CHANGES IN GRATITUDE, CHANGES IN ATTITUDE
It’s that time of year again: Thanksgiving, where we all take pause to act like Academy Award winners and acknowledge who and what we’re most grateful for. That’s why we’re giving our own ModSquad team members a moment in the spotlight to give thanks, and tell us why they’re thankful.
For interspersed among the staffers showing genuine affection for fellow teammates, and others subtly kissing up to their bosses (j/k–although frankly, it’s always a good career move), you’ll find some wonderfully poetic notes of gratitude in the mix. These help remind us what’s truly important, and may serve to inspire and motivate us. Hopefully you’ll find them as moving as we do… No, don’t mind us… We’ve just got something in our eye. We’ll be alright… Anyone got a tissue?
What are you thankful for?
I know family is so cliché, but I am particularly focused on that with our big family trip to Ireland this Thanksgiving. We have been planning it for almost three years to celebrate my sister’s 50th birthday, the 18th birthday of my niece (my brother’s daughter), and my daughter’s tenth birthday. We’re traveling to the west coast to a hunting lodge in Connemara, where my brother, sister, and I scattered my mom’s ashes when she passed away ten years ago. I am so blessed to have such an amazing sister and brother. Even though we are all grown, with families and jobs and houses and lives, we make each other a priority and still love spending time together. I am seriously thankful for my sister, Beth, and my brother, Treb.
—Amy Pritchard
I am grateful to be working for such an awesome company! Here’s why:
- No paper cuts! At my previous job, I would keep a box of Band-Aids at my desk at all times.
- No dressing up! I can stay in my PJs all day. I especially love this during the wintertime.
- No commuting! My office is anywhere I want it to be for that day.
- Not a 9–5 job. I have the honor of being the mother of a four-year-old, and it’s really important to me that I am a part of her life in all aspects (e.g., taking her to and from school, making school lunches, and attending sporting events and plays).
- My coworkers and the clients I communicate with on a daily basis are located all over the world! I have the opportunity to interact and speak with people located in the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, and France.
- There’s never a dull moment. Every day is different, with a new set of tasks and challenges, which definitely keeps me on my toes.
There’s no other place I’d rather work than ModSquad!
—Theresa Galle
Thankful for the blessings in my life including faith, family, health, friendships, and a fun job that lets me work at home and on the go.
—Steve Henry
I am of course grateful for my family, friends, good health, and the abundance of opportunities provided by living here in the U.S. That goes without saying. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with the smart, talented, and creative people working here at ModSquad!
—David Wohlwend
I am thankful for the flexibility ModSquad provides in working from home, which allows me to attend my children’s school events, including the awards assembly for getting all A’s! I’m also thankful my network of coworkers, who are experts in virtually everything — from Matt Hostler, who identified the device we need to solve the problems were we having connecting my son’s PS4; to Izzy Neis, who, when asked to talk to my kids about Internet safety, proceeded to have a 30-minute conversation with them about their online activity and behavior. Just one of the great perks of working here!
—Gina Miller
Here’s to love — from and for friends and family and beyond. I’m thankful for what it can do to help others, how it inspires us to do great things, and how it pulls us through difficult times. I’m grateful there are many kinds of love, and many people to love. And my hope for the coming year is that the need and belief in love for life and humanity start to overtake fear, strife, anger, and hurt. Yes, I’m thankful for love.
—Izzy Neis
I’m thankful for my wife. We got married over the summer but have been together for the past ten (nearly 11) years. Her support and encouragement are what drives me each day. I can say that without her I would not have had the courage to do half the things that got me where I am today. I’m also thankful for my place at ModSquad. I’ve had a great team of Mods, managers, and executives behind me every day I’ve worked here. Everyone here puts those they work with first, supporting the team and caring about the Mods. That’s why I’ve been here for the past four years and why I’ve enjoyed being a part of it all!
—Jay Biros
I am incredibly thankful that day in and day out, our teams keep the web a happy, safe, and efficient place to be.
—Blagica Bottigliero
Thankfulness is something we’ve been working on a lot with our kids this year. Not just being thankful for what we have, which is amazing, but also for what our parents, grandparents, and others have given to get us where we are today. My son called his (retired) Navy grandfather on Veteran’s Day, which really seemed to connect both of them. It also demonstrated to me how showing thanks can be both its own reward and can generate gratitude in others. That’s a fantastic feedback loop of good feelings in a world that sometimes seems rife with negative feedback. One way I like to demonstrate my gratitude is by paying it forward whenever I can. Providing for someone in need, regardless of any pre-existing relationship, really helps me to focus on how fortunate and blessed I and my family are. They say that just taking the time to express what you’re thankful for improves your mood, sense of well-being, and lifespan. So I’m glad I had this chance to share; I actually feel better now than when I started writing this.
—Lucien Parsons
We are the Mods! But I’m also thankful for the pros on our business operations squad. Where would we be without our admins, specialists, accountants, sales reps, marketers, brokers, and lawyers, inside the company and out, who keep the Mods humming? I wouldn’t want to find out! Thanks, all!
—Mike Pinkerton
I’m thankful for the health and happiness of my friends, family, and coworkers. And of course, I’m thankful (spoiler alert!) that Glenn is still alive on The Walking Dead.
—Jason Ferguson
I’m thankful for working for a forward thinking, collaborative business, just as much as I like helping new businesses overcome challenges with their digital engagement setup!
—Ren Kainth
I am thankful for…
- The return of Michigan football this year. The Wolverines are sporting a 9–2 record and have made this fall fun. Go Blue!
- I‘m grateful for having a job that allows me the flexibility to live and work in California wine country. When you look at it a certain way, you could say this job is driving me to drink (my own wine).
- With our name change to ModSquad, I’m thankful that I don’t have to write [email protected] anymore. I used to get so tired of typing it out; it was exhausting. I mean, my name only has seven letters.
—Mary Lex
I’m always cognizant of how lucky we are to be living in this country in this time period. But on a personal level, I am, of course, thankful for the health and well-being of my family. I’m very thankful that the work I do fits my personality pretty well. “Count your blessings” can seem like a trite phrase, but on Thanksgiving, I do always try to give some thought to the good things in life, big and little, for which I’m so grateful. In some ways, we make our own blessings, but we would all have far fewer of them if it weren’t for the wonderful people in our lives that give us support. So make sure you think of them as you’re digging in on Thanksgiving!
—Rich Weil