And thus ends another year…and with it we try and put aside all the resentments and failures , all the broken relationships and heartaches and look towards a new dawn and a new year with all the excitement and promise it brings.

Last year was an incredible learning- with a new office, new colleagues, new clients and new challenges… it also brought out the stresses which come with every challenge- late payments, confused clients and impossible deadlines…being some of them.

What it did teach me, however was life changing in so many ways.

People are Just That-: It taught me that people were just people, not Presidents or Owners or VPs or Brand Heads… they were people who had bad and good days; people with insecurities, people with worries, stresses, commitments and failures. It taught me to look at them as such and with that my own view of companies and the people who work for them changed.

Go with Your Gut-: It also taught me to trust my gut- that sinking feeling when you’re not sure something is right. Don’t push it aside, trust it. It saves you from much heartburn and a few non-paying clients!

Be Proud-: Have pride in who you are and what you stand for. Pride in your work space and work life leads to better performances by the team

Set Deadlines-: Set deadlines for clients and for yourself… it keeps you more efficient and always makes for something to do at work.

Have fun @ Work-:With puppy at work it’s easy to have fun but remember work can be fun if you celebrate the small wins as much as the major victories. Celebrate the wins and the winners and make work a place where you work and play… just make sure the work/play division is correct tho 😉

Everything changes and every thing remains the same-: People change. You lose people. You ask people to move on. You gain people. People are the flavour of the month, the outperform everyone and then they stop. At the end of the day, count on yourself and your abilities and aim to be more consistent each passing day… that way while everything changes, you still remain the same- just a better version of the same!

Keep learning-: Every single person can teach you something- whether it’s what not to do or what to do…keep learning. I’ve met some of the laziest employees and the most fickle of clients and also met some of the most inspirational clients ever and seen some absolutely fabulous creative people… you can take something away from each meeting… and you should!

Let Go!-: Let bad employees and bad clients go. Don’t flog a dead horse… some relationships weren’t meant to work. Don’t hold on to people who make you/ your work miserable. There are many people who will work with you who you’ll be happy with and who’ll be happy with you… BELIEVE YOU ARE WORTH IT!

I take all this learning to the next year… knowing that each year will teach me more, trouble me more and amaze me more! I go in, cautiously excited and optimistic yet wary, but eager to learn all that 2018 has to offer.

Happy Holidays!