Friday, November 27, 2009

Simply Bliss

As the holidays approach and I draw near the anniversary of my first year with Escoe Bliss I want to share with our blog followers, our clients, our subcontractors and our friends what it is that makes Escoe Bliss so blissful.

We are all often reminded of those reliable constants in life:

~Change is inevitable~

~Time cannot be recovered~

~Tomorrow is a new day~

~A broken heart can heal (but will often leave a scar)~

~Money will come and go

(yet it always seems to go so much easier than it comes)~

~The most you put into a situation is the most you can expect to get out of it~

~It is easier to forgive than it is to forget~

~The journey to success cannot be made without some failure~

~It's what's on the inside that counts~

These simple facts continually ring true, yet our society frequently drifts toward the complex. We set unrealistic expectations for ourselves, our accomplishments, our friends, our co-workers and our families. So often, we take the humanity out of being human. We beat ourselves up for our own short-comings and we judge others for their mistakes. Why? It's as though our society wakes up in the morning ready for competition. Who are we trying to compete with? The person who, also on their way to work, pulls up next to us at the traffic light? We know it doesn't matter, but still there's this instinct that we should be the first to pull away. Most of our past experiences confirm that cooperation yields higher quality results. Imagine how drastically your morning commute could improve if everyone was a little more courteous and a little less competitive.

The common trend is to strive to accumulate unreliable things and then hold them at a greater importance than they deserve. Society obsesses so easily about these things that are not constants:

MONEY

CLOTHING

STATUS

TOYS (grown-ups have toys too!)


So often it takes times like the holidays for us to slow down and reflect on the things that have REALLY helped us get to where we are today;

DESIRE, HONESTY, SUPPORT & GENEROSITY

I interviewed Adrienne Escoe earlier this week, because I have been inspired by her work ethic and the changes I have seen take place at Escoe Bliss in my first year. I continue to see Escoe Bliss fight strong in a struggling economy, and I know that the company's achievements come from a deeper place and a strong foundation. Adrienne's journey with Escoe Bliss is moving into its 16th year, and it took more than just money, clothing, status and new toys for Escoe Bliss to establish its respected presence in the industry. Escoe Bliss is here and continues to stay here not just because of its adherence to its core mission and values, but because of the passionate belief that a successful business simply cannot exist without them.

The pre-Escoe Bliss Adrienne worked for a large corporation for 10 years. She was doing very well professionally and felt secure in her career, but she found that her roles were drifting away from those things that brought joy and fulfillment to her career. Her background and experience in training came from a deep desire to cultivate opportunities for others. Ultimately, she knew that her capacity for creating opportunity would be increased by stepping outside of her comfort zone and putting her career into her own hands. So that is precisely what she did.

When Adrienne reflects on that first year of entrepreneurship she describes it as, "Tough."

As she worked through describing the tough times, she summed it up best with some advice she had received from a mentor, "You will learn more life lessons from owning a business than you will any other way."

To Adrienne, tough times are just that - learning experiences.

So after her 15 years of joyful moments and learning experiences I asked Adrienne what she is grateful for that Escoe Bliss has brought into her life. She gave me three simple answers: Livelihood, Wonderful People & Joy.

There is a recurring theme that keeps presenting itself during my discussion with Adrienne, and it does not take a brain surgeon to figure out that Adrienne's major business model is the pursuit of joy. Joy that comes from honest work, building relationships with wonderful people and creating a positive office environment.

The creation of a positive office environment is where our four-legged members of the team come into play. Literally. In our pet-friendly office, it is the tail-wagging, romping and unconditional love that make it nearly impossible to become overwhelmed. Adrienne's three pups, Lizzie, Tinkerbelle and Honey Bun, constantly remind us that there isn't anything that can't be solved with a positive attitude, a quick walk outside or a good belly rub.

Gratitude gives way to more than just appreciation. Gratitude opens up the mind to hope. As Adrienne and Escoe Bliss move forward into a new year of changes and learning opportunities their vision of hope for the future comes from the same simple values that got them started; to continually create opportunities and joy for our clients, our subcontractors, our vendors and ourselves.

This January we are launching an updated version of Blogging with Bliss. Stay tuned for more valuable and frequent content from guest bloggers, including our network of consultants who will share their expert experiences in areas such as instructional design, training, change management, organizational design and leadership, corporate documentation, marketing, and technical writing and editing.

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