Imagine walking into a building that is filled with such positive energy and so many wonderful ideas, you don’t know how you could possibly take in all that you want to from the day. That’s how I felt at the AWC last week. And to help remind people to take home something positive, there were signs dotting the interior of the Austin Convention Center tasking attendees with a question of a similar theme: What is the one thing you will take with you today to help you change your life?

Out of the two panels and various speakers I listened to throughout the day, one message jumped out at me repeatedly. Know yourself and what your passions are, and be true to those passions. It’s something to keep in mind as we go through our daily business, no matter what we may do here at GSD&M or with our time outside the agency.

My main passion is helping others and bringing a smile to their faces – whether it be through cooking/baking a surprise treat for the people I work closely with or working with animals through volunteer groups or pet sitting. I also love working with words, helping to transform simple grammatical units to great ideas. My job as a bilingual proofreader here at the agency allows me to do just that. And it’s a job I am thankful for every day. These have been my passions since I was a teenager and I helped to rehabilitate horses, learned to bake with my mother and took various creative writing classes.

So let me ask you. What is/are your passion(s) and how are you working with them on a daily basis? Have those passions changed throughout the years or have they remained the same?

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. –Oscar Wilde