Christina Dias

I really attribute my success to just being consistent. When I wasn't really understanding where I wanted to go or what I could do next, I stayed consistent and solid in what I knew how to do and the connections I did have. Then I focused on using my network at the correct times. I believe a lot of people know how to network and create connections, but I don't think a lot of people know how to maintain those, and that's just been my specialty. I'm able to reach out, connect, and have longevity in a lot of my relationships where I'm able to really utilize them in a way that is beneficial to me both professionally and personally.

The best career advice I've ever received is to remain a sponge and always be a student. In every room I step in, whether I'm qualified to be there or not, I'm always looking and observing ways to better myself in all areas, but more specifically in ways where it's just observing the space that I'm in. My mom would say, you know, I can hang with Bill and Bob, I can also hang with other people. When in Rome, do what the Romans do. So I'm able to be a chameleon in spaces that is beneficial to me in a lot of different ways.

I would tell them to remain vigilant, and remember that consistency outworks hard work. I hate to say it like that, but you can work hard at the wrong plan. However, when you are consistent in a space where you're able to utilize your resources and network to reflect in your personal or professional life however you want it, you're able to really control what your life looks like. If you only work hard on Mondays and Fridays, and you have somebody who's working Monday through Sunday, they're outworking you. The odds of them falling into something that's a bit more beneficial to them is higher than you working hard on just certain days. So I would just tell them, stay consistent. When you don't understand anything else, just keep going, and something will work itself out.

I would say the challenge would be really being able to keep one idea going in one direction. Everything has legs, and it can come with a creator's block. It can also come with a halt in production due to so many avenues of things that can happen. I think it's really just learning how to encompass all of your creativity into one space and really being direct and focusing on that one thing. But that, for me, right now, is the hardest - just trying to make sure we're balancing everything 100% and giving everything 100%.

Honesty is incredibly important to me, being a woman of my word. I really hold that one true to myself, because I truly believe that when you don't have anything else, all you have is your word, so it's gonna go if I say it. Respect is another key value. Discipline is a really big one for me. Really being disciplined, and sometimes it looks a little boring, and sometimes it isn't the things that you want to do, but the things that you're supposed to be doing. When you're disciplined in that way, it just works, so discipline is one of my major ones as well.