Good things come to those who wait... I hope?

Well, here I am. Writing my first blog post.

A bit late to the party, I guess. But, as they say, better late than never, right?

I write this post with a lot of hope for the future. For the past 20 years, I’ve been immersed in the marketing and communications industry. I’ve worked in marketing roles in big companies, dabbled as an account executive for a brief stint, and then found my calling in planning and strategy.

I love what I do. Honestly, I feel pretty lucky to be a planner.

But here's the thing – I'm also disgusted by it.

By the nonsense we have to endure. The fake bravado, the endless need to prove ourselves, the pretending we had an impact when, let’s face it, we probably didn’t. Not to mention the toxic work environments and the constant bombardment of meaningless “motivational” talk that just makes you want to scream.

As a natural overthinker with a generous helping of anxiety and an unhealthy dose of ambition, I never dedicated enough time to write consistently. Sure, I wrote presentations, creative briefs, POVs, emails – the usual stuff. But never really wrote about what was going on in my head. My feelings. My thoughts.

Now that I'm free from the shackles of corporate life – and the endless cycle of trying to prove myself to people who were only interested in their own self-preservation – I’ve discovered a newfound passion (and maybe a hidden talent?) for writing.

I’ve been posting regularly on LinkedIn, but I felt the need to take more control of my own platform. A space where I could collect my thoughts in one place and share them across different channels.

I’ve always admired serious bloggers like Rob Campbell, Martin Weigel, Rory Sutherland, my friend Rob Estreitinho, and many more. They’ve been an inspiration.

But my real “slingshot” moment came thanks to Faris Yakob. If you don't know him, he’s a well-known figure in the marketing and communications world. We had a chat last week, and I asked him: "What's the best thing you've done for your career?"

He said: “Write. I write blog posts, columns, newsletters, books. Because here’s the thing – your skillset can be matched, even if you’re unbelievably good at it, by others charging less. But your personal brand? That’s what allows you to charge a premium.”

So true. I realised that it’s so much easier to build other people’s brands than it is to build our own.

But just like Vera Wang, Stan Lee, and even Colonel Sanders – who all arrived late to their respective parties but still made their mark – I’m hoping I can do the same.

“Good things come to those who wait,” right? Well, I’m waiting. Let’s see what happens.