To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Inspiration

Unexpected Gifts, Part 2 – Taking count & giving thanks

So, the entire idea of “Unexpected Gifts” I mentioned Tuesday has me on a path to identify and take account of those that I have experienced this year. I hope you will find some value in the idea that no matter what a possible “shit show” you think your life can be in some seasons, there are quite literally gifts at every turn.  (okay, so that was a strong word, but the point is that in the midst of even the toughest times, crazy blessings show up if you are paying attention.)

I really don’t want to overuse examples of my life, but I think it may be useful as a thought starter for you all.

January-March: At that point I had a growing consultancy business. It was a time in my life where I felt God had me in a holding pattern. Although I was completely unclear about where I was headed, I was constantly sent not only encouraging people, but clients that needed my service. Most of these I had never met and all came at the perfect timing. (Also, I turned 50… I think that is a gift of some sort of new stage of wisdom, right? So far, it’s a lot of extra time on the treadmill to keep up. Haha)

April-June: Our family was faced with what many of my friends are facing right now… The impact of aging parents and a health crisis. My mother suffered multiple seizures and all of a sudden our world as we knew it stopped so that we could attend to the situation. So many unexpected gifts here, including a renewed focus on how precious these years are, to quality time with relatives that we don’t normally get to connect with as much. What a powerful reminder that my world is filled with dear friends from all parts of my life that stood ready in whatever way was needed, to a deeper realization of the vast needs in our health care system. Since health care is my career, this opened up my eyes to see the incredible opportunities for improvement we have to address from the patient side. (Also, without my consultant business, getting away for a lengthy time period would have added way more stress – another gift).

Also during this time, I was recruited to lead Partners in Primary Care (senior-focused primary care clinics) and Transcend MSO for the Kansas City Community. The picture is a small part of our team. These people quite simply blow me away with their commitment to our community’s seniors and really to one another. The clinics have only been in KC for a year in October and these people are family as if they’ve worked together for years. That is a far reaching gift that will impact their lives and all around them in their homes and those these serve.

July-September: God placed some pretty incredible new friends in my life this summer. I will absolutely never get over how we are given what we need at the perfect time. These people have gotten me out of the house, and have shined a new light on the incredible importance of a tribe.  I am certain I have not seen a group love each other so well.

So, those are a few thoughts. I have at least 10 more significant examples and I think you will too if you take the time to really audit these unexpected gifts.

Have the best weekend leading up to our week of thanks with family and friends.

A Day of Honor – Veteran’s Day 2018

Today is always one of my favorite days of the year. I don’t think anything captures the heart of America like Veteran’s Day.

The men and women who have served, their families, and the communities that circle around to honor them, all give me pause and the inevitable lump in your throat response. One of the most powerful scriptures says that “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

Today, we honor your great sacrifice, your willingness to immerse yourself and your families in what truly is the greatest display of love.

Our country has been built on the backs of men and women who have served with honor. There is no doubt in my mind that this required pushing through fear and all manner of stress as they faced the unknown. That level of commitment and honor for America is why we are all in a free democracy today, in what I believe is and always will be the greatest country in the world. My heart is overflowing with gratitude. I hope that we will all let this day live on day after day as we strive to serve well with love for our country.

Capturing our best thinking…

Rewind! 

I love coffee shops! That is where I do my best thinking… specifically, Black Dog coffeehouse in Lenexa. A bit off of my normal, beaten path, it’s just the perfect hideaway to get the “juices” flowing.

My second choice would be a good walk through trails or any place with an abundance of nature – the trees and creek types are my favorite.

There has been much written and researched on the concepts of “creative thinking” and just how we humans enter a state of “flow.” A place in our minds where we can really feel the ideas rolling.

Susan K. Perry, PhD and Social psychologist, speaks about the “busy mind: fragmented,  unfocused, distracted, too many things on your mind.” Sound familiar? The opposite of which is “THE” FLOW that I am characterizing. According to Perry, “FLOW: loose, relaxed and focused.” My guess is that many of us need to be able to get into this “FLOW” state more often in order to bring our best work.

Experts say that we can indeed achieve this state by facilitating certain conditions that optimize our thinking, offer a quality of awareness and creative expression. Here are 5 ideas that may help you achieve “FLOW” and produce your best work. (RE: Myrko Thum)

  1. Direct your Focus ACTIVELY – Direct it to what you want to achieve… Take the focus OFF of the not so good. (This includes environmentally setting yourself up to succeed, minimizing interruptions)
  2. Choose your most important task – Concentrate fully on the one thing that is most important at the moment
  3. Focus all of your attention with intensity as your task. (Again, no interruptions, cell phone out of the way, etc.)
  4. Do it for a set amount of time – 30+ minutes. Flow cannot happen in an instant.
  5. Stay with the task until it is finished. This will help you to feel accomplished and desire to get back into the “FLOW” or “ZONE” for the next task at hand.

The bottom line is that training your mind to develop a sharp metal focus is a key skill for success and self improvement and peak performance.

Go all in and OPTIMIZE THIS WEEK!

It’s better — truly better

Rewind! This post is a throwback to last fall. An oldie, but a goodie!

I am always fascinated by what makes a place “all of the rage.”

You know, those cult-like places where folks like us stand in line for hours waiting for our share of their awesomeness. In KC, there are several of these, but my favorite stand out right now is an ice cream place called BettyRaes.

(Photo creds: Canva)

It is SO HOT that Trip Advisor named it a top 50 “ice cream shops worth traveling for.” And it’s only a few years old, if that. Believe me, folks do travel for it and most days the line is out the door. But why? (Other than the s’mores sundae with coffee ice cream — pretty much is the best thing I’ve ever had…)

My perspective: It’s better. As in truly better.

It has created a unique offering via it’s menu. The service is better. The shop is community focused.

As Seth Godin, the famous marketer, would say: it’s achieved the notion of BETTER.

As we think through how we serve better, let’s think about what else we can do better. Be kinder, more focused on those around us, more open minded, more giving, more courteous drivers, more patient (that one resonates with me!), etc…

If you are in business — profit or non-profit — how can we be deemed “worthy” of a line out our door? We start by looking in the mirror and identifying areas where we can be better, and then we dive deep to get to worthy… and ideally, sustainable.

Your ideas are welcome!

(Here’s a song to get you in the mood and the mindset!)

Iron sharpens iron

(Rewind! This post is throwing it back to an oldie, but a goodie, because you can never be grateful enough for the people you get to share this life with.)

I can’t imagine my life without those around me who sharpen me. It is one of the lessons I try to impart upon my boys, although, I know it is different for boys. They don’t naturally share with one another like girls do, but it is just as important for them. God designed us this way.

Today, I thought it would be a great time to just sit down and make a list of those that have sharpened me and when possible send them a quick thanks…

To the teacher that invested in my life, drawing out a young girl, inspiring, pushing gently, pulling at times, but always encouraging, thank you!

To my sister who was and is the one who has the hard conversations and who also celebrates life’s important moments with us, thank you!

To the gals in my personal tribe, friends from many groups… WOW… I am far better because of all of you, thank you!

To my mentors or mentees… I have learned an equal amount from each of them, thank you!

To my boys who have always pushed me to be the best version of myself from early morning feedings, to late night talks about college life. (I won’t give up on the whole “boys need to be in community too” part!) Thank you, boys!

Who has “sharpened” you, raised the bar, elevated your “game”? I bet they’d love to hear from you this week!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Staying in the spiritual gym

Happy Sunday!

Just like our bodies need us to focus on building muscles, exercising our cardiovascular systems and eating healthy, our spiritual growth needs a game plan to ensure we are operating optimally. I loved this concept and thought it was worth sharing.

The three key ideas I captured were…

  1. Staying disciplined.
  2. Lifting the word of God.
  3. Understanding that “resistance” is what makes us stronger (exercising faith).

A simple thought really, but powerful nonetheless.

If we are able to stay disciplined in our spiritual life we will be stronger. We will be able to better handle what comes our way and perhaps be more grateful along the path.

If we focus on the truth we find in the word of God, we can be sure our minds don’t get off track and run down a rabbit hole that isn’t speaking life into us. If we can understand that challenges and resistance can help us stretch and grow we will be less frustrated and make meaningful strides. I believe that takes faith and exercising this is a daily grind. It is a constant commitment to change our thoughts and recognize that God’s plan has us right where we are supposed to be… if we listen, we will know how that plan is supposed to unfold.

Cheering you on this week!

Powerful thoughts, friendly reminders to act on our intentions

Probably more often than ‘every once in a while,’ we all need a reminder to slow down and act on our thoughts and intentions.

Our minds, no doubt, are filled with fleeting ideas and acknowledgements of people we need or want to reach out to. Developing a daily or weekly habit of making those calls, sending the note (or flowers), or even having that tough conversation will make us healthier. I believe doing so frees our spirit and minds and allows us to live a more authentic life. Acting on those good intentions provides us a pathway to live out the life we truly want to live.

A quick recount of a story that I’ve shared before: Two-ish years ago, one of my college friends did just this… She reached out to a handful of us and made that first effort to gather us after almost 30 years. We all acted and have now gotten together for a few days the last two winters. In between those weekends, has been a showcase of what true support and friendship is all about, cheering each other on in the good and challenging parts of life. It has been powerful. We reconnected and the power in our friendship we cultivated when we were young came back more stronger than ever.

Who might join me this weekend in creating that list and developing an action plan?

So, you thought you had a bad day

I don’t know when I have ever laughed so hard as when my friend sent me this…  She actually sent it after she shared the details with me about a horrific day she had. It involved all manner of crazy, including disagreements with several people, a tantrum with a family member (possibly the kind you may be married to…), the dogs getting out, dropping the groceries, etc. It ended at the end of a long day with sitting on the toilet before bed, and it literally shattering with water spraying all over the house… NOW, THAT IS A BAD DAY!

Have you ever felt like it couldn’t get any worse? Let this short story be a reminder that it could. Sometimes we have to literally just laugh at the pure out crazy. I know this time of year can make us all feel nuts. I mean, weren’t we just sitting with our toes in the sand a week ago? All of a sudden – and in a whirlwind – we have a million responsibilities, commitments and people counting on us. It can cause a fuse to blow, internally and externally.

Today and this week, make a decision to take a deep breath and try to smile through the chaos. Listen to some music or watch your favorite comedy to lighten the mood. Let’s not let crazy get the best of us!

Power in the wait

Waiting for the big trip to finally arrive…

Waiting for the big game…

Waiting for the big test…

Waiting to get your first real job…

Waiting to find those people that make you better…

Waiting to watch the daylight fall into the night sky…

The “power in the wait” is beautiful. The preparation, the holding on… it makes us better, more resilient, more determined, more focused. It is in the wait that we are able to go a bit deeper than we thought possible. Pushing ourselves past those self-imposed limits and adjusting our thoughts to the “what ifs,” realizing that it truly will all end up as designed. I have always felt that God has us exactly where we are supposed to be in any given situation, relationship or assignment. We wait, we learn, we grow. We continue with this cycle and if we are smart, cherishing these periods and recognizing that they help us ultimately achieve our best self. Being our best self is what allows us to serve each other well. It is beautiful. Whatever you may be “waiting” on today, my prayer is that you will anticipate it fearlessly and with passion, fully aware that the universe is cheering you on.

Have an amazing week my friends.

Emotionally exhale this Labor Day weekend

(Photo Creds: Canva)

How are you making this Labor Day weekend count? I like to think that this holiday isn’t just about taking a break, but rather about emotionally exhaling.

This weekend used to wind down the summer before school started. Alas, that isn’t the case anymore. August’s onslaught of obligations, activities, etc. are in full force for most of us. But wait, didn’t summer just start? So obviously, Labor Day weekend is a really good time to take a breather.

“Emotionally exhaling” doesn’t take much. (That’s sort of the point.)

Reading, life planning, sharing a meal or two with friends or family, a visit to the farmer’s market, and  a chance to take in the last days of poolside bliss. Those work for me, but for others it’s about rock climbing, marathons and shopping extravaganzas. Reflect on what this weekend should look like for you based on the season of your life. Be a little selfish – you deserve it.

There is a great book that came out a few years ago called “The Best Yes” by Lysa Terkeurst. It calls out to us to make the best decision for ourselves at that given moment and season. So, what does your soul need this weekend? There is still time to make it happen.

Whatever you do with the rest of your long weekend, I hope that you will emotionally exhale.