On Priorities

Advertising is not the most important thing in your life. Let me say it again. Advertising is not the most important thing in your life.

Family, friends, health, happiness. All those should be higher priorities than your career in advertising. That's sometimes a tough thing to remember.

I love this job. I love this industry. But for years my entire focus was on breaking into this industry. Then once I made it my focus shifted to proving I belong here. But recently my focus changed yet again. This time it shifted from consuming my life to loving my job.

There's a big difference between being passionate about something and letting it consume your life. Passion is good. Passion keeps you energized. It keeps you pushing to be your best. But when you mistake that passion towards you job for life as a whole then there will be sacrifices. Sacrifices of time spent with family and friends, and most importantly sacrifices of your well-being.

This just recently clicked for me. And since I realized that I loved advertising but didn't live for it, I've focused a lot more of my attention on my family, friends, health and happiness. Perhaps best of all, now that I don't live for my job, I find myself loving my job even more.

Part of the reason I have this blog is to keep it that way. To keep me from taking all this to bed with me at night. Because when I finish my work and leave the office for the day, I want to go live my life. I don't want to live my work. And neither should you.