Valentine’s is right around the corner and Kellogg has released a limited edition version of a childhood favorite – sweetheart-shaped Froot Loops— to celebrate! 

This news made me smile for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve loved Froot Loops since I was a kid. In fact, I think I went through a spell where I ate them every single morning before school when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. And now Froot Loops has captured my heart again (and not just because of their special shape). 

Here’s why….

I had a bad boss. Looking back, it’s probably not all his fault. He never learned how to lead people. But that wasn’t a requirement posted in his job description. 

I’d always thought of myself as a confident person. I had a bookcase full of awards that said I knew what I was doing. Yet, he made me question my skill, my abilities, and even made me doubt my own self worth. 

I’ll be honest, until I had to work for him, I never realized just how much my confidence and who I thought I was was defined by my job. In a matter of 6 months he made me question whether I should have even been in a career I’d loved for 20 years. 

One evening, he finally went too far. He sent me an email basically calling me lazy, technically incompetent and wrapped it up by asking if my degree and skills had come from a box of cereal. My mind jumped to the prize you used to find inside the Froot Loop box when we were kids. 

It was in that moment, I reclaimed my worth and value. 

Sure, I was pissed. Ok… furious. I might have dropped a few words my mom wouldn’t approve of! But, in that moment I took back the power to set my own worth and how I would be treated. His thoughts no longer held relevance anymore. His tactless email was the catalyst I needed for change. (Here in the South, we call that a kick in the pants!)

I made the decision that night that there were bigger and better opportunities waiting for me. I left that bad boss and haven’t looked back. 

If you’re in a work situation that makes you feel unappreciated, undervalued or like you are irrelevant, my heart hurts for you. It sucks. I want you to know you’re worth so much more than a paycheck. Each of us have been gifted skills, strengths and talents that make us special. 

I hope the next time you head to the grocery store or a big box shop, that you’ll walk down the cereal aisle and think about those fruity, colorful circles and remember you control how your worth and value are seen, not anyone else. 

A bad boss can make you miserable. But you can set yourself up to find new opportunities and leave that boss behind. And the best news, you don’t have to do it alone. I know where you’ve been and I’m here to help. 

Drop your bad boss story- no names please-  in the comments (bonus points if you can work in a cereal reference too!!). I’ll choose the best bad boss story and you’ll get your very own box too!! 

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