Making your way in the events industry (or really any industry) is not for the faint of heart. If you find success in your career, chances are you have been through some things and are better for your battle scars. Most worthwhile lessons are the hardest to learn, and no matter how hard you try to prepare a friend, sibling, or young colleague they are going to have to learn for themselves, after all who knows better than a 19 year old? The answer is NOBODY 😉 .
However, if I could give JUST ONE piece of advice to stick it would be to always stay be∙YOU∙tiful. I’m not talking about the way you look, or the way you dress, or smiling and agreeing with everything you hear. NO (absolutely not) I am talking about how you treat other people, how you treat yourself, and you want to be and what you want to stand for in your profession.
If you’re not growing, evolving, and processing the feedback you get about yourself and your work then you ARE NOT staying be∙YOU∙tiful … what you are doing is sticking your head in the sand and yelling at people because its dark. You need mentorship and guidance and feedback, but you need it from someone who has your best intentions at heart, and that is the trickiest part.
My entire life I have been VERY clear on what I want, what I believe, and I’m not afraid to share my opinions, most call it strong willed, but others have called it bossy, scary, and intimidating. Today I am proud of my strength, but back before I knew who I wanted to be and how to determine if feedback was worthy and the person giving it creditable, I let too much of it in. There was a short time in my career when I let a small, insignificant, wolf in sheep’s clothing of a boss change my opinion of myself (NEVER AGAIN!), and so I encourage you to figure out what always staying be∙YOU∙tiful looks like for you.
Here is what my be∙YOU∙tiful looks like:
Make sure I am choosing courage over comfort
Yearn to keep learning and adding new skill sets and experience
Be brave
Ensure I never again believe that my strength and determination is bad or scary
Y ield to the ideas of others who are in the arena with me (good riddance to those who are not)
O perate with a focus on operations, experience and finances ALWAYS and comprehensively
U tilize effective technology to streamline processes and procedures to maximize employee satisfaction & effectiveness
Take nothing personally, be impeccable with my word, make no assumptions, & do my best everyday (The 4 Agreements)
Imagine the future & create a plan to get there in 1, 3, and 5 years
Understand the team’s strengths and play to them
Lead with vulnerability
There are always going to be a lot of voices, opinions, advice, and feedback, but you need to decide what to let close to your heart and what doesn't serve you. In the words of Kesha “Don’t let the bastards get you down, oh no, Don't let the assholes wear you out, Don't let the mean girls take the crown, Don't let the scumbags screw you 'round, Don't let the bastards take you down “
So ask yourself, what does always staying be∙YOU∙tiful look like for you?