Usually this mantra isn’t associated with anything you’re thrilled to continue until the end. I grew up hearing this constantly from my parents: when I despised going door-to-door selling Girl Scout cookies, when I thought I’d never understand my math homework, when I was obviously the worst player on the basketball team.
People should strive to finish what they started not only in their personal lives, but also in the workplace. Since I began my employment with Mustang six months ago, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my work and haven’t heard my mother’s annoyingly wise voice echo this idea in my head very often. However, when those rare instances occurred, the ideals my parents instilled in me override my desire to quit. Sometimes though, it’s rather tempting.
The allure of new and challenging assignments can quickly diminish when you realize how changeling they can actually be. Whether it’s a client’s particular (or peculiar) specifications, a tedious research process or your brain just isn’t clicking on the right creative tone you’re trying to strike, there are times when your hair is either gray or clumped in your fist.
And that’s when my parents’ credo creeps back into my brain, first as a whisper, then as a chant (the chant often begins as the deadline looms near, interestingly enough). Once you allow yourself to stop wallowing in frustration and the perceived injustice of the task at hand (surely these clients can’t possibly know what they’re asking for!), and just buckle down and commit the time, energy and focus necessary to get the job done, it usually does just that: gets done.
Don’t give up when faced with seemingly impossible tasks. When you start something, you’ve got to finish it. And if for no other reason than it is sure to please your boss and please your client—and, at the end of the day, isn’t that what matters most of all at a marketing agency?
By: Ginny Beauchamp