“Do what makes you happy,” “Follow your heart,” “You do you.” You know the common statements.

To clarify, I truly believe in taking good care of yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I want to work towards being the best version of me and I am highly invested in that journey.  This being said, the WHY behind my investment is not primarily “ME” focused.  The why is so I can pour into others, and to expand my business.  If I am not working on being the next best version of me, I can’t impact, expand or inspire others to do the same!

I see so many in society with an excessive emphasis on self…it’s become a preoccupation with self above all else…the selfies, perceived success, and social media glorification and prioritization of self above all else.  All things focused inward…so many have lost our connection with anyone outside of self!

I believe this phenomenon is detrimental to mental health, I think it leads to stress, anxiety, and comparison which leads to feelings of inadequacy.  One of my favorite quotes is “Comparison is the Thief of Joy.”  Comparison will leave people feeling discontented. 

I think one of the best ways to solve this problem is to be others focused – when you take action and serve others, it makes you feel better about yourself!  When you turn the mirror around and look outwards to encourage, and foster empathy, kindness and connections, it counteractions the isolating effects of “me” culture.  I think a lot could be solved if when we start to feel down, we choose to go bless someone else! 

I think of this a lot when I look at how one defines success.  Some would look at individual achievements, I personally see the most successful people I have surrounded myself with use their achievements to impact others in a wide variety of ways.

So, while I want to take good care of myself, true happiness and success comes when we bless and impact others!
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Who will you bless today?
B. 

Life often is a whirlwind of tasks and responsibilities and it’s all too easy to forget to pause and look around to count our blessings.

The simple act of gratitude holds an incredible power that can positively impact others, and ourselves as well!  Gratitude is a mindset, it’s a way of looking at the world with appreciation, sometimes regardless of circumstance. 
When we focus on what we are thankful for, our perspective shifts, it’s a great antidote for negativity bias. 

Incorporating gratitude for me, is in the little things.  I love sending Thank You notes to people, my team shares wins every week, my teams awards 'recognition' weekly by lifting up one team member and sharing why they are thankful for them, I journal and write daily things I am thankful for, I write letters to my kids, I send an uplifting text – these are such simple ways to bring gratitude into your daily life…and the compound effect makes a difference.

Gratitude invites us to pause, and to be present, and for me most often is others focused rather than falling into "Me" culture.  This past year I have worked hard to not buy into the cultural ‘hustle’ mindset and practicing gratitude in the pause fosters a deep sense of connection.

I encourage you to nurture an attitude of appreciation and gratitude, not just during Thanksgiving, but as a way of life, no matter who you are or what your circumstances are – we all have something to be thankful for!

B.

The word ‘culture’ has become a buzzword! 

Don’t get me wrong, culture is something I am passionate about, it’s one of the reasons I started Aspire!   I think there is great power in shared values and a collective identity.

As our workplaces evolve, talking about culture and modern-day leadership is important.  I believe that we can define culture as the shared values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors of an organization.  It’s invisible but oddly tangible.  Culture influences individual and team behavior.

Here is where I see culture get complicated – culture is not open workplaces, with ping pong tables and nap pods and Starbucks on tab!  I think when some look at culture as simply a fun environment, we are missing the mark, this is a shallow version of culture.  

I see my role as a leader to have a well-defined culture, so everyone is clear on the expectations of who we are and what we do. I see my role as a leader to protect a culture that we have set.  I believe in empowering my team in many ways, but especially when it comes to collaborating and innovating together.  All the above takes trust and vulnerability, I need to protect the environment so that can flow. 

One of the ultimate keys in culture is a leader who is willing to make hard choices to protect the culture.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  I have had a variety of experiences over the years, some really fortifying, where I chose boldly to protect our culture.  Because who are we really if we SAY who we are but the decisions as a leader are not congruent with our words – it’s a way to lose your team’s trust and confidence. 

Years ago, we had what I would describe as a Toxic ‘A’ player on our team, this person was so great with clients, very technically sound, and a ‘hard’ worker…. you know where the problem was?  This Toxic ‘A’ was bad for and to their team!  I believe we coach in private and praise in public, the behavior was addressed multiple times and in multiple ways privately, and nothing changed.  This person was released back into the workforce, it’s the healthiest decision for all involved.  There is no ‘I” in team and team is one of our Core Values!  This was a scary decision; it stretched me as a leader to release someone who clients loved but was poisoning the culture.  Want to know what happened?  Our team cohesion increased 10-fold, we saw an influx of growth, I could identify my team realized I had it in me to make hard choices and their trust in my leadership increased.  We flourished!

There are other examples but I will spare you the details, the take away is, holding onto a strong and healthy culture takes a leader with grit, it’s not for the faint at heart!
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Be gritty,
B.

Growth, it’s a passion of mine and it’s one of the core values of my company.  I pursue growth, in all areas of my life, like a professional sport.  It’s engrained in me, I want to expand into the best version of myself, to be all who I was created to be.  I often say, your business will only grow to the edge in which you grow yourself.  However, growth can’t just be limited to your professional endeavors, or you become boring and one dimensional.

Today in church, my pastor said, “Growth is not an option” and I was like – WOW is that true, in ALL facets of life (including faith).

Our growth often happens in the little things, like the commitment to get up and go physically into church rather than coddle the urge to watch church on TV – you put yourself in a position where better things can happen.

Or your commitment to get up early, so you can start your day with a morning routine that sets you up to succeed.

It can happen when you position yourself to be brand new in a room full of people you don’t know!  I did that this past week when I joined my first board meeting at IIAW!  It was maybe a little uncomfortable but very shortly I made new connections and learned SO much! (pictured above)

Growth happens outside of comfort.  It takes 5 seconds of courage to feel the fear and do it anyway.  Stepping up and stepping out!

There is fulfillment in growth, you can stand proud of YOU – because at the end of the day we are not in competition with anyone else, comparing ourselves to others is just a distraction and steals our joy!  Personal growth creates resilience, stagnation means you are left behind.  

Beyond personal, I see this organizationally as well!  When an organization is committed to growth, I have witnessed that commitment acts as a filter.  If an individual in that organization isn’t committed to growth – they don’t stay for long, they can’t…the culture kind of weeds out the stagnant and unwilling to expand and level up.

At the end of the day, growth is an inherent part of our human existence…embrace it!
B.