You come home from a long day at the office, running errands, dining with friends, whatever.

The answering machine is blinking.

There’s a message.

(For the sake of argument, let’s pretend answering machines still exist somewhere other than our parent’s homes and romantic comedies).

You press play. It’s that guy or girl you recently met at a party or bar or dog park. He/she awkwardly tells you that it was great meeting you, tries to say something funny or sweet about your meeting, and casually suggests that you get together sometime. You play the message again. And again. You smile, consider calling a friend to share. Your heart beats a little faster and excitement sets in. You plot your strategy for the call back. When is too soon? When is too late? Should you be this excited, or keep your guard up? Then, perhaps, a little self-doubt sneaks in. You wonder if he or she will actually like you when you spend some time together. And then you fantasize if this is “the one.” It’s a roller coaster of emotions usually reserved for the non-business, non-logical, purely emotional side of our lives. It’s the ups and downs of romance and friendship and our personal lives. And that’s where it usually stays. Unless you work in a service business like advertising. Then, it’s what life is like every minute, of every day.

Those of us in the ad biz know a lot about these feelings. We know it because we go through it every time we get an request for proposal. Ahh… the RFP. The exciting and scary and wonderful equivalent to the potentially life, and love changing answering machine message.

And then the emotions begin. How do we attack this thing? Who will tackle what parts? Do we sound too eager, or just confident enough. Who else might this potential business mate be courting? Are we good enough?

It’s a very similar roller coaster of excitement, doubt, creativity, strategy and exhausting personal commitment. And while your team gets down to business (serious business) it can sometimes feel like so much more. In fact, it can feel nothing like business at all. It’s personal. When an agency and a client get together, it’s as much about chemistry and personality as it is about capabilities. Agencies are like people. We have arms and legs and brains and hearts. We all function in the same basic ways. But it’s the personalities and the talents we possess that make us different. And it’s those personalities and talents that make us the chosen, or the rejected. Advertising isn’t just “work.” It’s an emotional game that keeps us on our toes, and has us pouring 110% of who we are into that work.

Going to work everyday in advertising is like falling in love. Over and over again. It’s what keeps us going, and what makes us completely unable to imagine being happy doing anything else.