To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

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Rules for excellence…

If you don’t know the leadership guru of all gurus, Tom Peters, look him up. He is well into his 70s and still pushing out amazing content. I love that.

He’s most famous for co-authoring ‘In Search of Excellence,’ but his credits go far beyond that classic. I have found his book ‘The little BIG things, is probably the best I’ve read in years. In it, he outlines 163 ways to pursue excellence and most of them are brilliant. (I’m sure all are to some.) The quotes in the attached image come from this read. He wisely credits other great thinkers, including the everyday types, like lessons from the local barista.

I knew for sure when I read #62 (above) on his list that I had to share it with you.

If I were Rosesblatt (author of “Rules for Aging”), I would say that these are great suggestions for all of us. Wisely seeking good counsel and, for that matter, a wide array of viewpoints, is always something that can help us improve. I believe this is true whether you’re dealing with basic home matters, finances or, of course, fulfilling your purpose in work/school/where ever God planted you. LOVE IT.

Is there an issue right now where you could use some counsel? Someone to listen and give you a perspective? We should all seek that out this week. (Make a note now to do it… that’s what I have to do!)

The second suggestion on thanking others early and often – and even profusely – was the point of Tuesday’s “Spread Joy” blog. We cannot underestimate the power of encouraging one another.

WE MUST MAKE THIS A PRIORITY if we want to SERVE WELL!

Today is a great day to SPREAD JOY

While I love January and the fresh start this month offers, it also happens to be a bit too cold and dreary. Like, the kind of cold and dreary where your shoulders are hunched over and your face is pummeled with cold wind, snow or freezing rain.

It’s also the month many of us get the latest virus that steals a few days – or a week – of our productivity. Yuck!

Now that we’re halfway through the month, I hope you are feeling the great energy and hum of life and business. I sure am. Whether you’re in the community, school or work place, there’s something about an extra dose of energy as everyone embarks on their goals with refreshed boldness. So special.

Right about now, we need to remember that to truly serve well (ourselves and others), we need to take designated time to honor others. I call this “spreading joy.” I have shared this before but it’s helpful to share again and again.

My practice was to do this at least once a week, putting it in my calendar to make sure I didn’t miss this opportunity. I would then send out a reminder to our company leaders and ask them to do the same. Imagine the power if everyone took time out of their week to go spread joy. We had a goal for each of us to do this for at least three people. It could be a hand-written note, a call or, best yet, a meet-and-greet. Heck, even a text with an authentic “thank you” goes a long way.

I hope that you will come up with your own personal strategy for SPREADING JOY. If you can, start now. Stop what you are doing and reach out to three people who you really appreciate! It will make your day – and theirs!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: The anchor that holds you

This is what I know for sure:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
— Hebrews 6:19

As you step into this week, bold and ready to continue a strong start in the first month of the year, this truth should give you great confidence. I personally like the idea of knowing that God has me anchored. As long as I stay close to His word and listen for His guidance, I can know for sure that He has me. He has you, too!

I like this quote by Charles Stanley, “Life Principles #3: God’s word is an immovable anchor in times of storms.” I have found this to be true. I believe He has us anchored in the great times and, most importantly, during those “every day days.” (We can use this when it’s cold and dreary!) He holds us tight and I believe we can rely fully on his direction for our lives.

How about you? I hope today finds you feeling anchored. And if not, renew your commitment today to fully trust God’s promise that He has you completely covered.

Minimalism 2.0: A resource guide to “less stuff, more joy”

Today, I thought it may be best to share some additional resources for you on the topic. I am in the same category as most of you, an “active and willing learner.” I always appreciate where I can hear from the experts.

On that note, below are a few links and books I hope you find helpful as you consider whether and how you could move toward the idea of “less stuff, more joy.”

The Joy of Less,  Francine Jay

Simplify, Joshua Becker

The Power of Less, Leo Babauta

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo (I have read this one, and LOVED IT… Super short and easy to read for those who don’t like reading so much, or simply can’t find the time.)

The Practical Minimalist: How I simplified by life, retired early and pursued my dreams, Jessica Wonderful

The Minimalists

Zen Habits

Minimal is Simple

Everyday Minimalist

I leave you this week with a quote that reminds us why this is an important conversation:

“Simplicity is about SUBTRACTING the obvious and ADDING the MEANINGFUL.” – John Maeda

Getting to minimalism

It’s quite a topic. In fact, it’s #trending. Maybe it’s because it’s January and the holiday clutter is coming down. Or maybe it’s the overload of spending that happens as we celebrate. Or maybe you are disturbed by our culture and how we are lured into needing to have the latest and greatest (enter material item here).

If you’ve ever walked into the bedroom of a modern-day child, you’ve probably been overwhelmed by the amount of toys, and frankly, clutter. I don’t doubt they all came from friends and family with great intentions, but it’s still overwhelming. It’s like that feeling of opening the trunk of the car, the coat closet or that junk drawer and watching items fall out. Or when you look in one of those sacred spaces and realize you don’t even remember where some of the junk even came from.

Recently, I moved two times in just more than a year. I swear I purged and cleaned, but somehow it feels like a small army could come through and take enough stuff for their troops and I might not even notice. I’m not proud of that, and it’s disturbing because it doesn’t line up with my personal core values. These things somehow snuck in.

Might I suggest the Becoming Minimalist website? It’s about inspiring people to pursue their true and greatest passions by owning fewer possessions. Who wouldn’t want their lives simplified? Having less clutter makes way for more open space, and that frees up our minds to think and create. That, I believe, is where we get to the part about pursuing what is really important to us.

I like the tone of the website, encouraging “each reader to discover their own journey and the far-reaching benefits that come from owning less.” They pretty much leave it up to us to define what the word means for you and your family. This seems appropriate, since we all have different ideas, priorities and habits. I’ll list some of the benefits in one of the blog posts below, but preface it with this: They are good. In fact, I highly recommend you log on read more of their material as you process the idea of minimizing this week.

  • Spend Less (my favorite)
  • Less Stress
  • Easier to Clean
  • More Freedom
  • Good for the Environment
  • Be more Productive
  • Example for my Kids
  • Support other Causes (Money is only as valuable as what we choose to spend it on.)
  • Own higher quality items
  • Be happier

Those are reasons enough for me to focus on this.

I checked in with my friend I mentioned in Sunday’s blog and she said her family has had a lot of fun picking out items to donate, sell or give away during the first few days of the new year. She mentioned how “freeing” it was and that her kids are enjoying it, too!

There are a few other books on this topic. If you know of a good one, share it in the comments. The month of January is a great time to start books – and projects – like these! As for me, I think I’ll start with that drawer that has all of the kitchen tools in it. I’m not sure what some of them even are. (And to my boys reading this, this is your cue to laugh out loud.) 

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Simplicity — getting to minimalism

(Photo creds: Canva)

I have a good friend and reader of this blog who has claimed her word of the year to be “minimalism.”

I absolutely love that and know that it is trending right now if you follow many of the self-help leaders that flood social media. She was concerned about adding it to the “One Word” post, because she is self-proclaimed, “the very worst” at being anything close to a minimalist. She was concerned those who know her would roll their eyes. I told her her journey is actually really relatable, and people will probably want to join, myself included. I’m not sure I know anyone who lives or works with me that couldn’t stand to simplify spending and life just a bit.

The messaging onslaught of what we “need” to buy, what will “change our lives” and, of course, what “we deserve” have created a level of chaos in our purchasing decisions more so than what any of us would like to admit. We may not be out there buying Louis Vuitton bags and extravagant jewelry, but the $15-20 t-shirts add up. If you think about it long enough, it gives you that uneasy feeling that I call “buying fatigue.”

How much is enough? I heard a message a several years ago at Pine Cove camps, when they asked us to remember that “to choose to spend on one thing, is to choose to not spend on something else.” That has stuck with me, though I still stray from it from time to time. I am human, after all.

If you really think about it, it’s a great question when deciding on something: Is there some place we could spend that money where it would be better served? Our health? Our savings or retirement? Career growth, reading, education, etc.? Or perhaps even a nonprofit could use that in a much greater way?

At any rate, we are going to hit the topic of minimalism this week and some strategies for simplifying our lives. As the scripture so well points out… it’s not like we are taking it with us. There are so many things that cause deep joy and the last time I checked, some of the frivolous spending I’ve done doesn’t meet that definition. I hope you will join me for the conversation.

VICTORY

I love these examples of VICTORY listed in good ol’ Merriam-Webster dictionary:

VICTORY lap

The general led the troops to VICTORY.

The passage of the law was a tremendous VICTORY for their cause.

It was a decisive VICTORY over the other team.

On Sunday, our family friends that play for the Buffalo Bills franchise had a BIG DAY!

After playing for 12 years as a pro bowl defensive tackle, Kyle Williams finally led his team to a playoff game!

The picture the Bills posted on social media says it all. Pure victory! We are so excited for him, and although we will cheer for our Chiefs, we love to see others be victorious! It’s one of the best parts of life, watching others succeed!

The picture inspired the post today.

One of you fine folks listed VICTORY as your word of the year. What would it look like to be VICTORIOUS at the end of 2018? Heck, what would it look like to be VICTORIOUS over the next few days?

I think I’m going to put this picture somewhere I can see it on a regular basis. It defines VICTORY. The effort, over time, to be consistent, disciplined and to showcase true grit and excellence is what I want to be about! That my friends is a VICTORIOUS life, and those moments should be celebrated!

Live, succeed.

Happy New Year to the BEST! I am so thankful for my readers!

I thought today for “Simple Thoughts Sunday” it would be good to share a practice that I feel is very helpful in processing your year. Tsh Oxenreider, author and founder of The Art of Simple crafted 20 questions that will help you think through the nitty gritty of the past year.

The process should help you set your focus and intentions on what you hope to achieve during this next trip around the sun. Here you go…

What was the single best thing that happened this year?

What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

What was an unexpected joy this past year?

What was an unexpected obstacle?

Pick three words to describe this past year.

Pick three words your partner, best friends or family, would use to describe your year- don’t ask them; guess based on how you think they see you.

Pick three words for them based on their year, again, without asking.

What were the best books books you read this year?

Who were your most valuable relationships with?

What was your biggest personal challenge from January-December?

In what ways did you grow emotionally?

In what ways did you grow spiritually?

In what ways did you grow physically?

In what ways did you grow in your relationships with others?

What was the most enjoyable part of your work, both professionally and at home?

What was the most challenging part of the same?

What was your single biggest time waster?

What was the best way you used your time?

What was the biggest thing you learned?

Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.

(By the way, this is really hard for me this year… It’s been a “gritty” year and sometimes it seems like I haven’t made a lot of progress. I’m praying God reveals more to me over the next few days because one thing I have learned, is that progress isn’t always apparent at first!)

I hope you have a wonderful celebration today. I am excited to see what 2018 brings and believe fully that God will show up BIG in every single detail.

It’s that time of year…What is your one word?

It’s that time of year! I introduced this concept on the blog two years ago after having done it for a few years on my own.

I love this idea so much that it has great meaning to me. The stories I’ve heard have been equally cool. Many of you shared your words with me, and even yesterday someone already shared their word for 2018. I love it! Some of the words shared in past years have been:

Curiosity

Joy

Committed

Amplify

Discipline

Enough

Trust

Fun

Accelerate

Focus

My word this year has been “significance” or “stretch.” Reaching a level of “true” significance. Digging deeper into how to best use my gifts and skills in every area of my life. Honestly, I would say in retrospect it was way more of a “stretch” year than I imagined when I wrote this. In fact, I’m quite sure I’m still in that mode, trying to unwind that stretch a bit. I believe that I am always moving toward using these gifts, and that is something to celebrate.

Many ask how I come up with the “one word.” I start with praying that God will give me the word that I should focus on. As you all know, I read a lot. I will often see themes pop up and that guide me to my word. For this year, going into the last few days I believe I have been given the word “revival.”

There is a passionate, wise teacher I like named Dharius Daniels. He gave a sermon about revival as a “season or space of reintroduction.” God introduces himself again, exposes you more to your next assignment and gives you the insights needed to conquer that level, so to speak. That resonated with me. I’d like a REINTRODUCTION please! (We just saw Jumanji as a family on Christmas, so “levels” of the game are on my mind. Go see it if you want something fun and clever that requires no thinking.)  

As I shared last year, life is an incredible journey. One thing I know for sure after nearly five decades  is that we do not know day to day where the road may take us. So we do what we can, living with intention and moving toward what we believe will create the most fulfilled and well-lived life.

So, what is your word? Please share!

*For those who want to go deeper, there is actually a website where a community of people share their words, stories etc.

Time to DOWN SHIFT!

It’s that time of year when work winds down and we shift — as in “DOWN SHIFT” — our FOCUS to our friends and family. (Thank you Mic Johnson, @mictastic, for the term.) 

I know many of you are still working through this week, and I hope you are able to take some time off during these next couple of weeks. We are in a society of constant connectedness, and our brains need to be able to shut down & reboot so that we can CREATE MAGIC IN 2018!

Whether your thing is taking in the new Star Wars movie, doing absolutely nothing and sitting by the fire, binging on your latest Netflix fav, getting a pedicure with your girls or reading some great books, do whatever fulfills you! Research shows that our brains need a break!

“Push yourself through too many hours or days of work and your brain starts to push back. Ideas that once flowed easily dry up, and tasks that you should be able to perform quickly become excruciatingly difficult,” according to Scientific American.

I personally don’t need too much convincing. My mind and body begs for me to take a break! I will be taking off Sunday and Tuesday from the blog, but please know I wish you the very best and am praying for each of you to be filled with the all the peace and joy the season can offer!