I talked to one of my friends in the industry the other day who recently switched agencies. This transition period and adjusting to the new agency has been a little bit difficult for him. He’s used to working with some of the major brands out there. With his new agency, he’s sacrificing the big brands for a big opportunity.

He told me about an exchange he had with his mom. It went something like this:

FRIEND:

I don’t know mom, it’s just different. We do different things and work on different brands. And these brands…they’re just not….cool.

MOM:

Well, you know, you’re job is to make them cool.

Leave it to a mom to put the much-needed perspective on the situation. Your job is to make them cool.

Now, if that doesn’t get you out of bed in the morning and motivate you every day, you might be in the wrong business. Regardless of the brands you’re servicing, you have the privilege to shape the work day in and day out. You can push to make the work – and ultimately, the brand – cool or you can continue on and be victim to the perceived “un-cool” state they’re in.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? And more importantly, are you listening to your mom?