Originally published in the SF Egotist

At the beginning of this year, I nervously passed up an opportunity from a friend to write myself a letter that she’d mail to me at the end of 2018. I’m now kicking myself because A. that would have made writing this a lot easier, and B. I think this year turned out to be pretty kickass.

Here are some things I learned:

There is something interesting to uncover in everything.

In 2018 I committed to creating a one-second video every single day. It made me be acutely aware that there is at least one beautiful, interesting, or funny moment of each day. It’s also served as a fantastic reminder when working on a seemingly mundane brief or making too fast of an assumption about someone. I encourage everyone to give it a try.

Don’t let shiny things get in the way of what your brand stands for.

As new platforms, ad types, and technology are being introduced at lightning speed, I’ve noticed an increasing amount of activations that are prioritizing an “innovation halo” and the short-term impressions that result from it over making a memorable brand statement. I’ve learned take a step back and ask myself, “how does this idea change or reinforce what someone believes about this brand?”

People are extremely committed to 1-minute meetings.

OK, it’s attempting to hold a plank for one minute, not technically a meeting. But I’ve never seen so many people show up early to a recurring calendar invite. It’s a great way to bring people together that normally might not interact throughout the day. Plus, you learn some interesting things about your coworkers when trying to distract yourselves from searing core pain.

Not accomplishing the “10 Things to Do Every Morning to Make You 15x as Amazing” does not mean you are any less than.

While we are in an era of extreme self-improvement, we are also in a time where the definition of success is changing. I read these click-bait articles for months before realizing that doing 50 pushups at 5am followed by a 3-minute ice-cold shower in order to get through my emails 30 minutes faster just wasn’t how I wanted to prioritize my life.

A ferocious work girl gang is crucial to my wellbeing.

60% of the Camp + King team is made up of intelligent, creative, confident, badass women. Whether applauding each other for a new innovative use of the panini grill or a breakthrough insight on the third iteration of a campaign briefing – I know this group has each other’s backs. There is nothing like females building each other up on the reg.

Here’s to an inspiring, plank-heavy, you-do-you 2019.