To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Inspiration

So, what is your “end game?” Designing a life with intention.

Pretty much wherever you want to end up, it will require you put your most comfortable shoes (and frame of mind) on. Comfortable and fun go a long way!

I believe it’s important to have a plan to achieve whatever it is we are hoping to go after personally, in our community, at work and at home as we try to answer these questions…

Where do you want to end up this week?

This month?

This semester?

This year?

During your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.?

During your life time?

Intention and design are the two key terms for me.

First, identifying what I “intend” to do (think: get leaner, eat more greens, call my parents more often, send more handwritten notes, hit my Q4 work goals, etc.). Second, design a plan to ensure that I achieve that “end game” goal (carve out time every Sunday to make those calls, try Pilates, start my days an hour earlier, etc.). To me, the design plan is the most important and also can be the most fun. There are so many ways to get to the same place, and we have the opportunity to make it fun.

What can we do differently to add a bit of whimsy into our days? Instead of that lunch, what about a stroll through the market? Instead of a plane, how about a train for that family long weekend holiday?

Would love your ideas and inspiration. Thank you so much for reading.

Elevating your game takes wonder (oh, and maybe a little pain)

Elevating your game, “leveling up” or taking ground… all require grit, guts and all a heavy dose of creativity and for sure wonder. Many times, that requires us to get a bit bruised in the process.

The quote in the photo refers to Harry Houdini, the world-famous magician. He forever upped his game and worked toward creating genius in his work. In this story, he was trying to figure out how a peer walked a tightrope… he unfortunately learned the hard way (i.e. losing his front teeth) that there are better ways to do this.

Of course you get the main part of that story, but what about the reference to “wonder?” Did you catch that? In Gino’s recent book, ‘Rebel Talent,’ she embarks on just why being a rebel is important. One part I love is her chapter educating us to always strive to have people on our teams (including ourselves) that generate wonder. Those people on the team that may seem to be drifting off, coming up with a different way to look at “things” to help us to see a different “angle.” Pointing out the “what ifs” is an important contribution to any impactful team or project. I would say, even at home.

She shares a story of her toddler son wanting to put food coloring in his cereal. His dad immediately saying, “we don’t do that,” and then their collective awakening: “why not?” Why can’t we have colored milk? Who made up the rule that this is not a good thing? What a simple yet perfect example. How often do we say, “We can’t do that,” or “we don’t do that in this family,” or “our rules don’t allow that in the workplace?” etc.

We should carefully question our tendency to shut down creativity and empowerment in many situations. After all, wonder is often what takes us to the next level. Breaking the “rules” and pushing boundaries (within reason of course…) is what brought us the light bulb, the mobile phone, Facebook, Uber, Amazon… you get the point.

Get out the crayons and paper and allow yourself and your family/work place/community group to exercise their creativity and wonder.  It may get messy, but you might just make something beautiful!

The Radical, Strategic Mind

Happy almost weekend! As we wrap up the week, I’m mindful that with school pretty much back in session, those of us in the work place are also gearing up for a strong end of the year play.

To me, this season is sort of like January where we rise to the occasion and develop tactical strategies on how to achieve our professional goals. Come to think of it, we do this for our lives in general as well. It’s the ideal time to assess our wins so far for the year, and those areas where we haven’t hit the stride mark yet. The great news for all of us of course is we have more than a quarter of the year left — that’s plenty of time to regain perspective, strength and eventually hit the ball out of the park so to speak.

So what is a radical, strategic mind to you? For me, it’s getting out of the norm in thinking and allowing ourselves to be truly creative… to paint outside the lines. It is a fundamental difference in how we view whatever challenge is in front of us. Radical minds are those that are the voices of social and political change advocates, and those that often make the greatest impact.

The end of summer is a great time to fire up the mind. In theory, we had time to rest a bit and soak up some sunshine, and our minds and bodies should be prepared for a higher level of energy. My personal game plan is to identify a few key areas — for me, likely career and relationships — to focus on for the year-end wrap up.

Asking the right questions is critical right now:

How can I maximize my time to ensure I achieve my goals?

What areas can I “cut” or reduce so I can make more time for what is important?

What are the “must haves” that I have?

Who are the people I need to connect with?

What projects must get off of the ground? Are there some that I can move to next year? Why do they matter? Who can help me achieve these? 

What is a different approach that may be better?

Those are some of mine. How about you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

How do you win the war?

What a great question. I mean, who really wants to go to war anyway? The truth is that we all go to battle many days of our lives. The battles on the ground to bring value to our workplace, to our community and to our families.

I did a little research on a well-known, French military leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, who led several campaigns. Here is my absolute favorite quote I could find about him (for the record, I believe that this behavior is the absolute reason he won most battles…):

“Bonaparte would generally rise up sweaty, dirty and covered in gunpowder.”

Here’s what I love: He was in the mud with his team. He wasn’t hiding in an office or in a meeting. He was there, shirt sleeves rolled up, in the mix. That’s huge in my experience.

“He also made an effort to remember his soldiers’ names and visited their campfires before battle, chatting with them about home and expressing confidence that they would triumph over the enemy.”

Here’s what I love: Goodness, why is this so hard for some leaders? We have to know the people around us – their names for sure and hopefully something important to them (their family, their pets, their hobby, their experiences). In addition to the whole “know their names” behavior, he expressed confidence in his team. Every single person I know needs encouragement and needs to know that their leader believes in them. EVERY SINGLE PERSON.

In Bonaparte’s army, soldiers that came from humble backgrounds could rise through the ranks to be leaders, as Bonaparte himself had done. (Taken from Francesca Gino’s ‘Rebel Talent’)

Here’s what I love: The background here is that in that time, only the elite were able to be promoted. Not on Bonaparte’s team… Politics were not in his playbook, but rewarding grit was. That, in my opinion, is spot-on good leadership!

So for today, let’s win the battles with a lot of love and a focus on service and honor to the people within our ranks. Let us be like Bonaparte and work alongside our teams for the best results. That, my friends, is true service!

Lessons from the longest living people in the world… A summary of the world’s Blue Zones

You’d think with it being summer and all, I’d be reading more than ever. Well, as I shared in last week’s blog, I have been saying “yes” a lot more, which equates to not as much time to read.  I’ll get to a good balance soon. In the meantime, I finished up the Blue Zones book by Dan Buettner tonight, and it was amazing as I expected. It’s been on my list for too long.

In case you are unfamiliar, The Blue Zones is a term coined scientists coined for the areas of the world with the largest concentration of the longest-lived people. (Specifically while mapping one of the regions on the island of Sardinia. Shout out to my Italian readers and their beautiful country!) As the cover says, this book is a “must read if you want to stay young!”

Most of the lessons aren’t surprising, but it is inspiring to hear the stories of the lives of those thriving in these amazing communities. The areas can be found in small villages in Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Loma Linda (California), Nikoya (Costa Rica) and Ikaria (Greece). I summed up the primary lessons below, but as the picture in this blog states, having a purpose is what I feel stood out the most. That purpose is putting you square in the middle of a community of friends, family and faith that lift you into a world with less stress than most of us ever see, and a clear sense of joy and love. I hope all of that for each of you. For me, I need to do some research on how to retire to one of these beautiful places!

Lesson 1: MOVE NATURALLY. Engage in regular, low-intensity physical activity. If you are older, combine balance exercises, get on the ground and get up often, and practice staying limber and flexible. (Most of these people regularly sit on a floor (not from a recliner or bed) and get up several times a day, so they stay on the move.)

Lesson 2: HARA HACHI BU. For Okinawans, this is a phrase they say often while eating to remind themselves to stop eating when they are 80 percent full. Love the simplicity of implementing this.

Lesson 3: PLANT SLANT. Avoid processed foods and meat. In all of these areas, they are not in the habit of eating meat or fish on a regular basis, and they pretty much do not eat any processed foods. It’s all about eating off of the earth.

Lesson 4: GRAPES OF LIFE. Drink red wine, in moderation. I have lots of friends who love this one – me too! The true strategy here is take it easy with 1-2 glasses per day. When we drink any more than that, the negative consequences outweigh the health benefits.

Lesson 5: PURPOSE NOW. Take time to see the big picture. See the notes on Ikigai above.

Lesson 6: DOWNSHIFT. Taking time to relieve stress is of the highest importance, including reducing noise, napping and meditating… All things we know and don’t engage in enough.

Lesson 7: BELONG. Participate in a spiritual community. In every one of these areas there is a strong concentration on their faith life.

Lesson 8: LOVED ONES FIRST. Simple: Make family a priority.

Lesson 9: RIGHT TRIBE. Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values. Being around healthy minded people is essential. The key is making sure you are committed to regular time with those people.

I highly recommend the book. If you want to take the online quiz to establish where you are on your current “expected life expectancy” you can find it on the Blue Zones home page. You can also use it to develop a plan to live longer. For example, mine gave me some strategies to gain three years if I follow their advice. It’s pretty interesting if you like those types of exercises. Have an awesome weekend.

 

 

The ripple effect of our actions – or our inactions – are enormous

Now here’s a statement I could probably just leave as is and not opine further. It’s something for us all to think about and it certainly hit a nerve with me.

Most of us hear the word “ripple” and think of positive change… Things we do to “pay it forward,” and that have a lasting impact. I love that idea the most. It’s healing and somehow magical to think how we can all make a such a difference in our world. For that part, keep dreaming it and keep doing it! We need all of the positive ripples we can get.

For the last part, well, how often do we really think about our inaction? What are we not doing that is leaving a lasting impact? I don’t know, but here’s what came to mind…

  • Am I not telling my team how awesome they are enough?
  • Am I not doing enough?
  • Have I not done my part to create a neighborhood that’s caring and fun, and that embraces the spirit of what a neighborhood should be?
  • Have I not showcased to the next generation how to foster and build community?
  • Have I not stopped lately to pick up a piece of trash in my walking path? How does passing by that effect the world and that of our grandchildren and their children?

Hopefully you can track the train of thought here. It was definitely a stop-and-think statement, and I hope it does the same for you. Have such a wonderful week and let’s all go for the positive ripples and take action!

Welcome August! (Well, not really — but let’s make it stunning anyway!)

I am sooooo not thrilled that it’s August. It’s a fine month and all, but thanks to whoever thought it was a good idea to start school during the second week of the month.

Let’s just say that now we get a rather strong signal — in my opinion too early — that life is about to get crazy, and that the longer and warmer days are dwindling.

It has been a wonderful summer, and although the heat came on fast and furious, the opportunity to be outside and to relish in all of the outdoor fun gives most of us renewed energy. So, for today, my first blog after a month break, it occurred to me that we need to pause and consider what summer has been teaching us. It is my thought that every season of our lives — whether it’s tied to the calendar or the ebb and flow of life — we are intended to learn something that will help us grow and become our best selves. Life is pretty darn cool in that way!

So, here are a few things I’ve been learning… I’d love it if everyone shared one of their own!

  1. SAY YES. I have been trying to say YES to almost any social invitation. That is not the norm for me and in fact, I like to protect my personal time and stay in absolute balance. (I know some of my friends don’t realize that, but that’s been my modus operandi (M.O.) for the last few years. I’m not sure it was a good decision.)  I have learned I am having fun and a better person when I’m out enjoying life at this level. I would highly recommend you give this a try if you don’t already!
  2. DON’T MISS THE FARMER’S MARKET. In other words… Do everything you can to not miss the little things that will fill your soul! There is something that happens when I pull in the parking lot at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market. Surrounding myself with hard workers who have enduring passion and love for their work and who, as a result, make lives healthy and happier. It’s the entire environment. Whatever it is for you, by all means make it a priority. Our days are incredibly important, as you know, and the sum of those creates our story.
  3. MUSIC! Turn it up, loud and proud. I too often miss this enormously amazing part of life, forgetting to turn off the soundtrack in my head and get lost in someone’s incredible gift. I have been playing everything from Kenny Chesney to Kenny G as often as possible… Filling our home with the gift of music. This alone elevates the climate and can transport you to another place. (Shout out to the 80’s!)

Okay, now it’s your turn. I’m so thankful to be back writing. I am super happy to have this community to do life with! Have an amazing weekend and let’s rock this crazy month!

Why do we settle?

This quote is from Brendon Burchard, The Motivation Manifesto. I’m kind of savoring this one right now. His writing is brilliant. (Apologies for the super long quote in the photo, but I just had to include the whole thing because to me it’s perfect.)

Here’s the message I took so strongly from this: Like the cattle in the middle of the road, not knowing their direction, we often do the same. We stand in neutral and don’t take on the full glory of our potential. We all have this amazing creative bent, and we should go after our dreams and desires. No seriously. We really need to think about this and consider if we are in the middle of the proverbial road more often than we’d like.

I like the idea of unlimited abundance. Just imagine the pure power in that for a moment… how cool!

Have a strong wrap to your week! I’m cheering you on!

The messages that bring hope

I have a friend who just lost her father-in-law. As she described the celebration of life, she quickly got out her phone to show me this picture. Alone in the clear sky was a “fish” that gave her husband great hope. He had always fished with his dad, and the message or “sign” was comforting. It provided hope and created a cherished moment.

I have numerous friends who, over the years, shared similar stories. Yellow butterflies, cardinals, white owls, a penny and sometimes a song… The message can be anything that reminds us of a loved one.

I am not sure why I felt it important to blog about this, other than it’s mentioned often. I read up a bit on the topic, and here’s what I found:

It is very common. In fact, more common that not for those who have lost a loved one.

The “messages” can occur anytime, anywhere – but they’re most common when the person is alone. (Perhaps when you are more aware of your surroundings…)

The mind is a powerful thing (that’s probably an understatement).

I believe that if we can be open, we might just find comfort in what we hear, smell and see… If we can’t get there, we always have memories of those moments we shared with our loved ones.

I also believe that this “fish,” painted so beautifully in the sky, had an important role to play that particular day, and I kind of love that.

I should probably…

So, what does it mean to you to “kick a**” ?   (Apologies if anyone is offended by the language reference.)

It’s like, “What is your perfect day? I’m thinking work as I write this, but a “kick a**” Saturday has an entirely different, awesome description. Think of it how you want, but definitely think about it.

What does a truly AWESOME, ENERGY-INSPIRING day look like?  

For me, it’s when I meet with some great people who share a vision or passion, or who energize me through their very approach to their craft. Or, when the conversation you walk away from inspires you. It’s when I am able to conquer massive emails and other communication needs AND run by Target on the way home. It’s when I am able to lift someone’s spirits or give them hope. When I am still going strong at 5 p.m., ready to keep rolling…

What is it for you?

If you can, pay attention to why this day happened in a way that you loved. What did you eat? How much sleep did you get the night before? Were you in control of your schedule that day, or was it a bit of others adding to your calendar and a bit of your own? After you can identify it, maybe you can duplicate it more often. Those days where you literally “kick it” should happen far more often in my opinion. What if you could be at the top of your game every day?

I love that idea… I think I should take my own advice and really identify that… It’s worth the “thinking” time. Have a great weekend. Design an awesome one!