About Me

One of my favorite topics I’ve had the opportunity to learn about in my work life is strategic planning. In addition to being involved in my own organization’s planning process, I have also had the chance to visit multiple other places to learn more about their process in getting ready to excel in the future.

Among the most important underpinnings of a strategic plan are the organization’s core values. Along with the mission and vision, they provide the foundation for every decision made in the strategic planning process. I always loved seeing how different workplaces took what is most important to them and translated them into values everyone in the workforce could embrace and embody. Employees couldn’t always name every value verbatim, but when you could see them reflected through actions and passion, you knew they were working.

While I no longer get to make those site visits to learn more about organizations, these days I do get to teach a class once a year about my organization’s mission, vision and values. It’s a fun way for people to connect their work to the bigger picture and understand that we’re all part of a bigger whole.

As I was planning my class, I wanted to take it a step further. I encourage the people in the class to write their own mission statements and to dig deep about what their own core values are in their lives. I encourage them to set themselves up for the behaviors and actions that will guide their future and understand what each of those values means to them. Do all of them enjoy it? Embrace it? Of course not. But there are always a few who I can tell are thinking more deeply about what’s important to them, and that’s enough for me.

Now I wouldn’t try to get anyone in my class something to do that I hadn’t done myself. So it was important to me (for reasons far beyond the class) to think through what my own personal core values are and what they mean to me. Each value comes with a small definition (because a value of strength, for example, can mean different things to different people) and helps me better think about my life in terms of actions, choices and behaviors that I take part in and support. Here are my personal core values:

–Authenticity: I will seek out genuine relationships and be true to who I am.

–Growth: I will continue to learn new things and improve myself in mind, body and spirit.

–Kindness: I will interact with others with thoughtful kindness, not just niceness.

–Justice: I will advocate for what is truly just, not only what has been deemed right.

–Contentment: I will seek enduring contentment rather than fleeting joy.

So there they are…my personal core values. Do I always live up to them as well as I should? Of course not! I still love to gossip (not kind!) and sometimes I find myself neglecting my mind, body or spirit (thanks, depression!), but I always have my values to return to for myself. They help me guide bigger life decisions and how I prioritize my time and effort. They help make me my best and most true self.

I hope this long diatribe will give you a push to think about your own personal core values. They can take a while to think through, cultivate and make your own, but it’s time well spent. Once you’ve selected them (or maybe you already know yours!), I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

If the past couple of years have taught us anything, it’s that our mental health is incredibly important to our overall well-being. As someone who lives with depression, sometimes you can’t quite tell when a visit to “the dark place” is on the horizon. Thankfully, it’s been quite a long time since my last deeply depressive episode, but I credit some of that to catching it coming on early and heading it off using a number of strategies…the rest I credit to meds.

Everyone who goes through periods of stress and depression has different tactics they use to get through the rough times. These are a few of mine and I’d love to know yours too.

-Get Some Sunlight: This does not mean you have to get your workout clothes on and go for a stroll because sometimes you just can’t make yourself do it. So sit in front of a window, drive your car to a sunny spot and let that Vitamin D wash over you. It only takes 10-15 minutes a day to make a huge difference.

–Laugh at Something Dumb: I make sure my DVR always has a few episodes of something light and silly on it so I can veg out on the couch and not think and chuckle at something. My favorites are episodes of The Kitchen, anything on the Game Show Network, and old episodes of Parks and Rec.

–Rest: It can sound so simple, but let yourself rest. You have sick days for a reason and sometimes that one day can be what turns things around and makes things seem less dark.

–Music: No, it doesn’t have to be upbeat pop music. A lot of my depressive episodes have me feel not sad but rather absolutely nothing at all, which is somehow worse. Find some tunes that generally move you and let them inject some feelings back into you.

–Clean-Up: Make yourself take a shower. Just long enough to let the hot water really do some work. Then slather some smelly good lotion all over.

–Fuel: For many this is true, but I notice a very strong connection between my gut health and my mental health. I also tend to not eat much when I’m in a depressive mood. These two things do not mix. Even if it means I have to order in every meal for a week, I make sure I’m eating something that I will want to eat and that will keep my body running. I also take some B-12 supplements as there’s some evidence that links taking B-12 to depression relief.

–Visuals: I have a board dedicated to adorable and funny things on Pinterest. Lots of baby animals, of course.

Finally, always know that depression lies and that I’m here for you. Whether it’s a chat or sitting in the same room as you saying nothing, I’ll be there to support you.

When I haven’t been on an airplane for awhile, I get a little antsy. The travel bug is very, very real. My last trip, to the southwest in April, was one of the best of my life. The completely stunning scenery in Nevada, Utah and Arizona had me marveling more and more with each mile I drove (over 1300 of them!) and it was incredible how different the landscape was as I moved from place to place.

Now as the year moves into fall (how did it get to be the end of September already?), I find my mind drifting to where exactly I may want to wander in 2018. One of my big goals with my quest to get healthier is to have the ability to be more active when I travel, so I definitely want to embrace and plan around that goal. Each year, I like to do one ‘big’ trip and I think next year will be no different, but I’d also like to sprinkle in a few more trips throughout that will take me to new places.

Our country and our world are such huge places that it’s hard to even start narrowing down the destinations that are at the top of my list. But just like any other traveler, I want to hear about other people’s trips and favorite places. So, I’m throwing it out to you all…where in the world can I absolutely not miss? Why is it so amazing? When is the best time to go? To jumpstart, here are a few places on my shortlist for next year…

-Nebraska (no, I’ve never been)

-London

-Banff National Park

-Austria

–Another Uncruise

-Minneapolis (I’ve only sprinted through the airport)

-Spain

-Toronto

-Glacier National Park

Been to any of these? Anywhere I’m missing? Tell me in the comments! And happy wandering.

So these last couple of posts have been lists because my brain hasn’t been up to long paragraphs and whatnot. Here’s one more, but I’ll be back to really getting at it soon! Until then, here are a few things that have been on my mind.

-A couple of things have made me really feel the concept of how small I am in the universe. The first was Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I tore through this book in just a couple of days and was completely enthralled with the story. It’s about the choices we make, the roads we don’t go down and the people who make us who we are.

The other, of course, was the total solar eclipse in August. I was so moved during those two and a half minutes that I actually cried. I felt so small in that moment in the most beautiful way.

-I don’t send enough cards to people. Plan for this winter…send more cards.

-I haven’t known what day it is for weeks.

–Chris Brogan’s weekly email this past week hit home extra for me this week. It’s about having a personal brand. My mind is spinning about what type of person I want to be professionally and personally. Where am I now? Who do I want to be? A lot of it hinges on why do people come to you…what comes to mind when they think of you? I want to cultivate that for myself based on the values I treasure. Also, sign up for the weekly email. I love it and it’s one of the only weekly newsletters I get that I always read.

-I bought my first mum yesterday. Now to keep it alive.

-When I haven’t been anywhere in a few months, I get super antsy. My head is so full of where I want to go next.

-Do I need a skincare regimen?

-I need to dig out my life list. See what I’ve accomplished. Figure out what’s next.

-It’s getting darker earlier. Promises of sweaters.

-I’m feeling physical things becoming less important to me. I don’t need lots of stuff. I don’t need to buy and store and consume. It’s a subtle mental shift that has me saying “no” more, that has me oddly excited about cleaning out my closet, that believes my mindset can be altered and I can continue to grow. Pretty amazing feeling.

-“When you have a growth mindset, there is no failure. Only feedback.”

-And finally, this lady. My incredibly talented, sassy, wonderful friend moved to Tennessee this week, and I miss her like crazy. We were both surprised to meet someone as adults who we connected with so closely. I love you tons, Brenna, and I can’t wait to come see you in Knoxville!

So what’s been on your mind lately? I’d love to hear about it!