To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Community

Who are your fans?

blog_722223_2784635_1443356926On Thursday night, the Kansas City Royals secured their postseason run and were crowned the Central Division Champions! GO BOYS IN BLUE!

I had so much fun watching the post-game celebration. I admit, I rarely watch TV, unless it’s a good HGTV series where they flip a $50,000 home into a $1 million buy for pennies on the dollar.

What draws me in is pretty much the same emotion If you think about it: Victory and unifying around a goal that is achieved in a big way. I love that.

So, this week I have to spend some time on that thought. Celebration and why it matters at home, at work and in our community!  I promise, like all blog posts, I’ll keep them short. Today, celebration and community, otherwise known as fans!

Ned Yost delivered a brief and terrific post-game speech Thursday, and his focus was on the fans: “You guys have been there with us every step of the way…We can’t do it without you!” You can tell he cares. He choked up and they took the camera off of him…love that!

THE KEY THOUGHT:
Focusing on others first is an essential ingredient for success. Your community of support is what lifts you up or drags you along.

They are essential to you achieving your best. Who are  your “fans”, your “tribe” or your support group?  If you feel good about that then thank them today! If you need to upgrade, you might want to develop a plan for that. It’s critical to a life of excellence!

Beautiful Chaos! Part 1

blog_712158_2766184_1439861599I love the idea of “Beautiful Chaos”- Our lives are literally filled to the brim with both chaotic and beautiful moments.  I feel the key to living well is to find the ying and yang or balance in these possibly opposing forces. If you have ever been to Times Square, pictured above, it is the essence of BEAUTIFUL CHAOS.

Follow me on this one…

  • Beauty in the… People, Energy, Diversity, Arts (street performers mainly)
  • Chaos in the… Loud Sounds, Imagery, Movement, Smells

This experience hits pretty much all of your senses in a fairly abrasive way. It seems to be non stop.  “The City that Never Sleeps”, right?

Do you ever stop in your work day, fully aware of the barrage of emails, phone calls, texts, and demands of life closing in on you, and still find beauty in the unexpected?

How about this…

Find BEAUTY in… The rush of warm air when you step outside from an ice cold office environment, your co-workers too funny to miss weekend story, the “you got this” encouragement from a leader or friend, or simply knowing that after work you get to do something you love… (That could be family, a good workout,  a great meal, your latest favorite read, or your Netflix addiction.)

There is literally BEAUTY everywhere.  We should challenge ourselves this week to look around and FIND BEAUTY IN THE CHAOS.

Diversity. It’s All About the Mindset.

blog_709681_2763047_1439254327Yep!  you guessed it!  I am taking a major bend in road on the DIVERSITY CONVERSATION, into an entirely different version of the conversation! Since it’s Sunday when most of you are reading this, it’s a good time to focus on our PERSONAL HEALTH, which coincidentally requires some DIVERSITY IN OUR PERSONAL HABITS to ensure we are FUELING our bodies with nutrients that keep us in TIP TOP SHAPE!  

This can get downright complicated and since the image I chose shifted my mind to amazing fruits and veggies, I wanted to include some simple thinking on adding diversity here first!  Plus, it’s always more fun to talk food than working out! With that said,  how many of you can name more than 5 different fruits you have eaten in the past week?  I know I’ve been pretty focused on less than a handful, so I personally get zero points for diversity. Here’s some information that is pretty compelling.

A Colorful Adventure  – an excerpt from an article DIVERSIFY YOUR DIET via Sharecare

Start at the grocery store and spend a little more time than usual exploring the offerings. Hit the produce aisle first, and while you’re inspecting the fresh fruit and veggies, focus on the range of colors. Richly colored plant foods — bright berries, sunny tangerines, and dark green lettuces — each contains protective phytochemicals and antioxidants that help prevent disease and preserve health. These healthful vegetables, fruits, and legumes are often lacking in most diets.

Pick out four or five that you’ve never had before or that you rarely eat, and grab a few of your favorites, too. Make sure you see a range of colors in your cart. The following table will help you appreciate the full range of nutritional power these different colors have to offer.

RED
Tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red potatoes, rhubarb…

Red foods contain lycopene, anthocyanins, and phytochemicals that help lower the risk of some cancers and promote:

  • Heart health
  • Memory function
  • Urinary tract health

BLUE-PURPLE
Blackberries, blueberries, black currants, dried plums, elderberries, purple figs, red grapes, plums, raisins, red cabbage, eggplant, purple peppers…

Blue-Purple foods contain anthocyanins and phenolics, phytochemicals that reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and help promote:

  • Urinary tract health
  • Memory function

YELLOW-ORANGE
Apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, pineapple, tangerines, squash, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, rutabagas, sweet potatoes…

Yellow-Orange foods contain carotenoids and flavonoids, phytochemicals that lower cancer risk and help promote:

  • Heart health
  • Vision health
  • A healthy immune system

YELLOW-GREEN
Avocados, green apples, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwifruit, limes, green pears, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, endive, leafy greens, green onions, okra, peas, green peppers, snow peas, sugar snap peas, spinach, watercress, zucchini…

Yellow-Green foods contain lutein and indoles, phytochemicals that lower the risk of certain cancers and help promote:

  • Vision health
  • Strong bones and teeth

WHITE-GREEN
Leeks, garlic, onions, chives, bananas, brown pears, dates, cauliflower, ginger, mushrooms, parsnips, shallots, turnips…

White-Green foods contain allyl sulfides and allicin, phytochemicals that may reduce cancer risk and help promote:

  • Heart health
  • Healthy cholesterol levels

Time for developing a game plan?  Which are you going to add this week?  I think I’ll hit the city market and let the farmer’s make my decision for me!

Praying for everyone to have an amazing week ahead!

Diversity. Why It’s Important In Our Communities!

blog_709678_2763045_1439250945“If we can change our mindset from “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best person in the job” to “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best team in place,” we will have accomplished a great deal on improving company performance. And we will have accomplished a great deal on increasing opportunity and diversity.”

– Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of Ellevate Network, Former President of Global Wealth & Investment Management, a division of Bank of America. (In other words… IMPRESSIVE BACKGROUND)

TEAMWORK is dependent on DIVERSITY.  Think about it, it’s easy to grasp in sports teams, right?  We can’t have 5 point guards on the court, a field of strikers on the soccer field, or a bunch of defensive lineman on the gridiron.   It simply doesn’t work. We need speed, agility, size, intimidation, and a multitude of other skills.  As every good coach knows, in order to truly succeed we need a team driven toward a unified goal of success.

Today, look at your roster, do your community “teams” (think church, non-profit work, playdates for your children, etc…) represent a diverse group that will ultimately make you  or your family/friend group stronger and better?  If not, take the step today to consider a plan to grow your diversity in the process,increase the likelihood you will make the IMPACT God desired for you!  

Today is short, because honestly, this isn’t difficult. It’s simple and we need to embrace it and ensure it happens where it depends on us!  I leave you today with a great quote from the famous coach Vince Lombardi, who frankly couldn’t have said it better.

“INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT TO A GROUP EFFORT – THAT IS WHAT MAKES A TEAM WORK, A COMPANY WORK, A SOCIETY WORK, A CIVILIZATION WORK.”

Diversity Makes Us All Better!

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET TO PUT THE BEST TEAM IN PLACE!blog_709670_2763031_1439250228
“If we can change our mindset from “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best person in the job” to “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best team in place,” we will have accomplished a great deal on improving company performance. And we will have accomplished a great deal on increasing opportunity and diversity.”

– Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of Ellevate Network, Former President of Global Wealth & Investment Management, a division of Bank of America. (In other words… IMPRESSIVE BACKGROUND)

This is a topic near and dear to my heart!  I know first hand that Sallie is right! No matter if you are talking intelligence, social ability, income, or race, we all tend to run to the part of the room where folks look and act like ourselves. Science shows that humans are not the only creatures that do this. It’s pretty much every species! If you think about it, no one has probably seen a roly poly hangin’ with a group of ants. It doesn’t happen naturally my friends!

The clear problem with that is it doesn’t allow for the push and pull needed to grow and to make us our best. Spending time with folks from all walks of life is what gives us a more clear point of view in order to optimize our thinking and be our best selves. Things always appear different when you stand back a few feet.

God gave us humans the amazing capabilities to THINK!  So, while the roly polys and the ants likely won’t change, we can, and have a CHOICE and PRIVILEGE to do just that.  I am providing a terrific link below that sums up nicely the top 10 positive RESULTS we can expect from making this a part of our everyday mindset!   This is a work focused list but make no mistake about it, this is true in our personal lives, communities, and homes! We need to make DIVERSITY a priority!  Later this week I will focus on DIVERSITY as a priority outside of the workplace so stay tuned!

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2012/07/12/11900/the-top-10-economic-facts-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/

And Here’s What Went Down.

blog_709281_2762514_1439151037Happy Sunday everyone!  This one will be short, as it is our families “MOVE IN” WEEKEND for the first son to go off to COLLEGE…  A lot of emotional and physical energy invested…I’m sure in some way, shape or form each of you reading this understand that feeling!

Here are some random thoughts to wrap up the week!  The theme this week for the blog has been “What if we were having this much fun?” In no particular order this is what I’m thinking right now.

  1. I should have given some thought to that theme this week. Seriously, sending your child off to college is not particularly fun and as much as I want to “drum” up some enthusiasm, it’s simply not happening folks.  Ever been there?
  2. Okay, having said that, the overall move couldn’t have been easier. Lots of young men eager to help and Tucker even let me make his bed (my mom heart liked that a lot) I love it when a community comes together and that is what happened.
  3. On that note, there were a host of other anxious parents, and some dedicated university staff that are committed to ensuring the success of our students.  I want to point that out.  What a tremendous blessing it is that we have educators that have literally put their entire life on task for this purpose.  THANK GOD FOR THESE BRAVE SOULS!  We are all in this together is the bottom line….
  4. FINALLY, HE WILL DEFINITELY EXPERIENCE THIS WEEK’S THEME… OVER AND OVER AGAIN … COLLEGE is made for FUN!  For today, remember those moments when you were young, and try to REINVENT them this week. My favorite was the annual Lamda Chi WATERMELON FEST… Wonder if there is an “adult” version of that I could drum up?

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK EVERYONE!  For those sending their kids off to school, take a DEEP BREATH and WALK RIGHT INTO IT!  MAKE A DECISION TO RELISH IN THE JOY OF THIS NEW STAGE, be it Kindergarten, Middle School, Senior Year or the one and only first day of COLLEGE! 

BE BOLD in your GRATITUDE

blog_702017_2755685_1437521960This week I am going to focus on being BOLD for things that you are FOR!  I am for so MANY things and my hope is that you will take a few minutes today to think of what you are FOR.

Today’s focus is on BEING BOLD in your GRATITUDE!

  1. Bold GRATITUDE enlarges our HEARTS!
    Science actually proves that gratitude makes us happier and healthier! That’s REASON ENOUGH!
  2. Bold GRATITUDE returns the FOCUS TO THE RIGHT THINGS. 
    Developing a practice of taking notes of what you are grateful for moves your energy to what is good, and not all of the “junk” that can creep in if we let it. That stuff may still be there, but at the end of the day the positive is pretty amazing.
  3. Bold GRATITUDE makes the WORLD BEAUTIFUL. 
    When we COLLECTIVELY decide to be GRATEFUL things just are BETTER. A terrific quote from Brendon Burchard, author of Life’s Golden Ticket…

    “When you are alive with joy, gratitude, and genuine interest in others, you are your most beautiful.  Remember that.  NOW GO STUN THE WORLD.”

For the FUN OF IT… THINGS I’M “FOR”  (AND SO VERY GRATEFUL) PART 3:

  • My Tribe – Every last one of them
  • Pine Cove – Our amazing second family
  • Education –  Learning is outrageously cool

    And for the not so serious but still true…

  • Fireflies – Yep, I still think they are so cool out there dancing around!
  • The idea of picnics…
  • A good craft beer and all things local really.
  • A cool looking cookbook … to LOOK at!

There is sooo much more I may have to do an entire series of blogs on….

Have an amazing week ahead!   My prayer is that you will take BOLD GRATITUDE into your week!

Simply KC – The Infamous Yellow Brick Road Leads to a Great Adventure

blog_700735_2752527_1437234082Since it’s the wrap to the weekend and we are in full summer swing, I thought I’d help you plan for NEXT WEEK’S ADVENTURES by sharing some of my ALL TIME KC FAVORITES!

I do by the way think, wish and HOPE that we would seek out each week as an ADVENTURE! After all, there are only 52 weeks in a year and only 24 WEEKS LEFT for 2015 and there is still so much to do, people to see, and PLACES TO GO!  MAKE IT YOUR GOAL TO SEEK OUT AN ADVENTURE!

Here are some IDEAS in pictures!  MAKE THIS WEEK THE BEST THIS SUMMER! 

A summertime treasure! Picnic on the Nelson Atkins Lawn.

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KC Spirit abounds! Power and Light District.

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Must go get an ice cream cone at the Country Store!

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The American Royal and their famous World Series of Barbecue!

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Amazing Roasterie coffee and it’s locally owned!

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Sporting Sporting Kansas City!

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CHIEEEFFFSSS!

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First Fridays at the Crossroads Arts District.

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Our Boys in Blue!

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Crown Center and the Ice Terrace!

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My families all time favorite… Jack Stack Barbecue.

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KCP&L Plaza Lights!

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SIMPLY KC – COOL PEOPLE ABOUND

blog_700735_2752527_1437234082I have had the opportunity to encounter some truly incredible people in Kansas City!  KC is home to midwestern values and people that not only CARE DEEPLY and CREATE INSPIRATION….  but have some MAJOR GRIT.  I’m sure that’s true for many cities, but since this is about KC I’ll stick with these fine folks.

Today I’ll share with you three Kansas Citians that have AMAZED me through the years and I know you’ll love the lessons learned from each of them!

KATHY — Kathy Schikevitz is downright COOL!  I met Kathy a little less than a decade ago and my life is so much better because of her… Here’s why:

  1. She is CONSTANTLY HELPING others.  If we have a friend who has lost a loved one, or just needs help with their daughter’s homecoming dress (or in my case to iron a tuxedo last minute)- big or small, she HELPS.
  2. She is a huge GIVER.  Kansas City is better because of Kathy and her husband Ron- They are active in so many community activities that I can’t begin to name them, but suffice to say GIVING is a key part of CARING DEEPLY!

KIRA — Kira Montuori is one of those people that you walk away, going REALLY?  I am better for having spent time with you today!  I promise!  Here’s some lessons from KIRA and how she CREATES INSPIRATION!

  1. Kira looks at the POSITIVE in everything…Kira has given her professional life to helping vulnerable children- Children who have been abused, neglected… etc.  That is a hard environment.  KIRA makes even that POSITIVE and in the process LIFTS others up!
  2. Kira uses CREATIVITY in a way that elevates the conversation.  She is able to bring out the best in others, raise funds for very important needs, and improve our community.

STEVE — Steve Fleischaker is one of those Kansas Citians that represents good ole’ midwestern VALUES and GRIT!  Steve is a family man who lost one of his baby girls to cancer two years ago.  Steve has demonstrated how great faith and GRIT can turn some pretty shitty situations into a BETTER LIFE.   Here’s how he has done that (from my point of view!)

  1. Steve jumped right out front to educate others about his daughter’s situation…. Starting a walk, and much more!  When life handed his family a traumatic situation…he didn’t hide under the covers… He put on “GRIT” and stepped into it-
  2. Steve’s style is collaborative and HONEST –  to me “GRIT” is honesty – “Cater to my success, not my ego…”

Thanks KATHY, KIRA AND STEVE FOR MAKING KANSAS CITY COOL!

Simply Kansas City

blog_700735_2752527_1437234082Kansas City has recently gotten some great press –  Ranked one of the top cities in many categories! One of my favorites reported by the Huffington Post via Forbes Magazine… America’s Top 5 Cities to Keep on Your Radar.

I am KC born and raised-  BLUE when the BOYS IN BLUE TAKE THE FIELD (and tonight during the All Star Game!) in the Spring and Summer and ALL RED when CHIEFS FOOTBALL STARTS each Fall!

This week’s theme is KC and as always, I will include some thoughts on what we can learn from the uber cool place we call HOME.

For starters, when I am aching to get out of South Johnson County (South JOCO- which is a great place but sometimes you need the feel of a real city…), I love to go down to the River Market area and enjoy our Farmer’s Market —  It is simply COOL.  The farmer’s, the local music, the aroma of fresh produce and coffee.

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On Sundays, the KC City Market has a flea market – strolling through the “booths” and finding unexpected treasures is sure to happen if you like that type of thing.

Here’s where my heart goes when I’m thinking about the “CORE” of KC that is the Rivermarket area —

  1. REAL PEOPLE: KC is home to strong midwestern values and the farmers are what made our city strong for many generations.
  2. CUTTING EDGE: While we might be old fashioned in many of our values and thinking, KC has made a leap forward in recent years in ensuring that our great CITY has world class amenities and industries that ensure growth for many years to come.
  3. CULTURE & DIVERSITY: If it’s music you love, we have it- If it’s art, we have that- If it’s sports, we have it- Great education- check- have that too-  We have diversity galore and within 30 minutes in any direction, a multitude of neighborhoods with their own unique vibe.

I LOVE KC and am PROUD to be have not only been born and raised here but to have raised my children here! If you haven’t been to KC, come for a visit- We will be sure you have a TERRIFIC EXPERIENCE!