My mother, who has what some people refer to as an “alpha” personality (others might say “benevolently dictatorial”), was chatting with an acquaintance whom she’d met while volunteering. Mom runs the Commission on Disabilities in our county, and for the last year or so we’ve had the pleasure of referring to her as “the Commish.” Since she’s the boss (and a nice person), she’d invited her fellow commission members over for a social lunch. As they were talking, her friend interrupted her, saying that she was totally surprised and impressed that Mom is the same person at home that she is in meetings or at official commission functions. “Who did you expect?” she responded.

Being the same person no matter what the circumstances might seem like a given, but think of all the interactions during which you fulfill a role. Do you speak to your boss the same way you speak to your neighbor? Do you chat with friends the same way you talk with clients or your mother? While there are obvious reasons not to be exactly the same (you know, clients really don’t need to hear the nitty gritty of last night’s date), there’s a strength of character in being yourself, no matter who’s listening.

Think about these three situations and how you typically act in each:

Work. No matter what your job title, you have a role at work. Do you find yourself telling your boss that you love her pantsuit, even though the very word “pantsuit” makes you gag a little? Do you agree with creative decisions that you’d have set on fire if there’d been an incinerator handy, just to save yourself from having to come up with a new idea? It’s probably not a good idea to go blabbing about your weekend exploits, but neither is it a good policy to be someone other than yourself at work. Voicing your opinions, ideas, and personality honestly and politely will clear your work life of stress.

Home. It’s easier to be yourself in your own space, of course. But! Perhaps you should not be so much “yourself” at home. Taking a cue from your work life might just help things run smoother around the house. For example, you’d never snap at a coworker when you’re in a bad mood; that’s called a professional courtesy. Thinking of your personal relationships in the same way that you think of business relationships can be immensely beneficial. You keep your cool under pressure at work, and the people who share your personal life deserve the same consideration. By expressing yourself the same way at work and at home, you’ll be more authentic in your interactions in both places.

Everything else. Well, there’s a handy little umbrella term if there ever was one. But really, in whatever else you do, be you! Sharing yourself and your passions with the world in a real, honest way—whether you’re waiting for your favorite treadmill at the gym or chatting in line at the supermarket—makes each day more rewarding. Sometimes this can be a tricky arena for those of us who advocate for animals. There’s a fine line between sharing your vegan passion and berating the gal next to you on the bus about her ham sandwich. When your love of a cruelty-free lifestyle is a natural part of your personality, everyone you meet will have had a positive experience with a vegan (yep, that’s you!). Even though speaking up for animals can seem scary or rude, but it won’t come off that way unless you are a scary, rude person at heart.

Being true to yourself, your passions, and your values is just about the most liberating thing you can do for yourself, and you can do it anywhere, any time! Heck, you might even make your mom proud.

This time of year, we hear about being thankful more than ever. Generally speaking, right as all 48 family members sit down to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast is actually not the most appropriate time to have everyone individually ponder why thanks should be given—unless of course you want to be thankful that you managed to survive. But, sometime before the intoxicating aroma of Mom’s phenomenal stuffing and the tantalizing mountains of (dairy-free, duh) mashed potatoes take over your brain function completely, now’s not a bad time to think about thanks.

Sure, you can go the standard route and ponder the people, events, and presences in your life that you’d be lost without. Recognizing the community of family and friends who gather at your table this T-Day is a part of the tradition for a reason: it strengthens and solidifies bonds that often have a tendency to break down in our regular, busy schedules. But there’s something else to think about when we think about thanks this year: non-holidays.

It would be just about impossible to go a full day without having some experience worthy of thanks, but they might not always be the things you expect. Of course, if a stranger holds a door open for you or your best friend happens to bring you flowers or something of that ilk, those are the big-ticket items. But what about the other, not-so-obvious times when saying a simple “thanks” can really make a difference? Whether you go for a very quick “thank you!” or an Elvis-inspired “thank you, thank you very much,” here are a few of my top t.y.v.m. times:

1. In the office. Thanking your colleagues for all their hard work at the end of the day is something I picked up from VegNews’ Associate Publisher, Colleen Holland. A considerate, kind working environment is pretty much worth its weight in gold. When you figure out how to calculate the weight of an environment, call me, and I’ll do the math on how much gold is coming your way.

2. In public. Maybe someone lets you into their lane while driving. Maybe someone lets you go ahead of them at the grocery store, or maybe someone lets you cross the street in front of them while you’re walking your dog. It doesn’t have to be a verbal “thank you” complete with handshake and exchange of phone numbers, but a quick, simple wave can do the trick. Unless you want to get the person’s number, then by all means, ask away.

3. In conversation. Ok, this might seem like the “no sh*t, Sherlock” option, but stick with me here. Yes, of course it’s easiest to say “thanks” when you’re literally speaking with someone already, but the trick is when to do it. Especially for those of us who live a vegan lifestyle, Thanksgiving can be a holiday fraught with overheard conversations about how yummy the animal-derived dishes at the meal are (unless you’re fortunate enough to celebrate a totally vegan T-Day). Nobody likes a Proselytizing Patty, but these conversations really can be a great opportunity to stand up for the animals. If you find yourself in a conversation that turns veg-friendly, don’t forget to thank whomever you’re speaking with for their curiosity about leading a compassionate, vegan life.

Of course, saying thanks is the baseline. You can take it up a notch with fantastic note cards, or go all out and make cookies. Whether you’re vegan or not, the animals will thank you for making vegan cookies, and if you need some inspiration, VegNews just put out our first-ever cookbook, our Holiday Cookie Collection. Maybe we’ve made and eaten more cookies than any non-bakery staff should. However and whomever you thank this season, say it early, and say it often. Oh, and thanks for reading.

Ok, I admit it: I have basically the best job in the entire world. Some people dig ditches; I get to go to an all-vegan office where our daily toil involves interviewing the world’s most interesting people, testing the world’s yummiest recipes, and promoting the daylights out of the vegan lifestyle. Do I have bruises from pinching myself? Yes. Does that mean that I’m totally content and never wonder about what else to do with my life? Far from it.

Like everybody else, I’m constantly concerned that I should have gone to medical school, joined the Peace Corps, founded about a half dozen non-profits, or spent all day every day mucking out stalls at a farm-animal sanctuary. Or, better yet, all of the above, while still doing my current job and also squeezing in working out, eating, sleeping, showering, watching more Battlestar Galactica than is likely advisable, and eating again—yes, eating is important enough to be on this list twice. Putting together a pretty (and pretty kick-ass, if I dare say) magazine is endlessly fun, but is it enough? When your profession is also your passion, should you ever really stop working?

Answer one: of course! I mean, you can’t really make the case that sitting on your duff while getting your BSG fix—or whatever your non-nerdy fix may be—somehow helps make more people go vegan. Trust me, I’ve tried. But, in order to be effective when you are technically on the clock, taking some time off and shutting down your non-positronic brain is a must. Whether it’s indulging your nerdishness, getting a massage, or simply sleeping, downtime does wonders for refreshing both body and mind.

Answer two: of course not! So, remembering to take time for yourself is great and all, but, you know, we have work to do. Since animals’ sentience, a-freakin-dorableness, and wide range of emotional expression doesn’t somehow seem to be able to stop people from eating them, it’s not time to clock out until the world goes vegan. Maybe that sounds like a little too much, and maybe it is. But if we were able to rationalize away the fact that it’s up to us to help animals, chances are we wouldn’t have jobs that centered on that very task. Thankfully, the idea of “work” becomes a little bit more fluid when pretty much every aspect of your life revolves around it. Hosting SF Vegan Drinks, where I get to meet awesome vegans, relax, and possibly even enjoy a tipple-type treat? Work. Checking out vegan restaurants in any city I happen to visit? Yeah, it’s my professional duty to hit up Sticky Fingers when I’m in DC. Hanging out with amazing activists and continually being inspired to keep working? Yep, also work. Working all the time—all the time that I’m not literally unconscious—doesn’t seem quite overwhelming when you consider what “working” actually entails.

So, find what it is that you love doing, and do it. All the time. Does that sound overwhelming? Just remember that to be an animal activist, leaving them off your plate every day counts. So what if your day job is a bank teller? Even if you can’t be a baker/sanctuary owner/guidance counselor/pilot/full-time volunteer, doing a good job for animals can take almost as many forms as you’d like it to. Oh, and about going to med school? Adopting a vegan diet means that you, you personally, save the lives of roughly 100 animals per year. Go ahead, call me Dr. Castoria.

Of course, if you want to make working for animals your full-time gig, go for it! Finding a fulfilling, interesting, job—aka, winning the gainful-employment lottery—is pretty much a two-step process. Step one: figure out what cause you’re passionate about. If you talk your friends’ ears off about how much you love animals, chances are that working in animal advocacy will hardly seem like work at all. Step two: apply your skills, liberally. Maybe you’re really, really good a striking up a conversation with strangers—get ye into outreach. If you’re a natural-born numbers-cruncher, find an organization that can use your super-human powers over spreadsheets, and crunch away. Doing something at which you naturally excel will not only make your work seem easier, it will make those you work with think of you as a super genius. Finding a job that fits your skills and personality might mean starting off at your dream organization as a volunteer, then slowly becoming absolutely indispensable. Even if you have to transition from your day job to your dream job over a period of time, the exhilaration of finally landing a position that marries your skills and passions—and offers you a paycheck and bennys—is well worth the time investment up front. Just make sure to keep ice at the ready for the pinch-induced bruising.