This past week was a very special one for me. I realized that after seven years in the fashion publishing industry, everything that I have done, all the great people that I have worked for and met all believe and support me. Being a girl from the small town of MD, PG County to be exact, I always had big dreams of moving to NYC and being in the fashion industry. There were many times when it all seemed to hard, the people seemed to mean..and my life was all about work. All through life we are taught to work hard...in school, in our personal lives and of course in the job world. But what about working smart?
My very first boss that hired me at Essence Magazine, Ms. Pamela Macklin, used to always say "Don't work hard G, work smart." At that time, I may not have realized it..but I understood and followed this mantra, and it led me to be the powerful person I am today. What is the difference between working hard and working smart you may ask? Well here is the breakdown for me:
Working hard- just hearing the word often causes a gut reaction fill with anxiety and panic. We assume the worst, imaging our selves as manual laborers with sweat rolling off of our brow and stained uniforms showing the days many difficult tasks forced upon us by our bosses and employers. You may go over looked, under paid and never acknowledged for the work that you do, but you do it anyway. Often you even take on the work of others, which only tires you out, makes you angry and bitter. Remember, this is what "working hard" means to me..
Working smart- who doesn't want to feel like they are smart? No matter what your degrees, your accomplishments or experience..everyone wants this word to be associated with them. Working smart means having a good attitude, standing up for what you believe in, and having your own process to get things done in an accurate and admirable manner. When you work smart, you never feel used, because you know your boundaries...you know what you will take, what is fair, and what you deserve. When you work smart your head is clear. You focus on getting the job done, you have a "can do" and if necessary "team spirit" attitude that people can only respect, remember and ultimately repeat.
Because of so many years that I spent working smart..I now have some amazing industry titans (cant name names lol) that believe in me. When I sent them the email about N3 Magazine, telling them that I left Essence to start it, they responded. They remembered me as positive and strong person, who ALWAYS got the job done, and done well, that was fair to everyone and had a good attitude. Working smart pays off..and it was totally worth the wait!!!!!!!
Gwen
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