a week goes by these days.
I don't know if it's my age, my current situation. The working part of the week always whizzes past like a steamroller-a good or bad thing, depending on certain things. What I've learned to cherish the past year or so is the perfection of a week. I'm not sure I'll be able to articulate this accurately, but somehow, isn't seven days just perfect, just right on the mark? Six days feel rushed. Eight is an indulgence. Somehow, the seven-day weekly cycle is long enough for me to see how I can improve the next week without it feeling too far-off or too overwhelming. Seven is just right for benchmarking.
These days, work is surprisingly fulfilling for me. I think I've kind of hit my stride in the industry that I'm in. Or more accurately, I have reached a place of mental acceptance wherein just because my work isn't necessarily my passion doesn't mean I can't find ways to enjoy it and engineer my personal development to skyrocket along with it. Advertising doesn't have to be a love and hate thing. Maybe the thing is I've become more smart about it, and less emotional. It also comes with age, with knowing your working style. I've discovered that I perform better in small, lean start-ups where there is more room to "hack" things, to really be part of growing something versus trying to prove my mettle in heirarchical, established agencies where the bureaucracy and politics tend to depress me. You just need to know which aspects of your work make you tick and which ones make you excited to get up in the morning. That really helped me.
For example, this year, I've been working on my strategic skills alongside my creative ones. I love moments where I find that my curiosity and eagerness to learn are paying off. I've learned to really relish small victories-I've found that it's the accumulation of small, daily wins that matter. Just last Wednesday, I was so excited because I was able to strategize and lead a campaign for an Asia-wide product launch of a well-known skincare brand. No biggie, honestly, but it felt like a win. Everyone was enthusiastic about it, jumping in with ideas that built on what I laid out.
Somehow, I feel like I've become addicted to presenting ideas in front of everyone, of fighting for it. There's power in feeling yourself finally capable of having people listen to you, and having them believe you. Starting a conversation that leads to bigger ideas is so empowering and honestly, just a lot of fun. Small wins, really.
Let me just get it out there: by no means is my work right now going to change the world, but I'm refining skills that will help me to, someday, if I get the chance. I figure I'm not on the losing end even if my work isn't my ~passion~ because I'm still learning. And that's all that counts at the end of the day: making mistakes and learning and showing up.
It's five days of trying your best and two days of reassessing everything and focusing on the things that you love. What we can do in a week, in several weeks...seriously. Improvement doesn't have to be a daunting, all-or-nothing approach. Viewing myself as an ongoing project that "reboots" every week is a big help, mentally. Progress over perfection every damn time.
I'm sure rereading all of this preaching will make me hurl on a cynical day. But it is what it is. For now, I'm just happy to be productive and learning things, bit by bit.