With my 5-year anniversary just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to put together a quick list of recommendations for anyone looking to “survive” the craziness that working in advertising can bring at times.
Without a doubt, there are way more recommendations I can give here… but for the sake of keeping your attention and sticking with the theme, here are my “top 5”:
5. Your role should always be dynamic
When I started at Bottom Line, it was kind of like the Wild West….
We had about a dozen team members (if that) across the entire company, significantly different structure, and everything was “what you made of it” (that last part still stays true today).
“You want to buy media? Cool… we need that. Here’s a few million dollars, make the best of it.”
“Oh, you do voiceover work too? Cool… we also need that… find a way to get into a studio and cut these spots ASAP, we go live tomorrow.”
“While you’re at it, wait – you speak Spanish?! Perfect… we need you to drive 3 hours to Tampa because we’re shooting a commercial and guess what… the ‘bilingual’ actress we hired ended up not speaking a lick of Spanish, so… you’re our lead actor now!”
These were all actual scenarios that occurred within my first few months at Bottom Line… with many more to tell. Those experiences, the ones that pushed me outside of what my “role” was, helped me truly bring out one my best talents – being dynamic. I can bob and weave with the best of them and my life has ultimately been a string of experiences where I’ve had to work outside my comfort zone – which has truly made me a better man for it!
4. Don’t take yourself too seriously
Whenever you push yourself outside of your comfort zone in a new job setting, you should always feel like you have a little chip on your shoulder, for motivational purposes – at least that’s my approach, everyone’s different!
With that being said, after a while, that chip on your shoulder can start to get heavy. That weight you’ll start to feel… that’s the pressure of feeling like you always have to prove yourself and establish your worth in every little micro-moment. That’s not healthy…
Life is all about balance and this is a perfect example. Show your worth, but don’t worry too much about getting credit for it… as long as you are in the right place and working with the right people, those that matter will notice. Let loose, have fun and enjoy what you do… life is too short to spend your days stressing over who noticed what. It will all work out if you put the work in!
3. Stay active and mindful of your diet
This one is a MUST. I was always active throughout my life prior to Bottom Line, whether it was playing team sports, martial arts or just lifting weights. We have a term at Bottom Line called “The BLM 15” … referencing the weight you’ll gain working here (mine was more like 80). I was so focused on work that I forgot to focus on myself and what’s most important… my health. 2020 came around and I found myself at almost 300lbs! Mind you, I am 6’3”, however having been an athlete for most of my life, I was always around 210-220 lbs… I knew I had to make a change.
This may seem like I’m preaching, but truth be told, I’ve seen this happen to almost every person that has worked here (on a much smaller scale of course, my situation was a little more extreme). We work so hard, sometimes we forget that we need to balance and set boundaries. Sometimes boundaries are necessary for growth.
One more time for the people in the back…
Sometimes boundaries are NECESSARY for growth.
Boundaries aren’t only for limiting or shielding us from something. Sometimes, they are exactly what we need in order to bring us closer to something. I’ll give my therapist credit for that one!
With that said – if you were wondering, I ended up losing those 80lbs… in about 8 months! Eating right and staying active is all it comes down to… there is no secret to it!
2. Prioritize your mental health
I mentioned having a therapist on my last recommendation, so I’ll go ahead and say it – mental health is mental wealth!
I used to be more reserved about this subject, but after everything 2020 brought on us as a society and individuals, I am now an open book with nothing to hide when it comes down to it.
We all go through feelings of depression, anxiety, stress and more… this is part of human nature. You should never feel ashamed to have those feelings, or much less be open about them.
You can’t always control another person’s actions or the circumstances you find yourself in… but you can ALWAYS control how you react to them. It’s so much easier said than done, but I can honestly say I just learned the true value in this last year. No one will make or break you but yourself. You are in control of every decision you make in life and what you choose to do after those decisions are made. It’s very easy to lose sight of this when you dedicate so much of your time to a job in an industry that can be demanding most of the time, but equally rewarding… don’t ever lost sight of that!
You can’t show up for your team or clients if you can’t show up for yourself first.
1. Have fun!
This one is straight to the point… Don’t sweat the small stuff and ALWAYS keep your eye on the bigger picture.
Life is short… have fun while you’re here!