Things I Thought I’d Outgrow In My Career But, Haven’t: A Letter To Myself

Dear Me:

At this stage in life and career, I thought you’d be past a few things. I thought confidence would replace nerves, efficiency would replace perfectionism and wisdom would replace the need for multiple notebooks, planners and what looks like stock in post-it notes.

Spoiler alert: It hasn’t.

You still re-read important emails at least 10 times. Yes, you might still catch something on the 11^th, after it’s already been sent. You still feel that little flutter before a big presentation, even when you know the material backwards and forwards. You still wear your 'marketing hat' everywhere you go; rewriting taglines on billboards in your head, side-eyeing fonts on signage (all signage, let’s be honest) and critiquing commercials like it’s your own personal sport.

But here’s the truth…these quirks aren’t weaknesses. They’re proof you care.

That over-editing? It’s why your message comes through crystal clear.

That nervous energy? It means you’re invested in the outcome.

That constant analyzing? It’s what keeps your ideas sharp.

The post-it notes, the many notebooks, and calendars may look messy, but they’re proof your creativity and detail side are in fact meeting in the middle.

So maybe you haven’t outgrown these things and maybe you never will. Nor do you really need to. They’re not signs you’re unpolished; they’re signs you’re passionate about what you do.

That’s a quality worth keeping at every stage of your career.

Being human, quirks and all, is exactly what makes you effective and the marketer you are today.

Signed, Me (the one who will still check this blog post makes sense 15 times before I actually hit send). 😊

Written by: Tracey Esser