A little over two years ago, I lost my job at a small fledgling agency in central New Jersey. After cutting my advertising teeth in Philadelphia and moving to New York to work on multi-national businesses and global accounts, this opportunity at the time appeared to be the right fit for a new adventure.
About 7 months into what I thought would be a great gig, the bottom fell out, and I found myself on the outside looking in. If you’ve been in the advertising business long enough, this will happen from time to time. Typically, it’s not a big deal. None-the-less, it was sad, and disheartening.
But this post is not about what that job took away. It’s what the absence of that job gave me. In the void I found what I was looking for all along – a new pathway, a new cohort and a new challenge to overcome.
In that new direction forward, I also found the abundance of courage to confront fear of the unknown. An abundance of smart, talented people in which to collaborate and grow with. And, most importantly, an abundance of seeing life and work from a new perspective.
The Abundance of Courage
Without courage to move forward, we become static. Motionless at the exact time when the forces of dynamic stability are most required. What I learned, is that sometimes we summon courage from within, but we can also draw courage from others.
Whether it is from an inspiring video on #YouTube or #TikTok, or observing you children overcome drama-filled days and nights as middle schoolers, or from a newly formed collective of similar-minded professionals, or even from a life-long friend. Courage is in each of us. We all have to dig deep from within as well as pull from those who are there for support. More than likely, you’ll find plenty more than you will need.
The Abundance of People
Finding the right people can be tricky, but when you put an honest version of yourself out there. And I mean exposing your true self, most times, like-minded people respond in kind. In doing so, I was able to expand and strengthen my professional network with long-time colleagues that I had lost touch with and make new connections with equally fascinating people in new industries and emerging technologies.
The net result is a core collective of individuals who share in the same fundamentals of Agency business – like, "you can't get there by yourself" and “business is always personal and brands are always human.”
Together we are now forging new concepts for business with major talent in areas of change management, digital transformation, creativity and brand/business strategy – including data science/AI, VR, AR, Voice Search, etc.
The Abundance of Purpose
What I never saw coming in this journey has been the increased awareness in what it means to really live. The expressed value of family, friends, colleagues and mentors to enact big, meaningful changes in small, incremental doses of connection – the phone calls, the cups of coffee, the business trips and the new client presentations, the texts, emails and comments on social media, and the shared and collaborated work on projects.
It’s all an investment of time with one another, that for me has been invaluable in finding a new professional purpose and a way to carry forward in an ever-evolving professional landscape.
In the spirit of rising abundance and gratitude, I am extremely thankful for the shared love and support we can give one another. Thank you Ed, Jeff, Liz, Don, Chris, Jon, Kerry, Sue, Kyra, Mia, Scott, Mary, Lisa, Sara and Diane.
Thank you for your patience, your insights, your perspective, your collaboration and your help in my desperate search for an abundance of courage, people and purpose to create a new momentum of dynamic stability.
May we all find a rise in #abundance this year. May we all know where to look for it. And, may we each be a part of it for one another.