2019 is my year to climb. And enjoy the climb. When tasked with selecting a word that I wanted to help shape the new year, I needed some time to deliberate. My first idea was Balance. I love this word; I even have a yoga tank that says “Balance, Balance, Balance, and more Balance.” You get the idea. I feel it’s very important in all aspects of life to feel balanced, as balance means the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling. Balance means judging, deciding, and keeping a mental and emotional steadiness. It led me to a list of other amazing words.

They included Purpose, Intentional, Strength, and Stretch – All of these words as well as TODAY led me to choose Climb. Climbing, to me, means always learning; you cannot be stagnated if you’re climbing. It’s about what you do to get there. Climbing to me means in the moment, right now. We are always moving forward and what we chose to focus and our purpose should be in our climb.

So, this year, my focus, my climb, will center toward new family activities. We’ve already discovered that one hour a week of family tennis time is so enjoyable for everyone. No private lesson needed, just our family of four, two of us reliving the sport and two learning the sport. Personally, my physical and emotional climb will be continually to build strength. I used to train for mini-marathons, and after I ran them, I’d fall off the wagon and immediately stop working out. This year, I am adding cycling to my routine and targeted strength training. All of the hard work each day is in the climb…not just wanting to get to the race and finish.

At Purple Ink, combining our strengths with our everyday work is required. Thankfully, the word climb seems to fit seamlessly in with my top strengths. My Learner strength is all about the climb, and the more I can learn about my current and new clients, the more I can be an integral part of their HR team. My Relator strength allows me to focus on each client and truly understand the specific needs of each. I can help each client climb to new heights and set goals as I continually learn more about the mission they serve.

One specific area that I handle at Purple Ink is Leave Management. This can mean several things, but usually it means I am working one on one with employees at clients when they have an upcoming medical leave that is going to prohibit them from working. Most of the time, it is maternity, but sometimes it is very difficult situations with surgery, cancer, and sick children. I want each employee that I interact with to understand that it’s my job to assist them through this obstacle. We review their benefits, the pay they will receive while on leave, and most importantly their ability to return to work. This is a small part of their medical journey, but they need to know during this rough time, they have support through the climb. The clients know they can count on me to communicate with the employee and confirm they get back to work. Because the clients know even if an employee is away from work, how “work” treats them is very important.

I need to admit that I have played Miley Cyrus’ (or who I prefer to call Hannah Montana) song “The Climb” a million times since picking my word, but the lyrics speak for themselves:

“There’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”

There is no waiting until you reach the top – your actions, thoughts, words in the now will get you there. Let’s find our purpose, set our goals and climb….if we are fortunate enough we will all look back and realize our entire life was a climb and our experiences, memories, family and friends are what made life LIFE.

Can Purple Ink help your HR department climb to new heights this year? Reach out to us to find out about all the ways we can assist you!

Click here for more on Purple Ink’s 2019 words of the year.