I have been feeling pretty emotional lately when it comes to my job. Startups are always one crazy roller coaster, and this summer has been Kingda Ka meets The Cyclone with a little Splash Mountain thrown into the mix. After being at a company for almost two years (!) you experience a lot of change. Visions shift, priorities adjust, and job titles get figured out along the way. Some of my closest co-workers have left which has been anything but easy, while new people have joined the team, continuing to shape and mold the dynamic of our amazing “family.”

I often talk about how much I love my job, because I do. But of course it comes with its fair share of challenges. At startups, you normally take a big salary cut with the belief you’re building something better than a savings account — and that in the end it’ll all be worth it. You care about your work so much that ‘clocking out’ isn’t a real thing, and the stress from work is actually super hard to remove yourself from. There’s risk, there’s uncertainty, and there’s always the notion that “Hey, six months from now things could look a looot different around here.”

Basically, you have to be spontaneous, flexible, and pretty much fearless.

Luckily, everyone on the team embodies these qualities, plus more — which is why it works. And as I’ve been reflecting on my time at Greatist more and more, I am reminded of all of the crazy-amazing good, which far outweighs any of the not-so-good. For starters…

It has given me the opportunity to grow. I came to Greatist without a ton of experience. But I had a desire to learn, to take on challenges, and to simply figure shit out. I used to be intimidated by my lack of experience, but now I’m slowly able to realize what I’ve done over the past two years and how it has dramatically shaped the company. Not many work environments give you the chance (and time!) to learn what you love to do, while giving you the support and resources to let it rip. 

It has helped me get stronger and healthier. There is no way I’d be running marathons, nailing new yoga poses, lifting regularly, or swapping whiskey gingers for whiskey sodas if it wasn’t for Greatist. Being in an office where everyone has their own health struggles, challenges, and goals, makes it that much more inspiring to go after mine.

It has helped me learn about all the different sides to a company. I’ve been able to get my hands dirty in almost every aspect of Greatist: from editorial to marketing and PR, and even business and sales. Experiencing that, along with seeing how startup companies raise money, has given me a well-rounded view of this whole “real-life company” thing. 

It has given me great friends. Everyone on the team is so, so special – and are people I not only consider my co-workers, but my great friends. This makes going into the office that much more awesome (: 

It has given me a job I truly love. Every day I am thankful that I wake up and am not only excited to go to work, but that I get to work on something that truly matters. I don’t think I could ever live a life where I wasn’t happy at my job. And honestly, I don’t get the people who clock out at 5pm and stop caring about what they did for the first eight hours of their day. And luckily, I don’t think I ever have to.