Why I Blog

Today is National Bloggers Day!  I honestly did not know that was a thing until today.  Wishing all the bloggers out there a wonderful day!!

I am taking this opportunity to reflect on why I started my blog in the first place.  At Orangetheory, one of the mantras is ‘remember why you started.’  This helps me during the hard times when I’m working out (like last night during the third lap of the mile challenge!)  I remember why I started working out to begin with and how far I’ve come.  Today I want to do the same thing with my blog.

A few years ago, I was working in a role that was not particularly challenging.  I found myself with time on my hands.  I used the time wisely and I discovered the amazing global HR community!  I met awesome people, I discovered blogs and podcasts, and I used Twitter for the first time ever.  I became friends with Jon Thurmond and Steve Browne who encouraged me to think about why I wanted to blog and what I really wanted to say.  The spare time I had now had purpose.  I launched ‘Living in the Gray’ in 2018. 

Being a busy wife, mom, and HR executive (and Orangetheory member) does not leave me with as much free time these days.  I have set up a task in Outlook with deadlines to blog twice per month and I really try to stick to that schedule.  However, if I don’t have anything to say, I skip it.  In recent weeks, the words have been hard to come by.  The current state of the world has left me a bit speechless.  But on this National Bloggers Day, I want to remember why I started.

I am crazy passionate about HR.  I love it.  I’m an HR nerd.  I look for employment law posters when I go into restaurants and stores.  I ask people everywhere if they like their jobs.  I always want to know how someone came to do what they do.  I truly love this industry.  I love that HR has the unique opportunity every day to make work the best it can be for all employees.  And in that love and passion, I want HR to be awesome.  I want all practitioners to take their work seriously and to own their craft.  And if I can help any HR professional in any way, I want to do that.  And that is why I started the blog. 

Those of us in small business don’t often get a lot of attention and we lack resources that HR departments in large entities have access to.  I have experienced this firsthand after almost 20 years working exclusively with small businesses.  That’s another reason for the blog.  We departments of one and small HR teams have to stick together.  We have to utilize each other and lend a hand.  When I do speaking engagements to this target audience, I give away books and email out resources – free of charge.  Why?  Because I’ve been there and I know how important it is to have a strong network in HR, especially for those navigating environments high in needs and low in resources.  I just want to help. 

I want to say thank you to everyone who has followed me over the past few years and who have taken the time to read my writing.  I am so blessed to be called to do what I love and I am grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded.  I hope to help other HR pros and be a resource for years to come.