Objects on your monitor are less important than they appear

In the grand mythos we refer to as being a professional, sometimes we need a little reminder that what we do for a living really pales in comparison to the truly important things in life. Way too many people stress on the facts of life and how they learn them, brushing off their shirt collar and adjusting their cuffs while insisting that they have a clue of what’s truly important in life. Yet for however clear people insist their lives are, we really don’t have an idea of what truly matters until we either get slapped by reality, hit rock bottom or cross our eyes long enough to see the hidden image beyond our daily lives.

Advertising by rule of thumb breeds workaholics. Some might be lazy half asses, but they do that on the clock, at the office, out of their homes and inside their cubicles. Having worked in agencies for half a decade (which sounds longer than 5 years and closer to what it felt like), I was one of those people who always stayed late because we had to get things done. I’m still like that to a greater degree, but by the nature of my current employment, the hours aren’t as brutal or at least I don’t get out as late as what used to be my usual.

Thing is that the whole “we’re not curing cancer” statement we so prophesize in this blog is said for good reason; people don’t understand that we aren’t curing cancer. By people, I don’t just mean agency employees, creatives or execs; I’m talking clients, producers, traffic employees and yes, even people from the media department. Even marketing people sometimes need the reminder that what we’re doing truly pales in comparison to the grand scale of life.

So what is the grand scale of life? Well if you ask me, that entails things life family outings, calling a friend, being there for a sick loved one, taking better care of your health, being a decent uncle, being a good friend, doing stuff that satisfies you and fulfills you on a personal basis; you know, the REAL important stuff in life. Some people might laugh that I felt the need to dedicate a post to saying something that is so ridiculously obvious, but guess what, it isn’t.

People insist on staying late, working weekends, missing a picnic, not being there for your kid’s first step, and all for what? To possibly get an ad approved by a megalomaniacal pinprick that might possibly sell an extra cheeseburger or two? To develop a campaign to make a pitch to a company that might choose you as its new agency? To maybe make an ad that might win you a prize? That’s a whole lot of ifs, possiblys and maybes I don’t think any of us would rather have instead of a good surf, a great movie or a cup of coffee with an old friend.

So next time you’re stressing over your job and how you can’t make everyone happy, remember to always side with the things that will be there with you for the long run.