In honor of Mother’s Day being this month, I feel it important to also include the sentiments from my Mother’s Day Facebook post. Repetitive? Maybe. Would I be able to recreate the same sentiments in an eloquent way twice? No chance. So here it is again; a tribute to the two most important women in my life:
I started chasing Melissa Abbott around town 13+ years ago. I knew from the moment I met her, she was worth chasing. Her gentle spirit, grace, strength and support have never wavered. When it comes to parenting, she is my guide. The nurture to my nature. Maddy and Lyric's "other's before self" styles are a reflection of the example she sets day-after-day.
And my Mom. Lady Di! She's the frickin' best thing ever. I made it into being a decent human by the skin of my teeth because no matter how hard I made it, she had absolutely no quit in her. Through some very formative years, and to this day, she is a beacon of honesty, selflessness, and grit.
I was, am, and hope to always be shaped by amazing, strong, badass women. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you incredible Mothers out there.
...Uphill both ways is still Up!
Ahoy from Week 9 of Safer-at-Home! While the marbles are certainly looser now than when this all started, our Team is taking the fact that we have any marbles left at all as a big W.
In our continued attempt to focus on the positive, we’ve been starting daily team meetings by sharing something we’re grateful for. I have found there are few things that can change my mindset as quickly as thinking about the things I truly appreciate; big things, small things, and those in-between.
Our team gratitude lists have featured fan favorites like “coffee grinders” “the invention of the Swiffer,” and “versatile window blinds” (naturally), and a few from the more sentimental among us: “family game nights, not including Monopoly,” “my wife's laugh," and “having the means to donate to a food bank.” In all earnestness, if you don’t already have a practice of thinking of a few things you’re grateful for each morning, I can't recommend it enough. Even when the things that come to mind seem ridiculous, it takes the focus off of negative thoughts and points you in a more productive direction. Gratitude = good for the body, great for the mind, essential for the soul.
The last month has been challenging, yet oddly inspiring. It’s been a period of growth for me personally, and has meant a new direction for my business. I decided 2020 was going to be a big year (WAY before Covid decided to make its unwelcome appearance), and once something is on the vision board…well, it's now an official goal and I'm stubborn.
I realized that to get to where I want to be in the business I’ve grown up in/around, I had to think bigger than just me. I added a select few, new, vital members to the ranks, and it’s no longer a one-man show. We are now officially Team Abbott! and over the last 4 weeks, our team has had a chance to get to know eachother in a rather unique professional landscape. Obviously we're all working from home, but that has meant more time on the phone and on Zoom meetings, and ultimately a greater degree of communication than we had before the WFH orders came down. In this time, we've thrown quite a few ideas at the proverbial wall, and had the opportunity to fully explore each speck and particle that stuck.
What we’ve arrived at is the following: a new Brand concept, several new/creative marketing ideas, and a different strategy for our business processes moving forward. Some things will have changed for good (and hopefully the better), other things will settle somewhere in between the old and the new, but one thing is certain; the world isn't going back to the way it was 4 months ago. Change can be a good thing though. The most important question we’ve posed to ourselves is what can we do to adapt and to help in the post-Covid environment?
As mentioned above, we of Team Abbott have a few ideas swirling around. Stay tuned for the next blog to find out more. In the meantime, keep yourselves safe, sanitized, and sane out there, my friends. #gbogfy
