Introducing the Worx Girls

How well do you know us? We bring our personalities with us, and you can always count on meeting the authentic Worx team. We embrace each other’s differences and help fill in the gaps of weaknesses with strengths to create a close-knit, un-breakable, one-of-a-kind team. I spend more time with these girls a week than with anyone else. Let me introduce you to…

Our fearless leader, Laura:
She’s so brave; Braver than I can fathom and I think the other girls would agree with me. The things she gets herself into blows my mind. She’s involved, motivated and dedicated to the many roles she plays. She’s mother to Kandon, age 6; wife to AJ; sister and friend; Creative Director of Worx Graphic Design; creator of The Green Couch Project; President of the American Advertising Federation of Greater Frederick; a member of Business Networking International; the Greencastle, PA Chamber of Commerce; as well as the Hagerstown, MD Chamber. Some of her non-professional titles would include athlete, interior designer, accountant, professional organizer and party-planner. She is a visionary and loves to brainstorm with our clients to help take their ideas to the next level as well as building their brand from the logo –up.

The web guru, Amber:
She’s the introvert of the group. She is also the healthy-inspiration member of Worx. Her healthful vegetarian lifestyle has inspired all of us to explore juicing and running 5K’s. You should see the vegetables this girl eats (even her daughter, Morgan snacks on peppers and cucumbers!). Her usual days of “plugging in” with headphones and designing websites are (almost) free of distractions. Her daughter Morgan joins us in the office a few days out of the week. Her off-the-scale cute factor makes up for her threenager mood swings. Amber’s patience with her is very admirable. Amber can say that she has a genuine fear of public speaking and will go to great measures to avoid it. Her addiction to Etsy and Pinterest are evident off-the-clock. She is the expert of website design and with her Masters degree in branding, she writes our proposals to clarify the goals of the project.

The Word Master, Momina:
The newest Worx girl may not be a designer, but she definitely thinks like one! How many copywriters have a “logo inspiration” board on Pinterest? Her vocabulary and writing skills are phenomenal, and she loves a good play-on-words. She knows how to put the personality of a business into their materials, as well as brainstorming with the team on advertising strategies. She is the fashionable one of the group and inspires us all to look a little more like our Style inspiration boards on Pinterest. She is a Twitter master, tweeting more fluently than some birds I’ve heard. Sitting across from her playing peek-a-boo over our giant computer screens has added to my experience at Worx in the past 9 months.

Then there’s me, Collateral Kassie:
It’s hard to believe I’ve been here over two years, but I feel like I’ve known these girls for my entire life. Whatever I’m doing – brainstorming, collaborating, coaching, designing – I’m passionate about and give it my 100%. I’m over-enthusiastic and have an unnatural obsession with glitter and sparkly things. I’m even wearing a shirt as I write that deemed me with the nickname “sparkle pits.” I love to dance and party on the weekends but love also just relaxing in a hammock listening to reggae. I love to create materials consistent with the company’s brand and tend to handle rush projects well. I enjoy helping a client meet a tight deadline; they are always grateful.

Our differences and similarities make for quite the chemistry of team members. The office experience we live everyday is one like no other. Our company culture creates an environment for personal and professional growth. This makes work fun, life enjoyable and clients happy.

Unthink to Destress

Stress makes you think that everything has to happen right now. This is an unrealistic, perfectionist point of view and I actively have to unthink myself out of this mentality from time to time. It is inescapable but how you handle stress is your choice. Here are some healthy ways to deal with it:

No one can drive the car unless you give him or her the keys. You cannot control the actions of other people, but you can control your reaction. Some food for thought: can you change the situation. If there is something you can do to improve how things are, then do it.  If not, worrying won’t change a thing.

Have a little less attitude and a little more gratitude. Our outlook has a profound effect on the way we deal with stressful situations. Negative attitudes (from others or yourself) can affect our spiritual, physical and mental wellbeing.

Relax. I cannot say this enough. If you don’t take care of yourself, you will not be equipped to take care of others. It is OK to focus on you for a little while; find something you enjoy and do it every day. It will give you fulfillment, and you will be more prepared for hurdles along the way.

Will this matter a year from now? A month? A week? Looking at the big picture will help you put things into perspective. If it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, you shouldn’t waste any energy worrying about it.

Stress is a part of life, but it doesn’t have to be. All of us need a reminder from time to time that we have total power over how stress affects us – if we don’t manage it, it can control us.

Cartalk

It is funny; one can call in with car questions; they’ve mastered the punch-line delivery and they know their stuff. On the rare occasion I remember to tune-in, I catch them on the radio, and I make up for my disloyal fandom by following them on Facebook.

 

Rumored to be the winner of NPR’s “Most Likely to be Canceled Show” for 25 years, straight, I’m talking about Cartalk - known as an interactive radio talk show where dynamic brother duo Tom and Ray Magliozzi - the voice and DNA of the show - discuss all that is vehicular and peculiar.

 

More recently I experienced my own version of car talk.

 

What do you get when one stages an event that sticks two introverts in a car, seatbelts them in (remember – click it, or ticket!) and sends them downtown?

 

Well; we encountered a few mechanical difficulties, that even extroverts would be inexperienced with; had some coughing that mimicked barking dogs; came to complete stops around cops; listened to some fist pumping music; outsmarted construction crews, but more importantly we had a breakthrough: We didn’t just small talk, “So how is work?” and we explored more than the weather and what we would be eating for supper.

 

We were introverts who spent a lot of time around people and on the ride to and fro we learned how important it is to surround one’s self with positive people. Because over and over I learn that sometimes my own company is like stale, moldy pizza. The all-American food gone bad; a total mood killer.

But, you know, these truths are always more enlightening when someone points it out while simultaneously a light bulb (or dashboard light) flashes above your head.

 

Ask anyone who has been anywhere. If they have lived a little, it doesn’t take long to learn a lot and this is something you learn fast: Whom you spend time with… You become.

  

Who are you hanging out with? Who have you made plans with this weekend? Tonight? Tomorrow? Heck, do you work commute with, work with or, even, with whom do you putt-putt golf? Because, that’s you*.

*Okay, by You, I mean me. I made plans tonight. I made plans this weekend. Heck, I have co-workers and a boss who give me questionable looks when I open my mouth and start pacing and practicing my lunges mid-day.

And this is not the “In-ten-years-version-you.” No. This is the live edition: unfiltered, streaming up-to-date you.

 

Now, what if those same people are asking those same questions? Are *you the type of person they want to hang around? Do they want to rub shoulders with you? Will that chip on your shoulders fall from yours to theirs?

 

Be a person worth becoming: Exercise kindness, sweetness, morality, ethics, courage, honesty, faithfulness, peacefulness and you will have many strengths. Give them your shoulders, lift them up you will create giants.

Absorb the Compliments

To this day, I still remember a class activity that affected my self-esteem and me. I never felt bad about myself and often received compliments from family and teachers. This class activity was a little different though. We each wrote our name at the top of a sheet of paper and began passing papers around the classroom. Everyone anonymously wrote a compliment on that person’s paper. The first thing I realized was that I had to compliment everyone in my class, even the kids who didn't like me or ones that I didn't talk with much. Finding and acknowledging positive traits about everyone was not as much of a challenge as I had anticipated. At the end of the activity, receiving a page full of compliments and reading through them, a grin grew across everyone’s face. It was a great activity; looking back I realize how practical and beneficial this mentality is, and should be continued on a daily basis, for a lifetime.

Receiving compliments is a challenge for many people. Approximately two thirds of compliments get rejected, credit gets passed on or they get ignored. If you gave someone a gift and when they opened it, immediately insulted it and told you to return it, how would that make you feel? Rejecting or re-insulting a compliment is much like that - Instead, we should be absorbing these feel good claims. Below are a few tips to help avoid the habit of rejecting compliments:

 

Do not:

 

Ignore it (e.g., changing the subject)

 

Refuse it (“yeah right”)

 

Feel obligated to return a compliment quickly (could come off as insincere)

 

Comeback with an insult to yourself  (“Oh, I wish I didn’t look so fat today”)

 

Seek more reassurance (“Are you sure?”)

 

 

Do:

 

Say thank you, with a smile (simple and sincere)

 

Elaborate how that makes you feel, if you feel comfortable (“Thank you for noticing! I am proud of it!”)

 

Believe it (many people forget this one)

 

Remember it (take a mental note)

 

Return a compliment later, or pay it forward (smiles and compliments are contagious)

 

Write it down (reference past compliments when you need a pick-me-up)

 

 

By following these simple rules, you are more likely to receive compliments, and sincere ones. Believe them. Embrace them. Build upon them.

 

Remembering someone complimenting a shirt, it will make you wear that shirt again, and this time with more confidence.

 

Remembering someone complimenting a presentation or project result, you will feel more confident speaking or performing that skill on the next project.

There is a difference between being confident and being cocky. I’m not saying to rub the compliments you receive in other’s faces, negatively. Reflect on compliments in private, and acknowledge your own personal strengths and gifts.

The Mother’s Day Mantra

“Sooner or later we all quote our mothers.” –Bert Williams

For me that is, “Would you believe it?”

It is the preface of recounting something remarkable, good and something true: The things that to others might seem coincidental but to her are fulfilling little miracles. The stories are short, but the impact lasts long.

I love that phrase and have embraced the concept as part of my learned genetics, my inheritance. My mantra. I always look for ways I can use it in my own life. I intentionally open myself to surpassing the every day what-ifs in hopes it will drive me to call my mom and begin an anecdote with “would you believe it”.

Did you ever imagine your life would be as effective as it is right now? Did you ever dream you’d come this far? That you would have the support and the opportunities you have been given?

Your mom did. Moms are our greatest life, business and health coaches. Moms push us when we settle in quick sand rather than pursue success. The only thing moms desire of us is to never doubt our capabilities and never pass up the possibilities.

There is one day dedicated to celebrating moms. But for all those other days the greatest gift we can give our mothers is to never stop trying. Envision life as an intense workout. To quote Jillian Michaels, mother to millions in the health and fitness industry and to her own children, “Unless you puke, faint or die, keep going.” Take a break if you have to, but keep going.

Bleed. Sweat. Cry. Keep going.

Because you won’t believe what’s on the other side of your finish line.

We all have mothers that have helped us get where we are and maybe you are one of them too. Strangers, authors, family, co-workers, doctors, TV personalities, bosses, neighbors, featured stories in the local newspaper; These are the people that we encounter that challenge us to walk through the mud and come out with a miraculous “would you believe it” story.

Think of the children’s book, “I love you to the moon”. Often that gravitational defying, all-encompassing love can be masked in persistent and redundant motivational lectures. That love may aggravate us, but that love will get us to the moon, if only we have the audacity to shoot for the starts.

So, what “would you believe it” story will excite a mom this Mother’s Day?

Small, Kind Gestures Go a Long Way

You know those little favors someone will randomly surprise you with –that helps make your day a little bit brighter? Those little acts of appreciation and kindness are, unfortunately, under-used. Little details are often overlooked: not necessarily on purpose but because in this constant world of busy-ness. These little things help others understand how much you care. It’s things like that, when they aren’t done we don’t necessarily miss, but when they are done it seems so simple, yet greatly appreciated.

Rick Hanson, author of Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science Of Contentment, Calm and Confidence, tells The Huffington Post,

“The way to "hardwire happiness" into the brain, then, is to take in the good -- being present to life's tiny, joyful moments. Lingering on the positive improves the encoding of passing mental states into lasting neural traits. That’s the key here: we’re trying to get the good stuff into us. And that means turning our passing positive experiences into lasting emotional memories.”

Below is a list of things to consider trying to incorporate into your personal/business habits. Not only to let another person know how much you care or appreciate them, but to feel good yourself as well. Spreading kindness should and can be a never-ending cycle.

      1. Send thank you cards. Hand written.

      2. Reach out to mentors when something they have taught you, helps you overcome an obstacle.

      3. Compliment others: strangers, clients, co-workers, friends and family.

      4. Practice manners. Always. Because of how busy we all are in our own lives, please, thank-you

          and holding the door open have become a rarity.

      5. With a smile say, ‘Hello’ to a passing stranger.

      6. Shake a hand. Give a hug. Say, ‘I love you’.

      7.  Teach someone, something.

      8.  Let someone out ahead in traffic.

      9. When in-line at the store, let someone with lesser items ahead of you.

    10. Offer your seat for someone that needs it more than you.