To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Grit

The back story: Even the best highlight reels have them

I had my 50th birthday last week and wrapped up what ended up being a wonderful trip to pick my son Sam up from Australia where he was studying abroad. I posted some fun pictures along the way and it was fun to see everyone’s comments and birthday wishes.

That is the absolutely best part about Facebook: using it as a tool for encouragement. As a community we are darn good at encouraging one another on that  medium! It got me thinking that sometimes we see pictures, videos, etc.  and think others have a “storybook” life and that might make us wish we had that, too, or at least that part of it! I think we all know by now that social media is generally a place we share the great things going on in our lives, and not the parts that aren’t so much fun.

This blog post today is a call for us all to remember that there is always a back story.

Most of the greatest successes in the history of our country have come from those whose lives didn’t start out glamorous, and often were filled with hardship and struggle. What I have found in the average person I know, is that their lives are full.  Full of joy, sadness, anxiety, excitement, fun and sometimes hardship that is difficult to understand. No one is immune to these truths in life.

Just before I left for Australia, I was experiencing some health issues (anxiety triggered by higher-than-normal blood pressure, acid reflux — Yep… I thought it was a heart attack on its way).  I am pretty sure most, if not all of it, was stress related since I felt so much better while away. I also, in all of my “semi-hiking” glory, had a knee injury and walked around with a beautiful tan knee brace which was very, let’s say, “50+.”

If anyone of you have been on a family vacation for any period of time, you know that there are often a few glorious moments of heated exchange.  I think you get the point…we all have a back story.  We all have our great days and those that, frankly, suck. It’s all part of the ride! Have a great weekend!

#MarchMadness and its glory

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

(Rewind: Today’s blog is a partial throwback to one of my favorites, celebrating one of the best events of the year.) 

The NCAA Basketball tournament dominates March (and sometimes a bit of April) for many people. I’m not a huge basketball fan, but it’s so much fun to see people get excited about watching their teams play out their dreams. Here are a few insights on why this time of the year is both magical and full of glory:

  • It seems almost everyone joins the fun: Even if you don’t know a thing about basketball, many people jump on the bandwagon and complete a bracket in an attempt to claim the guessing-the-most-wins prize. Some pick by colors (ahem – that’s me), mascots, season records, and of course there are those who actually know what team could win based on solid criteria. Regardless, it’s a ton of fun! (I mean who wasn’t cheering for the Retrievers? My golden surely was!)
  • “Scratching your way to the top:” Watching teams come back from a 20-point deficit with five minutes left always leaves me thinking the refs must have their back. Anyone who is a KU fan remembers the 2008 series and Mario Chalmer’s infamous 3-point shot to win the game, after KU shocked the nation with overcoming a 9-point deficit with two minutes on the clock. It’s that kind of drama that makes someone who normally doesn’t care join in around the TV appreciate the ENERGY and VICTORY.
  • EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE – CINDERELLA STORIES: This is the BEST. For a few weeks in March, any team can show up and show off. It’s fun to watch the magic Cinderella videos online, or SportsCenter.  We’ve seen names such as Butler, Wichita State and Yep, now UMBC, come from seemingly nowhere and make an amazing RUN FOR THE BIG WIN.

I hope as you spend some time  getting wrapped up in the “MADNESS,” you  remember that you also ALWAYS have a chance at achieving the CINDERELLA STORY of your own making! It takes GRIT, PASSION and HARD WORK, but the VICTORY is like none other!

Accelerating growth: The value of strong teachers & mentors

This is a topic I could stay on forever. There are so many great aspects of GROWTH that it could genuinely fill our days.

The good news is that we no longer have the one-room schoolhouse with a small selection of books and references. We literally have more information to consume than we ever could ever reasonably take in.

On Tuesday, I framed up the idea of just getting started on growth. We did this through a conversation on development silly, “stupid” mini-habits. To me, the next part of this discussion is surrounding yourself with wise counsel. As in teachers, mentors, coaches, etc. So to summarize:

  1. Set a Goal
  2. Break that down into small steps so it’s doable and you set yourself up for success.
  3. Seek out the right people to help you WIN!

This may be the most important part because we were designed to be in community. We simply cannot go as far on our own. It took me a long time to realize this in the health/fitness world. I have had a trainer (shout out to the most amazing, encouraging and smart trainer there is)  for almost three years. I am highly disciplined with most things when I put my mind to it (i.e. making a decision), but I just won’t push myself during a workout without someone guiding me. It’s partly because I don’t understand the process of building and maintaining muscle, but it’s also that I just don’t like to be in pain. I’m sure many of you get it.

That’s just one pretty straightforward example. Since I was young, the teachers and coaches were the people who helped me GROW. They are so critical to all areas of our development. I would submit that they still are, but it may look a little different.

Who do you seek out for growth? If you want to be the best in your industry, have you sought out the best to help you? In my assessment, good teachers, coaches, mentors do the following:

  • Champion your success;
  • clear the path if needed (open doors to both knowledge and people that can help you); and
  • yes, hold you accountable to goal achievement.

I also think it’s pretty important that you hold the same value system and enjoy each other’s company. (It’s always best if you have fun in the process.)

Today and this weekend it would be great if you gave some real thought to this. What area(s) in your life are you trying to grow in? (Spiritual, financial, relational, career, physical, etc.) Do you have good teachers or mentors to help you? If not, develop a strategy to seek it out!

Feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to talk further on the subject. It’s a hot topic for me personally!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: GROWTH

I love things that inspire me; especially those that catch me off guard.

Chris Hodges is an author and pastor I follow from Birmingham (shout out to my BAMA friends Nan and Jan).

I have shared before that I do an annual spiritual fast, called the “Daniel Fast.” I do it the first 21 days of each year. Coupled with a better diet, I also give up the unhealthy surfing of social media channels and most TV. (I still use Twitter and Linked in for work, and admittedly still watch ‘This is Us,’ because I just can’t not watch.)

It’s amazing how much time is freed up. Also, how your focus returns to where it really should be all year long. Chris’s church, Highlands, is also doing the “Daniel Fast.” They add 21 days of prayer, and actually have a 6 a.m. weekday service that focused on great worship music and a 5-minute message before a prayer service. They posted about it online, and I was blown away by the message earlier this week on growth, and the reference to Luke 2:52.

I pray this scripture over my boys frequently and have since they were young men. I had not really given it much thought in terms of my own personal growth. Hello light bulb moment. We are all growing, whether we are 2-years-old or 92-years-old. Always learning, always looking to go deeper, share more, serve better…

Chris’s word for the year is GROWTH. (More on the word-of-the-year concept here, in case you missed it.) I think he may be a few years older than me, but I love that idea and thought you might as well.

I am praying this scripture over all of us today. May we achieve all that we were destined to in order to serve our FULL PURPOSE in this life. We will talk this week about growth in general, and some leadership insights I hope will help you continue to build momentum!

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.