Like an amorous high schooler (but less creepy), I occasionally run across companies that I develop a severe business crush on.

My latest company crush is on a Greenville, South Carolina identity and branding company called Brains on Fire.  I am obsessed with the culture that they’ve created and enamored with the fact that their website shows that culture and personality.  [I especially like their Tequila Shots book which explains the 12 company beliefs; imagine a mission statement minus the boring undertones].

I know that I have this business crush when I think

1.  I want our company to be like that, or

2.  If I wasn’t having so much fun working with my team, I would want to work for theirs, or

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As the year is coming to an end, many of us are feeling the building stress in our lives as we work to meet deadlines and prepare for the holidays. Sometimes this stress can weigh on our shoulders and make it difficult to really focus and put our hearts into our work.

The other day a friend of mine and I were discussing some of the tribulations of our days when it hit us – focusing on the stress was actually holding us back in our daily endeavors. My friend suggested a new tactic – thanksgiving! We took a few minutes to think about the things in our lives that we are thankful for. The instant repose was so gratifying. It was such a simple but successful way to open our eyes to the blessings in our lives and to how much we were limiting ourselves.

So the next time you’re feeling weighed down with the trials of your day, take a deep breath, relax, and remember that thanksgiving doesn’t have to be just one day a year.

It’s almost the day that, regardless of creed, we all celebrate and give thanks.

I asked a few of our Gibson team members to write about their favorite Thanksgiving memories.  Here is what they said:

“Growing up as the youngest child in my family (by so many years – I would almost say I was an only child) the holidays seemed dull. I would often think of how much fun it would be to have a big family – like some of my friends.

Now that I am married Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. We spend it with my husband’s family, which I love. Everyone comes to our farm in Virginia, where we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with a table set for 24, eleven of which are children. I love to see my four children enjoying time spent with their cousins, aunts and uncles. Our family travels from Connecticut, California, and Maryland and they arrive early in the week, and stay though the weekend. We play games, visit, and eat lots of good food. I am so very grateful to be able to spend this time with our family and create memories that will last generations.”

- Margie Strickland, Associate Director, Accounting Services

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“Thanksgiving is the one time of year that every single person in my mother’s large family gathers together. For me, the best part of the holiday is the calm before the storm. When it’s just my immediate family in the kitchen, preparing the green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. A few hours later, 26 hungry people, plenty of extra chairs, and non-stop conversation will crowd the house. Every crazy minute of it is great, but it’s that peaceful afternoon that I look forward to year after year.”

- Heather Bien, GDM Blogger Extraordinaire

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