Reflect on your passions—and act on them, too
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Recently, the Events Industry Council hosted its annual CMP Conclave. The event is a wonderful educational opportunity that touches on so many topics relevant to CMPs. What I love about this event is how invigorated I feel when I get back home. Not only do I get to interact with and learn from my peers, I get a chance to see what sparks inspiration for others.
This time of year can be a bit tough. We’re wrapping up a lot of things and looking forward to the new year—and it can feel like we’re in two places at one time. Often when that happens, you can lose sight of what drove you to become event and meeting professionals in the first place.
Our profession can be stressful. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to meeting and event planning, and no one event is like the other. But, what we do is meaningful and has impact. Bringing people face-to-face can create connections that last a lifetime. These friends, mentors, teachers and colleagues connect over their shared passions and professions.
It's why I urge you to think about what you’re passionate about in this industry. Take this time to explore why you got into this profession. Celebrate your successes this year and give yourself the credit you deserve for working hard. Also, use this reflective time to understand what you bring to the table and how you can better yourself.
Maybe it’s taking an educational course to learn a new skill, or it’s mentoring a younger colleague or even getting involved in an organisation like Events Industry Council. This is the perfect time to start planning for 2020 and gathering yourself to make next year even better than this one.
And if you feel like maybe you’ve lost that spark, consider ways to find that love again. Is there a project you’ve been dying to dive into? Do you need to better your work-life balance? Do you want to inject some new, fresh ideas into your meetings? Ask yourself what the downsides are and think about how you can fix it.
Taking a moment to reflect can propel you forward through these busy times is not only wise professionally, but personally as well.
Aleka Garcia, CMM, CMP-HC
