When I first moved to Toronto in 2011, I worked for a small startup. The pay was decent, but more than that, I believed that we were doing something really cool. Over the next two months, however, that belief was eroded by incompetent management.

So I moved on.

I joined another startup – taking a significant pay cut in order to work for a company that shared my value of design. It paid off. For over a year, I was able to do the best work I could – inspired in no small part because I believed that I was changing the world. That belief, too, was eventually worn down by conflicts with the management.

It’s been hard for me, lately, to become a true believer in anything. I’m motivated and inspired by new products and services I see being launched, but my enthusiasm is always tempered by a sense of pessimism.

Maybe my negative experiences have left me jaded.

Now I work at an agency. However, that agency has explicit values that are reflected by its actions. I love that. I don’t have to have faith in my employer because the company proves every day that it abides by its stated values.

I guess my point is that even without faith, I can act on intuition and evidence. I’m incredibly happy at my new job, and that’s all that matters to me right now.