By Lauren Grenier
As we kick off the holiday season, we often reflect on our lives and what we have to be thankful for. I’m fortunate enough to immediately be able to rattle off a lengthy list of blessings. My family, friends, job, the roof over my head and food on my table — the list goes on and on. I’m grateful for so many things, it’s an open-ended question! Since I’m so fortunate, I find it extremely important to find ways to give back, share and help those who may need more.
How can I help? The answer I keep coming back to is “time”. I’m grateful for the time I have, unbeknownst to me for how long, but I have it. I’m still here and that is a gift I can share.
For example, I’ve been begging my boyfriend for a dog. He says no (for now!), but I wanted to find a way to turn this first-world problem into an opportunity to give back and help the community. How could I help? My answer is by giving my time.
So, I joined the local animal shelter, volunteering with other amazing people, to help build their marketing program and promote pet adoptions. Since I can’t (yet) own one, I want to make sure they have a chance to go to a good home. That’s more than worth my time.
I’m also grateful for the supportive women in the ACW membership. This year I completed the ACE Leadership Program and was honored by my fellow members as an ACT Award winner. The female leaders around me have challenged me and helped me grow into a role and department that was a challenge to start but today is thriving and growing (we’ve just added one more incredible person!). If it wasn’t for the positive reinforcement, constructive criticism and prior experience, it would have been a tough year!
Guiding new ACW members, encouraging other women in tech to join ACW and putting forward what I’ve learned since joining are things I’ll keep making time for.
With everything going on in the world, how can we not be grateful for the little things we may not realize we have? Take time for yourself, breathe it in. I know I’m grateful for that breath.
As Maya Angelou beautifully said: “This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen it before.”
About the Author
Lauren Grenier, co-chair of the ACW Newsletter Committee, is a rising star in the technology channel and at Granite. She began her career in channel marketing in 2012, quickly rising through the ranks at Granite from social media manager to sales coordinator to channel marketing manager. Her top performance earned her recognition as Employee of the Month out of more than 2,000 team members in 2017. It also earned her the notice of CEO Rob Hale, who in 2018 promoted her to run marketing for the entire Granite organization. Grenier also was named to the prestigious 2019 CRN Women of the Channel list.