I’ve fallen off of the blogging train, and while I love expressing myself through writing, I just could not find the time or the creativity over the past year. Our Marketing Manager sends out memos with concepts and ideas to our teams encouraging us all to share our experiences through our corporate blog. As I was decluttering my home after the Christmas holidays, I was reflecting on the past year and hundreds of thoughts crossed through my mind that morning and I thought to myself “I need to blog about this stuff!” 

My thoughts were composed of reflections of 2019. When I try to wrap 2019 into one word, I am at a loss. It was a year of tremendous professional growth – I can say that with 100% accuracy. It was a year of watching my daughters grow even more into their beautiful little souls. It was a year of personal growth, achievements and tremendous loss. It was a year, that as I reflect upon, I become overwhelmed with emotions – emotions that scatter from the extremes of happiness, joy, admiration, sense of achievement, pride, nostalgia, empathetic pain and grief. While all experiences shape who we become, we must take each experience and learn from them. 

What did 2019 teach me? 

• Some decisions are extremely difficult, and some may not be liked by everyone – and that’s okay! This was a year of significant growth and adjustment in our organization. We do not make decisions lightly, taking many factors, scenarios, and the impact on the team into consideration and with that, we always feel confident in our choices. Decisions we make within our organization are always well thought out, well discussed, and always in the best interest of everyone working within and being serviced by our organization.
• Teams work best when they work in tandem. When one player falls behind or out of sync it affects the entire team. It takes daily effort, inspiration and everyone with their eyes on the bigger picture to keep alignment. Our company has a list of our core values which are shared with all of our sites and often found hanging within any Plan A office you walk into. If each site follows and practices our values, alignment comes easily.  
• Savour the moment, be mindful and present. 2019 taught me that life can change at any time. Savour every moment, make sure you lead a life of balance, and that your loved ones see and feel your presence in every interaction. Soak in every moment, take pictures, and journal your thoughts and memories for later reflection. 
• At the end of your life – your character is what will become your memory to your loved ones. The way you made people feel, how you affected their experiences, what you taught them, your wisdom, your humour, your caring and your kindness – these are what matter most in life. This past year our family experienced the traumatic loss of my brother-in-law and as I wrote and delivered the eulogy, we remembered his character, his warmth, how he cared for his family, his humour and how he made people feel after he was gone. We leave an impact on people in every single interaction we have, so make EVERY moment count. 

I am excited to see what lies ahead in 2020. I am eager to work towards my goals, watch my girls work towards theirs, all the while savouring every moment and making the best of whatever comes our way!

Cheers to a new year!

-Mandy Gauthier, VP, Plan A Long Term Care Staffing & Recruitment