Gratitude

Last week TES Service Centers and Service Delivery Enablement held our second Spring Connect with our leaders. The week was focused on everyone coming together to review strategy, connection, development, and a bit of fun.

I had the opportunity to use the time with my direct team to facilitate a mindfulness session and cover happiness. Each person’s journey towards happiness is deeply personal and very different. With that said, when we consider all the priorities and the challenges we face, I thought it helpful to cover some routines that make managing stress a little easier.

I found about 27 routines and covered about 8 of them. One exercise we completed was showing gratitude. According to Ann Pietrangelo in the article How to Be Happy: 27 Habits to Add to Your Routine, "Simply being grateful can give your mood a big boost, among other benefits. For example, a two-part study found that practicing gratitude can have a significant impact on feelings of hope and happiness".

I found a simple but powerful exercise to think of a person who had a positive impact on your life and write them a note. The final step of the exercise was for members of the team to commit to sharing their thoughts with the person and in cases where the person has moved on, share the note with family, friends, or in prayer if so inclined.

I chose Anthony Bradley a man who prioritized helping me start my career journey so many years ago with Ford Credit. We met at a career fair where he was a recruiter. I was not accepted for the initial role because they were recruiting for a slot in Philadelphia. After a year I was surprised to get a call from Ford calling me in for an interview. Anthony had held onto my resume and insisted that they give me a call. ?Once onboard, he served as a mentor, sponsor, and most importantly an inspiration.

I have tried over the years to pay it forward by creating opportunities for others and focusing on their development and growth rather than only thinking about my next move.

Thank you, Anthony, for being an amazing human being and mentor during a time when I needed it.