gratitude Archives - Wiss & Company, LLP

Pursuing the American Dream

Written on May 10, 2022. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Arnold Macalintal Whenever I think of grit, determination, and more importantly giving, I think of my father, Teofilo Macalintal. My father grew up in the municipality of Alitagag in the province of Batangas in the Philippines. The family didn’t have much growing up and being one of 12 children, there was even less to go around. He found himself running around with gangs in his younger days and had the fading tattoos on his hands to show for it. He could have easily stayed on...

12 Days of Self-Care – Day 4: Lauren Stella

Written on December 11, 2018. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, even though I often feel some stress in those last days of trying to find the perfect gift! During the holidays, or any stressful time, I have a few favorite activities that I lean on for self-care. The first, and most helpful, is spending time with my fiancé and our families. I am extremely family-oriented and always do my best to spend as much time with family as I can. I can always depend on my fiancé for a good laugh, my parents and...

The Impact of One’s Actions

Written on December 23, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Paul Peterson This is a story about how an individual’s actions can have an immense impact on others. Let’s be real, as a white male with blonde hair (albeit getting darker with age) and blue eyes, I am one of the least diverse people in my office. The only time I may get a second glance at being diverse is after a bad sunburn. So for me, I want to take the opportunity to share with you a period of time in my life that shaped me and provide you with a better understanding of why...

Using Resilience to Overcome a Bad Habit

Written on December 21, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Ajay Parikh I was fifteen years old when I somehow picked up the habit of smoking. One night, as I was outside my home with friends smoking, I spotted my older brother from twenty feet away, walking in my direction. As soon as he passed me I quickly crushed the burning cigarette in my hand, forming a visible burn on my right palm. But little did I know, I had already been caught. No one had ever smoked in my family before and I was the first person to ever try it, so I was nervous...

Stranger in a Strange Land

Written on December 20, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Adrienne Moscinski Every one of us has a story. A bit of truth that we tuck away from new eyes. A gaze that we aren’t quite sure of yet. We swim around the unknown looking for the light, where we can finally share who we are – our truth. Interviewing at a new company can be daunting. Poised with a crisp resume in hand, you present your best face. In a tailored suit, you search for the right words to let your personality shine through, while assuring the interviewer that you are...

Choosing Your Own Path

Written on December 16, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Brittney Neal I was born and raised in Ohio. Around the time of my sixteenth birthday my parents and I had to move to upstate New York due to the threat of my dad losing his job. Unfortunately, a few years after moving and settling my dad was laid off again. Fast forward a few months later, he was thankfully able to find a job in New Jersey, and we have been in this lovely state ever since. For me, moving was a time of fear and excitement. I was scared to leave behind all my...

My Sister’s Keeper

Written on December 15, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Lori Graham Everyone is capable of inspiring others. I was born into a situation that took me a long time to accept and understand the purpose of it all and while I learned how to make the best of it, but that didn’t come easily. Ultimately, life is a gift; however, it doesn’t always feel that way. From the start everyone is given a deck of cards and it is up to you to choose how to deal with them and find your own happiness. I am not resilient; I’m learning to be resilient....

Making a Conscious Effort to Choose Happiness

Written on December 13, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Carrie Grotz I think I was born a worrier. I used to worry about everything and anything, especially about things out of my control: things that I thought would happen and especially the worry about what others thought about me. I’ve since learned that worry was a big waste of time and caused me low self-esteem and self-confidence. As the years went on, things happened that broke my heart. I lost my grandmother who I was very close to. I loved my mother more than anything in the...

The Hidden Cost of Assimilation

Written on December 12, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Shelley Lazarescu My story is one of many Asian American experiences. My parents came to the U.S. with $5,000 in cash and no knowledge of the English language or customs. They uprooted our family from Taiwan due to tensions with China. Through extreme hard work and unlimited sacrifice, they created opportunities to build a better life for my sister and I. We hardly took any vacations but when we did travel, it was back to Taiwan for funerals to pay respects to our family. During...

My True Self: A Story of Acceptance and Change

Written on December 9, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Joel Bockhorn When I was younger, both in Middle and High School, coming to terms with my true identity was a serious challenge. I wanted to have a happy and successful future, but based on what I had come to understand about myself, I feared I wouldn’t have the opportunity to live the future that I wanted, or even have the same privileges that others had. Near the end of my time in Middle School, I had figured out that I was gay. It was something that although I knew was true,...

Developing Resiliency – Are You a Carrot, an Egg, or a Coffee Bean?

Written on December 8, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Kimberly Bustamante A young woman spoke with her mother about how hard things were for her in her life. As soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose. She did not know how she was going to make it. She wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water, placing each on a high fire. The pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second – eggs, and in the last she placed ground...

Tag: gratitude