I’m Alison, and I’m addicted to quotes (I’m also a project manager at the Somerville office, but the next few paragraphs are mostly about me being addicted to quotes).

When I was asked to write this month’s blog post and was given the go-ahead to share some inspirational quotes with you all, I had two thoughts: a) Have I died and gone to heaven? And b) How am I ever going to keep this word count down to what I’m allowed?

You see, I’ve collected quotes for as long as I can remember. To me, that moment when you find a quote that is exactly what you were feeling but couldn’t weave into words, or the click and lightness you feel when you read a block of words that resonates perfectly with you- that’s magic.

To share a quote that I truly live by: I believe that honesty is always the best policy. I’m still new here- I’m just coming up to my six-month mark at MBD. So I wanted to share some quotes that inspire- to work hard, to be the best we can be, and to be good to one another.

So here there are. Take a look. Dismiss them all if you like. Adopt one as your new mantra if you get the urge. Here’s to hoping that one or two (or more!) of these grooves with your soul and makes your 2017 a little brighter:

 

I feel that this is especially important to anyone in a creative industry, and this happens to be one of my favorite ways to see this quote written. Processes help us function, but if we don’t make a habit of challenging “normal,” we can block new ideas. Take time once in awhile to look at a project and ask your brain: “Hey, got any better ways to do this?” The response is usually, “I’m glad you asked!”

Own it. Your work. Your life. Your ups and downs. Your moods, your emotions, your successes, your failures. Teamwork is crucial to 99% of work and life, but you own your spot on that team.

Speaking of teamwork: take the time to appreciate the people who have your back, or might someday have your back. Whether they’re above or below you in seniority, appreciating someone who helped you out with something, covered for you, or (in my case) was just patient with you as you figured something out not only makes them feel great, but will probably come back to you in the best way.

The first six months of a new job are challenging. I have a facepalm moment Every. Single. Day. In this inevitable moment, I take a deep breath, say to myself “Alison, WHY did you do that?”, own up to and apologize for my mistake, and move on. The humility means you own the mistake. The hustle means you pick up and keep going.

As a project manager, this one is especially important to me. I talk to clients every day, and it’s important to impress them. It’s important to deliver our great work to them. You know what else is important? Remembering they’re human. Clients love to talk about the possibilities for their brands. They also love to occasionally talk about their pets (maybe that’s just me. If you’ve met me, you probably know it takes me approximately 30 seconds to shift the conversation to dogs). Or where they’re from. You know, human things. You know those people sitting around you in the office? They’re humans too! (All things mentioned above apply).

And on the note of humans, be amazed by the ones around you. Every person has a completely different set of experiences and knowledge, and in the end, that only benefits all of us and is what truly makes the world sweet. I’m not saying you should force your desk neighbor to spill their life story, but if they start talking, listen. You might be amazed at what you hear.

If you skipped to the end of this post, congratulations! You found the most important one.

Because in the end, isn’t this what it’s all about?

Wishing you all a healthy, happy and inspired 2017 and beyond,
Alison