As I get older, I realize that I really did listen and absorb a lot of what my parents droned on about when I was a kid. What comes to mind right now is “victory.”
My dad was a huge believer in victories. He always used to tell us that victories were the building blocks of character. I believe him now. But not as it relates to winning a game, or a contest. But victories in the sense of setting out to do something and achieving it. Small victories build big successes. They build confidence. They make you believe that failure really wasn’t an option.
Case in point: We just won a great account for the agency. It was one of those that feels like a “defining moment” for the agency. Others may not see it that way, but to me — the only person who has been in this awesome company for 15 years — I see it like that.
It wasn’t huge by budget numbers. But in this depressing economy, it was a big win. And it was a morale booster. Everyone pulled together and worked on this one.
And given the fact that almost every competitor I know is either cutting salaries, laying off people, cutting benefits, and going to reduced-day work weeks. Or the fact that we haven’t had any lay-offs or any reduction in benefits. Or the fact that we were victorious over 13 other agencies that wanted this business is huge in my book. HUGE.
I go to bed each night with the weight of every decision on my shoulders. I’m not whining. I’m just saying that tonight I get to lay my head on the pillow and smile a little sigh of relief in knowing that we scored a victory.
