Grit

The brilliance of courage, take two

October 17, 2016

Revamped post from October 2015:

Brilliance: Exceptional Talent or Intelligence
Courage: The ability to do something that frightens one.

(Photo creds: Pinterest)

Courage is always BRILLIANT.

Courage is stepping into a boardroom prepared to give a killer presentation.

Courage is going into an interview for a job you desperately need.

Courage is signing for your first big purchase… and second… and third…

Courage is bringing your first child home from the hospital.

Courage is RISING TO THE OCCASION to help someone in need, in deed or voice.

Courage is FACING A TOUGH LOSS and making something BETTER out of the situation!

Courage is taking the long road to leave your home and cross borders to achieve your goal.

Courage is seeing the GOOD in bad situations with GREAT FAITH.

Courage is:

Nancy Cline: Who stood with my friend Denise Henning during her battle with breast cancer. I will highlight Nancy on Thursday and you don’t want to miss this! You will be a better friend and more “BRILLIANT” because of it… FOR SURE!
Tanesha Goshen: A wonderful young professional that I have a mentor relationship with who is trying to make a difference and facing the obstacles that come with the decision to stand for what she believes in. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK TANESHA! It will pay off!
Debbie Heiser: A friend and former colleague who picked up and moved to Idaho to follow her heart and dreams. She embraced the anxious thoughts that come when we are called from our “comfort zone” and demonstrated great courage… I believe her son and future grandchildren will be better for that decision of “courage.”
YOU: All of us display COURAGE on a daily basis through our everyday choices and actions. We STEP IN and STEP UP and we change lives for those around us.

Go be BRILLIANT!

Are you giving this season what it deserves?

September 28, 2016

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I was talking with my trainer, Amy Gipson, yesterday and our conversation always goes to the season we are in. Life’s seasons, that is. Although I have found they often follow the actual seasons.

Fall is certainly one of the busiest seasons, and approaches us after one of longer days – hopefully some relaxing ones, too – and the opportunity to soak up the sun. Although we know it’s coming, fall happens upon us almost as a shock to our systems, and soon school starts, work amps up and community activities launch into full speed. In general we become deluged with activities and an instinct to drive toward hitting all of those goals that we started the year with. The fourth quarter push!

Today I wanted to talk about the idea of “embracing the season.” Ask yourself:
“Am I giving this season what it deserves?”

Amy and I both agreed that in order to really give it what it deserves, we have to be intentional with setting boundaries and playing to what our priorities are during this season. If we don’t, somehow the PTO’s priorities become ours and we end up frustrated and overwhelmed. (The PTO is called other things throughout life: professor, boss, you get the picture.) The idea of balance is probably a myth, but what isn’t a myth is that our balance needs to be monitored, and eventually it must balance for us to stay sane and thriving. It’s truly okay for some days to be 60/40, others 80/20, as long as it measures out in the end in a way that optimizes your life in a holistic way!

As you go into your weekend, spend some time ensuring that you are truly giving this season what it deserves. It may require a few modifications in order to give you and your family peace of mind and allow you to fully embrace it. Several months ago I blogged about that idea of counting our days… According to the “timeanddate.com” app as of today, I have 6,739 days until retirement, and 13,314 days remaining in my life expectancy. That adds up to 144 seasons (calendar seasons that is), or 36 more falls, summers, springs and winters. I don’t know about you but I was thinking that number would be higher…. I am committed to making them count and giving them all what they deserve.

The time is now to EMBRACE THE SEASON.

VISION: What is your North Star?

September 21, 2016

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A friend on a recent business trip shared with me the “stargazer” app. If you aren’t familiar, you can literally point your mobile phone to the sky and it will point out the Little Dipper and all of the other constellations in our night’s sky. It is fascinating to me that an app can do that.

Honestly, I have had no real interest in astronomy other than reading my horoscope every so often and loving it if what is said is just the right thing! In fact, I had to look up the meaning of the North Star for this blog, so it’s pretty obvious I’m clueless. For those of you who are more technical, the North Star is also known as Polaris. (Read here if you really want to dive in deep…)

As we conclude the discussion on “vision” this week, this idea of following our “North Star” seemed appropriate. It’s a phrase often used so I wondered what it really meant. Of all of the information I could find, there was one sentence that stood out…

“And always keep this fact in mind: Polaris “aka the North Star” is more accurate than any compass.”

Simply put, if we have a life “VISION” or “NORTH STAR,” we should not get off course if we follow it! I kind of like that.

Sunday we kicked off the conversation on VISION with a focus on why we need to have one, the need for clarifying and owning it and the value in encouraging others. Tuesday we discussed the team you need to accomplish your vision. (Thanks to those who sent messages, as that is so helpful to me to know when something resonates!) If you didn’t have time to read it, go back and at minimum read the quote on the bottom. It’s a game changer.

My thought or insight today is the need to CAST THE VISION WIDELY. Put out into the universe what it is… Allow those in your circle to encourage you and hold you accountable. Here are some examples…

Is your vision to… Be a spiritual leader in your home? Be an excellent teacher? To be better at encouraging? To be a world class fisherman? To be a world traveler? To be at your highest level of health possible? You get the idea…

What is your VISION? (And yes, you can have several.) CAST IT OUT and let it be known, and watch the universe collaborate in helping you achieve success!

The most powerful weapon for world change

September 19, 2016

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I started the dialogue Sunday on vision, citing scripture that backs up the call for us to have a vision. Maintaining a vision for our lives calls forth a commitment to pursue excellence at all times.

If you read this blog, you likely have a vision to feed your mind with positive and always be “moving toward” a life of excellence. To me, having a vision increases the ownership and personal focus I have and it also accelerates my energy level, as I move toward those goals.

One topic that I wanted to put out there this week is the importance of casting a VISION toward world change. I know I don’t have a strong enough vision here. I honestly feel this is our biggest need right now nationwide, to redirect away from ourselves and toward larger issues that loom. I honestly have no idea what to do about this election, which is reason enough. I also have strong feelings about the ongoing prejudices that happen, both silent and vocal and the tragedy of lost lives rings in my ears. If you are like me, you might not know where to start, where to put your best foot forward, without creating more tension around you. The problem of course is that if we choose to be silent, then we choose to give permission to the unacceptable.

Quite simply, people always have needed a PLAN wth a vision. A step by step explanation of how to move from vision to reality. A simple first step for today is to begin to think through who you need on your “team” to accomplish your vision. Bill Hybels shares the 3 “Cs” of selection in his Courageous Leadership book. They include CHARACTER, COMPETENCE and my favorite, CHEMISTRY. This quote had an immediate impact on me: “I never invite a person on to the team who doesn’t have a positive emotional effect on me from the minute I meet them.”

How good is that? To create real world change we need a VISION, and after we define something we want to work toward, we need to decide who we want to accomplish that with… START with this simple thought and let’s move FORWARD TODAY.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: The Power In Vision

September 18, 2016

(Photo Creds: My iPhone, believe it or not! Cool picture from last weekend in Northern Idaho. The water was that blue, and the mountains that clear. God’s pure beauty showing off.)
I am going to be sticking with the theme of VISION this week. We all need a vision, and there is biblical support of that truth. This is true whether we live in a retirement community, on a boat, on a college campus, or in our homes and workplace.

At all times in human history, we have survived and thrived through the power of VISION. We must focus on three key things around VISION:

Seeing and clarifying the vision:Just where does God want me to go? For me this has only been made clear through the reading of scripture and other books, podcasts, sermons, etc., that seem to be delivering to me consistent and similar messages. This is how I know it is a vision I need to follow.
Owning the vision: In other words, being obedient to the vision. If we want to truly move forward from whatever it is, we have to take action and today generally is better than tomorrow (or putting it off.)
Energizing and Inspiring others and their visions: I happen to believe we are all designed to help others. It’s the only way this world has ever worked brilliantly. Whether it’s lifting someone up on your shoulders, or locking arms and walking through a situation together, or words of encouragement as they press on. Regardless of the way this is done, our actions are CRITICAL.

This has been a bit more than a “simple thought,” so I’ll press pause and continue Tuesday.

Have an amazing week and my prayer is that your vision would be made clear if it is not and that you make it a priority to continue to follow where God leads you and make a difference in our generation. There is so much power in that.

The 12th man – Who are you helping “win” the game?

September 14, 2016

blog_836804_2955958_1473892133 I love the “12th” man! The FAN, the one cheering on the team to victory! While I wish I would have been in KC watching the Chiefs win their home opener, I was fortunate enough to to be at the Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday, and their rallying cry is the “12th” man. Texas AM, also uses the “12th” man but it’s legacy is that of an actual extra “man” from the stands that they had to call into the game. (See the story below!).

Over time this legacy of the “12th” man has become the same rallying cry… The “12th” man is the FAN and the FAN helps WIN THE GAME. (After researching this, there are actually quite a few other schools that use this term… Apologies if you are a fan of one of those!)

While this concept to me is super cool, the idea really goes into an area that is actually super important.

Who are you helping “WIN THE GAME?” I am going to dive into a work scenario here, but hoping you can see it’s application in your world. I have noticed over the years that far too often, employees don’t have a “champion” that is helping to move them forward in the workplace. Someone that is pointing out their strengths, advancing their status and cause, and quite literally cheering them on to win. I have seen some of the smartest people be in their roles for far too long, without advancement, without proper recognition. Far too many leaders are so saturated with their own agendas, full schedules and personal goals that advancing their team is not taking the proper priority. This to me is one of the great crises of our workplace today.

If you do not have a champion at work, you need to consider whether or not you can work toward that, and if not, then you may quite honestly need a new “gig.” If you are a leader, I hope that this post is a call to action for you to consider whether or not you are truly championing your team and individual team members. No matter what their personal goals are at your workplace, how are you putting them out front and center and cheering them on? We shouldn’t be afraid of someone getting promoted on our team and sometimes even ahead of us. That means we did a great job hiring and being an effective “12th” man. It makes our teams stronger and our companies stronger and ultimately makes for a better world.

My hope is that we can all be a strong “12th” man for our teams!

COOL STORY ON THE ORIGINS OF THE TEXAS AM 12th MAN: (RE: BUZZFEED)

Origin: The 12th Man tradition began on January 2, 1922. A&M played defending national champion Centre College in the first postseason game in the southwest. So many A&M players were hurt during the first half that Coach D. X. Bible feared he wouldn’t have enough men to finish the game. He called into the Aggie section of the stands for E. King Gill, a student who left the football team after the regular season to play basketball. Gill put on the uniform of injured player Heine Weir and stood on the sidelines, ready for action.
Why it’s awesome: Although Gill didn’t actually play in the game, his readiness to play symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually getting in the game, hence why the student body stands throughout the entire game.

(Photo creds: We Heart It, Pinterest)

Why you need to know Natalie!

August 31, 2016

I so hope everyone is taking time to read this today. Who doesn’t love this picture? This picture is full of soul, but more on that below.

This, my friends, is an extraordinary gal we can all learn from… NATALIE! I personally never met her, which just doesn’t seem right to me since her father is one of those business colleagues that you love to see on your schedule. Him and his wife, lost this sweet girl Natalie after a battle against cancer three years ago. As you can imagine (and many of you know first hand), it is a pain that never quite heals.

However, with their faith and belief that we are here on this planet to serve, her family is using her legacy to help and serve others. I love that so much. They have created a wonderful non-profit that centers around Pediatric Cancer and specifically in:

Raising Awareness (A)
Funding Research (R)
Improving the Treatment experience (T)

(Natalie was quite the young artist, so the name for their efforts was a natural one.)

This Saturday morning, if you are in KC and in town, please join a whole bunch of others that want to jump in and support these efforts. The events are being held at South Creek Office Park, 7200 W 132nd street in Overland Park (135th and Metcalf approximately). You can get the details off of the website, too. I know Steve and his family would love to have you there! I’m walking with a team so join me!

I want to say a few words about this picture, and really this quote. “Skipping through life.” That quote quite literally CAPTURED me. These were the words of one of Natalie’s teachers and this picture to me depicts a brave and beautiful girl ready to conquer the world. I put the two together because truly a life well lived is an all out life. One where we take the good and the bad and we don’t quite walk or run, sometimes we trip, and fall and sometimes we SKIP. When is the last time you SKIPPED? We need more skipping! We need to be like the Fleischaker family, and take a life event that is down right awful and turn it into something magical, something helpful, something that SERVES WELL. We only have a bit of time on this planet, so I hope you take this weekend to SKIP AND SERVE! (And again, JOIN US IF YOU AT ALL CAN! I PROMISE IT WILL BE AN INSPIRATIONAL MORNING!)

Training your CORE = THE CENTER OF YOUR POWER

August 29, 2016

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I hope the picture isn’t too distracting as I am not known for my drawing skills. LOL. I’m confident most first graders could offer an improved version. (By all means, if you have a first grader let them have a go at it and I’ll offer a prize of their choosing from the Target toy aisle! :))

Here’s the real idea for the day:

WE NEED TO TRAIN OUR CORE! TRAIN & PROTECT = STABILITY

Okay, so my amazing friend and trainer, Amy (from Hitchfit), would be thrilled to hear me say that. And honestly, short of having some amazing meals this summer and the best ice cream ever today at BettyRae’s in KCMO, I USUALLY do believe this to be true. THE TRUTH IS THOUGH. I am not thinking of this type of CORE TRAINING, but it does happen to have the same elements of truth…

OUR CORE AS IN OUR HEART AND MIND! (THE TRUE CENTER OF OUR POWER)

We have to TRAIN our minds through reading and learning. From ages 0 to 101 and beyond. Some of my favorite days have been with older adults sharing how they are constantly absorbing all this world has to offer and continuing to grow from great books, art, music, sports, and in general: great people. Don’t even get me started on the cuteness of watching a young child read… or better yet a baby being read to….

We have to PROTECT our mind, by not feeding it with negative fuel. Those circumstances, people and experiences that create anxiety and stress likely need to be dealt with. We can help this by the TRAINING part of this message. FOCUS on the good, LEARN how to deal with not so good, and you will PROTECT your CORE!

Finally… All of this provides something that is desperately needed by all of us: STABILITY and BALANCE. I have seen the results of someone who has trained their CORE well and how they react to life and I’ve also seen the reverse which isn’t so pretty, but perhaps too common.

This is a simple truth folks. WE MUST COMMIT TO THE TRAINING and PUT OURSELVES IN THE BEST POSSIBLE SITUATION (AKA PROTECTING OUR (CORE) HEARTS AND MIND). When we do this we ARE THE BEST VERSION OF OURSELVES.

Guess what? If we are stable and balanced we can not only SERVE WELL! WE CAN TOTALLY ROCK IT!

(Photo creds: My own… Scary, huh?)

OWN YOUR MOMENTS: THE POWER OF ENTHUSIASM

August 18, 2016

Cody Miller is the swimmer on the far right!

I so loved all of this Twitter commentary, and more…

“One of my favorite moments so far in #rio2016…The JOY radiating from @swimiller was what these games are all about.” (Tweet from @emiliejjoanne)

“I need to have Cody Miller’s enthusiasm for all things in life! Congrats! #RioOlympics2016 #TeamUSA” (Tweet from @kristin_hurd)

“Nobody is happier about winning anything, Gold, Silver, than Cody Miller is about winning Bronze for 100m breaststroke. That’s real America.” (Tweet from ‏@ucruben)

Also, how cool is this gif from NBC’s Twitter account? LOVE IT!

Twitter fans nationwide loved Cody Miller’s enthusiasm as much as I did! There are a lot of athletes that have stunned America with their truly amazing athleticism, but only a few who have been standouts in their CELEBRATION STYLE, AKA: ENTHUSIASM.

I hope if you watched you got a kick out of it as well. What fun it is to watch someone realize a life time dream after putting in the work.In Cody’s case, he had some health issues as a child, so overcoming those challenges is a big part of the story, but no doubt, he OWNED HIS MOMENT and I THINK WE ALL NEED to DO THAT.

Regardless if it’s a big project at work, a personal health goal you just achieved, a child who just got a grade they are proud of on their school homework… A first time soccer player getting their first goal… WE NEED TO OWN OUR MOMENTS WITH JOY!

My friend Teresa shared with me a story from Brene Brown, Ph.D., an incredible author (Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, others), that explains that most people do not allow themselves to experience FULL JOY for fear that for some reason it’s not real or true or that it perhaps isn’t their best yet. Dr. Brown shares a story of a man who she had interviewed (she’s a research professor in social work) who told her he never allowed himself to be too joyful about anything in life. His wife of 40 years died and after that she remembers him sharing: “The second I realized my wife was gone, the first thing I thought was, ‘I should have leaned harder into those moments of joy Because that did not protect me from what I feel right now.” She calls this phenomenon, “foreboding joy.”

I for one, hadn’t heard this term, but it resonated with me immediately. In fact, I’ve actually not been able to stop sharing this story because it seems to be widespread. I always have loved those people that put it all out there showing the world their pure happiness or joy, whether it’s a hard-earned beach vacation or showing off that new haircut that looks amazing. I know it would get a bit obnoxious if we all went crazy on this idea, but I for one need to allow myself to OWN THE MOMENT like Mr. Miller and LEAN IN TO MOMENTS OF JOY.

How about you?

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

What is your agenda for me today?

August 14, 2016

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Don’t you love when an unexpected meeting, turns into a fast friendship? I so do! In fact, I consider it a gift from God. A little smile downward letting us know that we are surrounded by angels pretty much at every turn.

One of those great meetings is with someone I really love, “KP.” KP has a transportation company and is a local pastor. He is absolutely in love with his wife of many years and an amazing father. He has a gift with words and prayer and is one of those gifted in teaching. I learn from him. Last week while we were headed to the airport he shared that for the last several weeks he has been trying out this phrase to start his days:

God, what is your agenda for me today?

Isn’t that so cool? What if we just startour day out with that simple question? I believe that what KP shared is true… if we open our eyes and pay attention we will be amazed at what God shows us during the day.

blog_825755_2942381_1471214585 He has been doing this for a few weeks now and has been astonished by the people that have come across his path. In fact, those people were probably there before (the young mom struggling to load the car with groceries with two kids in the cart and one by their side, the complaining older gentleman at the post office, the “Facebook friend” that seems to always be having an issue of some kind…).
The truth is, that sometimes, not intentionally we aren’t “fully in,” paying attention to the cues and the opportunities to reach out with a helping hand, an encouraging word, a silent prayer.

I’m going to give this a shot. It will take some intention… I’ll try to pay attention and share some stories as they come along. I’d love it if you joined me, and I’d love to share your stories if you are up for it!

I thought you might like to see KP so I asked him to take a pic with me. Also, if you ever need transportation across town or to the airport, he’s a trusted friend!

(Photo cred: We Heart It)