One of the things I'm dreadfully bad at is reflection.
Working to get in to the industry makes me very present and future focused so the past occasionally falls by the wayside. I spend very little time on back pattery or reflection on the past.
As a result I can be discouraged by how little I feel I have accomplished or learned. I'll become unhappy with myself or where I'm headed.
Now I'm an advocate for everyone having a touch of discontent. It keeps you going and aspiring to do better. It can be a very good thing. Too much, however, becomes a hindrance on your ability to think about anything other than the discontent.
This all hit me today as I read back through one of the blogs I was reading around this time last year. I remembered my excitment to break in to the industry. To make ads. To affect people. And how sweet that result is.
Even better it helped me remember how much I have evolved in a relatively short period of time. I've made connections that I'm beyond grateful for. I know what I want to do with a career past just having a career in advertising.
To me that is tremendously exciting. It also gives merit to the power of reflection.
So the next time you may be feeling down on yourself - or down on your plan to make it huge (you always want to shoot high) - take a moment and reflect. Don't look for outside validation. Look inside at what you've learned, who you've met and what you've done.
If you don't smile a little bit you're lying to yourself.