What it means to love your job.

Every Monday and Thursday, our team huddles together first thing to discuss and recap our week. We always start off with a team-building exercise, typically a question about what we did the previous weekend, what our plans are for the upcoming holidays, or my favourite (and by favourite, I mean my least favourite), those silly little hypothetical would-you-rathers. Would you rather be in a situation where you have a 100% chance of saving half the population or a 50% chance of saving the entire population?  What kind of a question is that? Go home! You’re drunk!

However, with this year quickly coming to an end, the question posed was one of reflection. "What are the major highlights of your year?" Megan asked. Silence. This is a pretty difficult question to answer on the spot. For me personally, this year was quite a whirlwind. It feels like two weeks ago I was accepting my offer to work at McMahon Marketing and now Christmas is just two days away. Needless to say, I needed a moment (or twelve) to ponder.

I sipped on my coffee, allowing the rest of the team to share first what they considered to be their bests of 2014. I began to realize just how big of a year this was for each one of us. Two thirds of our team transitioned careers this year; one bought a house while others bought their first new car; some of us left relationships and others entered into new ones; our boss welcomed a sweet little girl into the world (and I adopted a kitten!); some of us were able to travel for the first time in years while others were content to finally be able to relax at home. 

As different as our experiences were over the course of our 365 days, we all seemed to mention one thing in common-how grateful we were to be a part of McMahon Marketing and how good it feels to truly love our job. What a moving experience it was to hear the sincerity in my colleagues' voices as they discussed how they came to be sitting around the same table and the positive impact we all seem to make on each other’s lives.

Seriously though, why wouldn’t we love working here? On any given day, I am likely to see our acrobatic boss doing handstands in the hallway, our office firecracker leading an impromptu dance party, a musical complete with full choreography, a conversation with at least three different accents, Hurtz Donuts waiting in the conference room and at least one coffee brewing mishap. I am surrounded by some of the funniest people who harness talents beyond measure. I’m engaged in fantastic conversation every day and have honestly watched more adorable YouTube videos than I ever knew existed. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean I don’t find my job difficult or stressful. It can be both in fact, and it most often is. There are certainly days where all I want is to throw on my slippers, some yoga pants and a hoodie while sipping that generous glass of wine I know waits patiently for me at home. Fortunately, I have found the stressful days to be just as rewarding as the ones where my stomach and cheeks hurt from laughing so much. These are the days where I learn something new; where I find myself being challenged and am forced to grow both personally and professionally. These are the days that help me find that sense of fulfilment I haven’t felt in previous occupations. 

As you all fast-forward into the new year (because let’s face it, that is how quickly time seems to move these days), my hope is that you find your sense of fulfilment in life, that you focus on the things that make you truly happy, and that you never stop growing. Happy Holidays! 

XoXo,

Caroline