Another month has gone. Another month where my blogging goals kind of fell flat. WHOOPS. We’ve had a lot of life going on though, and that is not a bad thing. I’m trying to get back into this especially since I have much to write…just not enough time. That’s always the problem though right??

Lately….

[With my MRTT pals before Cherry Blossom]

Running: I started a run streak – 35 days before my 35th birthday and I made it 30 days before I got sidelined with some terrible cramping and an evening in the ER. BUT I learned a lot during those 30 days. I shaved 5 minutes off my ten-mile time at Cherry Blossom and have been running pretty consistently in low 10’s/high 9’s (but still doing 4/1 intervals).

Fitness: If you don’t follow my Facebook page, you can’t see the awesomeness that I get to do two-three times per week with my Fit4Mom family. Seriously, I’m coming up on a year now with Body Back and I can’t even begin to tell everyone how much it’s changed my life. From the amazing community and support network to the tough workouts that have me stronger and faster.

Work life: I started a new job midmonth. That coupled with all the #runstreak-ing, and Little Man’s birthday…blogging kind of fell by the wayside. I’m super excited about the new role, plus I was proud to have negotiated my salary to where I wanted to be. It was a bummer to leave FLAVORx but a necessary one when it came to the financial benefits. You gotta do you, right?

Family life: We’ve been busy!! From all the therapies for the little man (now adding Behavioral Therapy to help with our lack of pooping) to my new job to two birthdays over the past month (little man and me). We’ve just been enjoying life. And you know, I’m okay with that.

Weight Loss: Because I hit 2 of the 3 goals I set in January at my 4th Body Back transformation (sub-2 hour ten miler, sub 30 minute 5k), I’m working on my weight loss goal because I seem to be yo-yo-ing between 156 and 154 and can’t seem to jump past that, I’m putting myself BACK on my body back planning/tracking plan that I KNOW works. I have goals to be closer to 145 than 155 by summer, and then hopefully down to 135 by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!

Fundraising: I’m chasing big scary goals this summer – I signed up for the Bike to Beach for Autism in August – a 60-mile ride from the Eastern Shore to Rehoboth Beach. I’ve been itching to do a long ride like this for a while and it’s for an amazing cause (you can read about our story here) that touches us every day, it seemed like there was no better time. While E does NOT have an official diagnosis of ASD, we’ve had him evaluated and it has not yet been ruled out. His deficiencies are largely social-language and sensory-based but still, we come across so many kiddos that do have ASD through our various therapies so I’m doing this for them. I’d love any support from any of my readers <3 (no amount is too small!)

I think that about covers all the ish that’s been going on. What’s been going on with you all friends???

I am what many would call an “old millennial.” But millennials sometimes get a bad rap. They’re whiny, entitled, and  demand many things at work. Some of those being frivolous things others LESS frivolous. We want companies with modern benefits – meaning flexibility for our families, or to work when we best work (want to get to work at 7a? Go for it. Want to work until 8p and get in at noon? Sure.), companies that understand the needs of families not just in flexibility but are being leaders in benefits for new parents, and we want companies with defined core values. But, while many see these changes in office cultures come down from executives,  my question was how do you impact that change in the workplace if you’re not in a leadership role? How do you help create a culture of positivity if you’re not a manager?

Culture in the workplace, as many seasoned millennials know, is about more than just bean bag chairs and happy hours. Culture is created also by defined core values, feeling valued and respected by leadership in your company and through managers who are willing to coach and build leaders. I’m lucky to be in a spot where I truly enjoy my job and am passionate about the product we have.

While no job is perfect and any company you work for will likely have room for improvement, if you’re staying true to your own passions and values, that’s when I’ve found you have the biggest opportunity to become a leader and creating a work environment that keeps you getting out of bed in the morning and harbors a team environment that anyone would want to be a part of. Positivity breeds positivity from the team, so sticking it to the negative nancies in the world, is just one challenge that many companies face when creating a culture that people want to be a part of.

I had the pleasure last week of chatting about creating a culture when you’re not in a leadership role with the fine ladies of MarketHer from IMPACT Branding & Design and dealing with negativity in the workplace. You can see the whole discussion:

Some of my key takeaways on how to be a leader in creating a culture when you’re not necessarily in a leadership role:

1. Be the positive example
   

   Seriously, no one likes a negative Nancy. Keep your attitude positive. Remind yourself of the passion YOU have for the work and be that positivity that YOU want to see. Even on the tough days, remind yourself that this too shall pass and those tough days are seasons – letting those tough days get the best of you are only going to

2. Curb the gossip
   

   Negativity breeds negativity and gossip is a huge negativity monger. Stay away from the gossip and don’t feed into it. Rather than gossiping over lunch, find out what you have in common with  your colleagues and talk about things other than work.

3. Lean on HR
   

   I read this Fast Company article on the flaws of Uber and their toxic culture, which many of us are well versed in given their presence in the news. When HR doesn’t respect or empower employees it’s like a pillar of any potential company culture is already flawed. Since we brought our HR Director into my company, our culture has been hugely impacted for the better. She’s done a fantastic job at really helping employees feel like they’re heard when they have concerns and she’s a great bridge between management and the rest of us.

4. Boost morale
   

   I’m not talking about just happy hours and team building, but general communication, and general goal setting. This year we sat down with our managers and mine has been fantastic about supporting my goals and challenging me to be better. It’s truly empowering to feel like you’re supported by management wheras, I’ve had positions where that was not necessarily the case. On the flip side, if management sits behind closed door meetings, brushes suggestions for the company off and it’s just business as usual with the “management” versus everyone else attitude, I bet morale will be low and culture will just be a thing everyone talks about. I’ve experienced both sides of this and it’s really can’t express how important it is for management to communicate with the rest of the company. Transparency goes a long ways with improving morale and creating a positive culture.

5. Show your team you value them
   

   Even if you’re not a manager, let your teammates know you value their work, their expertise, and their support during tough times. It helps to build that team morale and feeding that positivity into your team. A little team love goes long ways. If you’re not a manager, you probably don’t have much say into salary but I can tell you, feeling like your experience is valued through a fair salary goes a LONG ways to being valued in your company. Vouch for your colleagues who might be working for a promotion, support their goals and ambitions. You don’t have to be a manager to really help your team feel like they’re doing amazing things and are valued.

What do you value in a company culture?

November is always a reflective month for me. Everyone seems to practice gratitude and share what they’re thankful for throughout the month – it’s just that season.

Happify Daily states “People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they’re thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.”

When things are really tough, sometimes it’s good to really stop and be grateful for what you have and the blessings in your life and to give back. The one thing I’m struggling with is teaching little man to practice gratitude when, clearly, he’s still learning his peas and thank yous regularly without prompting.

Here are the ten ways I’m practicing gratitude this month (and every month because really gratitude should be a year-round thing not just a November thing) and how I’m encouraging little man to practice gratitude as a little person 🙂

1. Journal.
   I’ve been following the gratitude prompts on The Mighty this month and it’s really helped me refocus on all the blessings in my life. I’m a day or two behind but it’s really helpful to me to write things down and reflect.
2. Smile more often.
   Seriously, just smile. Forget a reason for it. Just try to smile and smile at others. It may seem creepy but I promise, it’ll change your mood and brighten up at least one person’s day.
3. Practice random acts of kindness.
   A couple Christmas’s ago, my former company gave us all $50 to give back. We were traveling on Christmas, but on Christmas Eve, I paid for a random person’s lunch behind me in line at the drive-thru while Little Man and I ran errands, and then we paid for lunch for some pilots at the airport who were away from their families on Christmas Day and thanked them for their work as we traveled to CT. I still like to pay for people behind me every so often in drive-thru lines, and people have done it to me, it’s just a nice way to brighten someone’s day unexpectedly.
4. Volunteer.
   We’ve started looking for ways to get Little Man into volunteering – hubs and I are both active in our community, me through Junior League and Hubs through the Knights of Columbus, and really value giving back. Whether it’s serving meals at a soup kitchen, or donating toys to kids at Christmas, little man is starting to learn that we give back to those who need a little more help.
5. Commit to one day per week of not complaining.
   I complain a lot sometimes, it’s just those wahhhhh-mbulance ruts that we all get into. Whether it’s about my commute, how tired I am, how little money we have, whatever it is – but there are always people that have it worse. There are people without cars who commute to Baltimore via bus for upwards of Two hours just to put food on their family’s table. People who don’t have jobs, and people without warm beds to sleep in. Perspective people.
6. Meditate.
   Take your gratitude list, and meditate on it. Stop for five minutes and just slow your mind down. Think about the things in your life that are going well, all the blessings you have. I like the Calm app to meditate, but there are lots of other options out there too if you need a little meditation guidance.
7. Call a friend or family member to say you love them.
   I’m terrible at staying in touch with family, with friends. But call someone just because and thank them for being in your life.
8. Share your gratitude.
   Share on social media, join a gratitude challenge (I’m sure there are many) and share every day something that you’re thankful for. ‘Tis the season but seriously, these can be done at any time.
9. Thank your public servants.
   I’m pretty sure police officers, fire department members and EMT’s don’t get enough thanks for their hard work. Thank your child’s teachers for their work, teachers work long hours – long past the 8-3 that they’re in the classrooms, saying a simple thank you for everything they do, goes a long ways.
10. Stay away from negative media and replace it with inspiring media.
    Hubs and I watch the NBC Nightly News every night – it’s our thing. But one thing I love about it is the inspiring stories they have as the last segment “Inspiring America.” There is so much negativity and Facebook is a vacuum of news – positive and negative. Try for a week to turn the negativity off and each day watch one video or read a story of something positive and inspiring. It goes a long way to remind you of everything we have to be grateful for.

I’ll share some of my journal entries throughout the month over on my Facebook Page.

I want to know what are YOUR favorite ways to practice gratitude??

I have been lusting over the must have boxes for a while. I like getting packages, I like getting fun mail and this? This was a fun surprise. I’m constantly seeing the Must Have boxes promoted so I’m so excited I received one and am able to review it for you all!

This month’s theme was Celebrate – a special box because the POPSUGAR Must Have box turns FIVE this month! Lisa Sugar and her team of editors have been curating their favorite items for five. freakin’. years. This month has some of Lisa’s favorite brand obsessions to celebrate – birthday style!

Additionally, in celebration of five fantastic years, POPSUGAR is running a different giveaway where each week a limited number of subscribers can be eligible to win products from brands like Kendra Scott, Tarte Cosmetics, and FIVE grand prize winners (!!!) that will win something from Cambridge Satchel Co and a 1 year subscription to Must Have. Yes, please.

So what was in the August  MUST HAVE box?

…All sorts of fun stuff! Check it out…

Meri Meri Gold glitter candles | Fringe Studio Free Spirit Journal (sponsored by Jeep!) | First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Bouncy Mask | Dogeared Friendship bracelet with small open heart | Goodie Girl Chocolate Chunk Cookies (gluten free!) | Shoptiques.com gift card | Pastel Cheers Lacquered Tray ]

Seriously – this stuff is so fun. The journal will definitely come in good use for me…

As will the Shoptiques gift card. Free money? Absolutely, THANKYOUVERYMUCH.

While bracelets aren’t my favorite, this bracelet from Dogeared is so pretty and understated. I’m a big fan.

And little man has already tried snagging those cookies multiple times – I’m saving them for Wednesday when I’m done with this Body Back session.

Want to enjoy all these fun, celebratory goodies? Maybe you have a pal celebrating a birthday (subscription boxes make FANTASTIC gifts!)? You can get your celebratory Must Have box here – use code PARTY for $10 off! 

[Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary Must Have Box from POPSUGAR. All opinions here are my own. ]