Keep on the Sunny Side

Like any other job, agency life can be hard. Don’t get me wrong – I love my job and I love what I do. But some days, a project or a phone call or an email might get a coworker down, and they feel like they just can’t even.

But at Propel, those bad feelings never last for long. I’m very lucky to work with such an amazing and inspiring group of people who will go to great lengths when a coworker’s day gets you down.

Probably the most tangible example of this is the Gratitude Wall. One wall is a large whiteboard, which she had dedicated to showing appreciation for our teammates and self-love.

Rather than beating ourselves up over things that might not have gone as planned, this wall is there to help us celebrate our “wins” – both big and small. From launching a huge campaign at the end of last year to celebrating that it was finally warm enough to wear open-toed shoes, we’re all welcome to write down anything we think is worthy of celebration.

The most valuable thing I’ve learned most from this exercise is that a “win” looks a lot different for everyone here at Propel. I’m very competitive, so for me, a win has been defined as being the best, scoring the most or doing the best job. I still consider those things something to strive for, but I’ve learned to see success in other ways.

Maybe a client gives feedback that our team wasn’t too psyched to hear. This doesn’t mean they hate us or that they don’t think we do a great job. Instead – we see it as an opportunity to better ourselves and the work that we do. We try and take that constructive criticism and turn it in to something more valuable. That’s a big win.

We’re also big on “desk presents.” We’re a tight group, and everyone in our office is pretty empathetic and can usually tell if someone’s a little off right away. It’s not uncommon to come back to your desk to a funny note, a weird picture or a page from an Awkward Family Photos desk calendar.

Another trick I’ve picked up recently is looking up motivational quotes when I start to feel myself slide into the pit of sadness that is a bad day. Call it cheesy all you want – my motivational Post-It notes and I are fine with that.

These things are just for the laughs or the warm feel-goods. Positive vibes produce better work, so when you have a team who supports one another like this, good work and good things are bound to happen.

What do you do in your office, or even in your own life, to keep yourself motivated when times get tough?

Feature Image | Conan O’Brien // Kinetic Typography | Jacob Gilbreath