A quarter of the century is nearly behind us. (WHAT?) It’s true.
2024 has been a year of reflection at Culture Pilot. So often, we find ourselves intensely focused on daily agendas, meeting deadlines, or planning for the future. It’s easy to get caught up in the constant busyness of it all.
The act of Reflection takes a conscious effort by itself – it’s a decision to pause and be mindful of the recent past, what differences could have led to a better here and now, and the potential future.
A constant question we reflect on that never changes – Can we change for the better, and how?
Above: Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson) on Apple TV+ Lessons In Chemistry
There’s an Apple TV+ series, Lessons in Chemistry, based on a novel by the same name.
Without spoiling the plot, the protagonist — a brilliant woman aiming to break into science — finds herself blocked by institutional sexism of the 1950s.
By a twist of fate, she ends up hosting a daytime cooking show, giving her a platform to teach chemistry through cooking. Her straightforward, take-no-shit demeanor turns her into an instant sensation.
Which led to an incredible quote.
The quote was actually a short monologue. The monologue inspired an exercise for our team to consider all of the CONSTANTS in life – things that have never changed and likely never will.
Some of the examples we discussed, outside of basic survival, were:
Over thousands of years, the world itself has changed, our species and societies evolved, and new constants have formed, such as:
Today, we continue to accumulate more new Constants. The unfortunate part of it all? We don’t even like many of them. And so...
In our daily branding & marketing profession, Constants revolve around simple human truths – the underlying core never changes. But the variability and nuances of each are what we do best for our customers.
With that in mind, we started by compiling a s̶h̶o̶r̶t̶ long but meaningful list of Constants and zeroed in on the ones that consistently frustrate us.
Then we reflected on each to see if we could change these frustrating Constants for the better.
And even if incremental, Constant changes add up over time to make a bigger impact than we realize when we’re stuck in the moment of life’s ongoing patterns.
Here are just a few examples from the team:
Solutions to improving Constants may not always be possible, and they might not be free when they are. But when you consider the cost of your own time and frustration over the long term, a positive change might just be worth the price.
Constants remind us that even with an uncertain future, there are things we can count on. But just because something feels fixed doesn’t mean it can’t evolve.
After all, stress and anxiety are most often driven by worrying about the past or the future – neither of which we can control. So when we focus on the present – on the things we actually CAN change, instead of worrying about the things we can’t – that’s where real progress is made toward a hopeful, happier future.
In life, discoveries usually lead to more questions. The only Constant variable is change; the unexpected. We can’t control it. It’s only when you look backwards that you see how it was all connected. Whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change – and change is what we’re chemically designed to do.
Your ability to change everything starts here.
So when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant. Design your own future.
When you go home today, ask yourself – What will you change?
And then get started.
– Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson), Lessons In Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus (Apply TV screenplay by Lee Eisenberg)
We believe people regularly stuck in their ways are craving Change more than usual these days.
If we had to guess, we’d say Proactive Changes are coming at an increased pace, as people rethink and challenge the Constants in their lives. All it takes is the willingness to take the first few steps. In the months and years ahead, we think the world will see more first steps than usual.
It’s our job as a community to encourage all of the steps that follow.
From all of us at Culture Pilot, we hope you have an outstanding Holiday season filled only with Constants you enjoy. And we hope you’ll share all of your positive, proactive changes with us in 2025.
It’s time to make the future incrementally better.
Now, let’s get started.
