January 2014 is when my professional career started. Walking into Houston First’s offices began a long journey to where I am today. From Corporate Affairs Intern to Director of Digital Strategy, I’ve had the opportunity to learn and meet so many amazing individuals.

After a decade, I pulled together my top 10 takeaways for professionalism, personal growth, and lifelong happiness.

1. If it takes 30 seconds, it’s worth doing

It could be anything from starting the morning coffee to firing off a short email update. There are dozens of little things each day that, with just a little time commitment, can go a long way.

2. You can tell how much you like your job by how you wake up in the morning

Working agency life, it can be so easy to find yourself stressed on any given workday. Whether that’s coming from internal or external sources.

When I found myself in a job that promised so much, only to never fulfill those promises, I found myself losing confidence. Where 60+ hour work weeks were seen as not a big deal, I found myself falling asleep, dreading the next day. Only to wake up and not feel any more motivated.

I lost a lot of myself here.

When I left, I joined an organization that had the best intentions for me. They provided me the support I was looking for and helped me get through the dark thoughts I had about my career, my ability, and my skill set as a marketer. Over time, the work that I have done has involved long days, late nights, stress, and more – but I feel ready for the next day.

So when I speak to coworkers and friends, I speak to this feeling. There are great organizations, and there are bad ones. Each will give you challenges, successes, and stresses. But if you’re waking up, motivated to dominate the next day, you’re in the right place.

3. Everyone is important. Everyone.

I’ve spent a lot of late nights in the office. Late enough to speak with the cleaning staff, learn their names, and build relationships with them. In Houston, walking into our office building in the morning and talking with the front desk staff, held some of my most cherished moments. At that time, I was fresh out of college. I was figuring out who I was, how to dress, and what went into getting a good haircut.

From then, to now, I want to make sure every person in an organization, anyone involved, feels seen and respected.

4. External creativity is vital for a creative workplace

At times, positions have asked so much of me, that I’ve lost time and motivation to chase my passions.

I love a four-mile run. I had this route in Denver that I would take every day or so. At times, I could feel myself losing the mental ability to go on by mile 3, by mile 2. Maybe I didn’t have the motivation to go at all.

The same came to photography, sports, and connecting with friends and family. Without the opportunity or motivation to be creative outside of work, I’m unable to balance my life, and that itself impacts my work. While the work/life balance term is fun, my life is part of my work, and my work is part of my life. I want them to be shared, and my passions for each to fuel the other.

5. Give yourself grace, and have patience for the process

When I came out of college, I had amazing expectations for myself. Unreasonable in ways. I saw my path forward but was missing the learning opportunities that would hold me back, and help me grow to achieve even more.

Ideas have been my “superpower” throughout my career. I’ve always wanted to enter any conversation or marketing discussion with ideas and opportunities, well-rounded and thought out for the occasion. When those ideas and concepts didn’t play out to the growth that I was hoping to achieve, I was concerned that I might never make it there.

One thing that I continue to work on to this day, is giving myself grace, practicing patience, and knowing that the road I’m on, is worth experiencing.