CeCe Marizu, Account Executive

Life is full of lessons; lessons that add pieces to the confusing puzzle of life.  As a young professional I constantly feel like I have something new to learn.  In the PR world there are lessons that haven’t even made it in the books yet.  The field is always evolving and people are always changing the way a message is crafted to help their client succeed in unique ways.  However, as the lessons change, there will always be some that will stay the same from attention to detail to the way you treat people.

As I continue to learn, there will always be people and experiences that add pieces to the puzzle. Good and bad experiences both make you stronger and without them young professionals wouldn’t have opportunities to succeed.  From the best parents in the whole wide world, to the greatest university and Leadership Academy on the planet, to Culloton Strategies, I am lucky enough to say they have all added pieces to my puzzle and taught me important lessons.  Here are just a few I have learned at Culloton Strategies:

 

  1. 1. Be yourself.  Interesting people change the world.
  2. 2. Always ask someone if they need help.
  3. 3. Be responsive.
  4. 4. Learn to take constructive criticism AND learn to give it.
  5. 5. Don’t trust everyone, but learn to trust someone.
  6. 6. Be patient with people.  You never know what is going on in their personal lives.
  7. 7. Ask questions.
  8. 8. Emails have a tone.  Ask yourself what you want yours to be.
  9. 9. Perception is not always reality.  Every person perceives a situation and people differently.
  10. 10. If you don’t like something, change it.
  11. 11. Fail forward. If you make a mistake you have an opportunity to learn from it.
  12. 12. Learn to listen to people and learn more about them than just what’s on the surface.
  13. 13. Take a risk and trust your gut.
  14.  14. Have faith in people.  Just because they’ve made a mistake once or God forbid twice, does not mean they’re always going to mess up.
  15. 15. Smile. It will make the day better when nothing seems to be going right.
  16. 16. Learn to be positive.  There is enough negativity in the world.
  17. 17. Remember to say thank you for the big AND the little things.
  18. 18. Treat your co-workers the way you treat your clients.  Better yet, just follow the golden rule and treat people the way you want to be treated.
  19. 19. Think about your passions and ask other people what they’re passionate about.
  20. 20. Learn to follow so you can lead.  No one has ever accomplished great things alone.
  21. 21. Write thank you cards for people for no reason at all other than just to say thank you for the help they offer every day.
  22. 22. Never burn a bridge.  Relationships are more valuable than you can imagine.
  23. 23. Leave everything a little better than you found it.
  24. 24. Create your legacy and run with it.
  25. 25. Trust your heart; it will point you in the right direction.

 

There will always be a new lesson to learn no matter where you are in your career or in life.  Open your eyes, open your ears and open your heart and most certainly you will find missing pieces to your puzzle.