15 years ago I was unemployed and living in my friend’s mom’s storage room in the suburbs of Toronto. I mean, unemployed isn’t exactly right - I had an unpaid internship at Leo Burnett where I was forced to dress up as Tony the Tiger. I paid for stuff with winnings from playing online poker. I appreciate their generosity so much because it allowed me to stay near Toronto and break into advertising. My buddy’s mom was happy when I moved out because it meant she could go back to not wearing pants around the house.
10 years ago I moved to Montreal. I thought I was a fucking baller because the agency that had hired me was paying for my move and put me up in a swanky hotel for a couple of days. I knew one person in the city. And about 25 words of French. Work was life. And life was work. I was grateful for the opportunity because it’s was my big break to work on global brands and sports. I remember trying out for a frisbee team and didn’t get a second look. That hurt. But it pushed me to play a different position on a different team.
5 years ago I was living in New York city. I had just started a new job after getting fired for the first time in my life. It was a huge blow to my ego. But it taught me a couple of things. Have an emergency fund. Good talent is rare, shitty bosses are not. Be nice to everyone. Do good work, because your reputation matters and follows you everywhere. Oh yeah, and people will pay handsomely for good talent. I found out that I was being underpaid by 40% at the place I was fired from. I’m grateful that I was able to learn that one person’s shitty opinion of your doesn’t define your worth. It gave me heaps of confidence going forward.
4 years ago I was back in Toronto. I took my first job in pro sports with the Toronto Raptors. I didn’t know anyone at the company. I didn’t have an in. I was just able to slog through the process of 500+ applicants and get it done. I took a 50% paycut to take the job. I’m grateful that my wife had a kick-ass job. It afforded me the luxury to make that choice instead of taking a job I would have hated that paid more.
3 years ago I was leading marketing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I got to walk down to the ice before the home opener. I just stood in the empty stadium and took it all in. Such a privilege. What a great fucking team of people that I got to work with. I made mistakes. I got educated right quick on the heirarchies of hockey and how different it was from basketball. I’m grateful for the masterclass that I received in corporate politics, leadership, team building and how to sell shit in.
1 year ago I saw a job posting for the Los Angeles Rams to lead their brand team. They were looking for someone native to LA. They didn’t want a Canadian. It would be a move to a different country. Different timezone. Different business. All with a family this time. I’m grateful I applied.
Today I am here. Here in the present. Planning for the future. I’m grateful for the experiences that I’ve had. The struggles. The trials. The wins. The losses. They’ve given me the know-how to succeed in this moment. Today. They’ve built up my patience, my resilience, my creativity and my self-awareness.
Don’t forget to look back. Especially on the hard days. It makes you grateful for how far you’ve come.
- Christian