The One Thing

I am constantly amazed by the creative talent of the folks at the advertising agency where I work. Every day, they put their minds together (and their hearts as well) to create some truly astounding work for our clients ... work we're all proud to be a part of. Like the old saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," it takes a village to create ads that are unique ... ads that are genuine ... ads that are unsheeplike ... ads that are great. While there are various methods each specific team uses to write, design, develop and produce campaigns for their individual clients, there's one tool that is universal in the process ... the creative brief.

The creative brief is one of the first items that's employed in the creation of a campaign, and some would say it's the most important. The brief is sort of like a guidebook for everyone who is involved in a project ... within the brief rests the direction, the compass, the path our clients wish for us to follow. In short, the creative brief is one super vital tool in the creative process. There are several different sections within each creative brief, but there is one in particular that has always stood out to me more so than the others. It's a section titled, "The One Thing" ... the part of the brief that defines what the core message of the advertising should be. I've been thinking a lot about "The One Thing" since Sunday evening, and many of you have messaged me to ask what our family meeting that night was about. At first, I thought about penning a post titled "It Ain't None of Your Business," but the more I thought about it, the more I realized there's a gigantic lesson that came from our family conversation Sunday night ... a gigantic lesson that perhaps many of you need to absorb as well.

Now before you go toss a bag of popcorn into the microwave and settle in to read what some of you are already thinking is going to be spicy material, I'm not going to share anything my children and I discussed. Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping for some dirt or sensationalism of some sort. What I am going to share with you is my "The One Thing" ... the most important thing of all ... what I took away from the open, honest, real sharing that took place in my small living room as my family gathered together for the first time in almost a year. The last time we were all together was when we bid goodbye to my oldest son the day before he left to move to Canada. Yep, you can assume that Sunday was a big deal all the way around ... for me as a mom, of course, but for my children as well.

So my "The One Thing" from my family's Sunday evening talk? Well, actually it's a few things rather than one. Be honest with one another even when it hurts ... appreciate one another for who we are as individuals ... never underestimate the strength of the bond between us ... honor the differences between us with respect and dignity ... forgive one another quickly. And the most important of all ... in the end, all that truly matters is love and that we love one another despite our faults and our failures. All that truly matters is the love we have for one another ... love that withstands any storm ... love that reaches across any distance ... love that remains true and steadfast in any circumstance.

My children are right ... we have an amazingly great family. Thank you for loving me, kiddos, and for standing behind me through the good, the bad and everything in between. I'm behind you, too, and I always will be ... no matter what, no matter when, no matter where. You gals and guys mean the world to me, and I love each one of you so very, very much.