To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Family

Simple thoughts Sunday: A week of Expectations and Hope

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

What a beautiful day we are having today, the Saturday before Palm Sunday and the launch of Holy Week for Christians.

I love that the various religions have their special celebrations. For us, this is perhaps the greatest celebration. As Christians, we believe that Jesus came to earth in the image of God, lived a perfect life, was persecuted for his faith and three days later was resurrected.

This simple story is deep with HOPE and EXPECTATION for our religion. It is a story that, when “peered” into deeply, showcases that despite our human transgressions and the raw parts of this world, we have hope in a “risen” savior that promises an eternity of peace and beauty.

The human struggle has been on vivid display this week with the bombings in Syria. For those that hold on closely to the news, anxieties rise. For those with children or family serving our country, it is downright painful to watch and wonder where this might head. This is one example, there are of course hundreds more that grab our attention and show our vulnerability and weaknesses as a human race.

I have always found GREAT HOPE in the POWER OF THE EASTER STORY. As you go into this week, I hope that no matter your religion, you will consider what a life changing message HOPE brings. Hope gives us the expectations that just maybe, there is a RAY OF SUNSHINE at the end of our times of struggle. I LOVE HOPE! I need HOPE! I know you do, too!

Praying many blessings for all of you this week!

Introducing WAFFLES! Because we all need to have more fun!

Last Sunday we brought a new puppy into our home. Much to our surprise, it was incredibly difficult to come up with the PERFECT name. We had some great ideas from friends and family across the country, so thank you! We also had some challenging family group texts… it seemed we couldn’t reach consensus. I wanted a name that represented this stage of life: strong, adventurous, travel, brave… We just couldn’t seem to nail it down and now I know why – I needed a change of heart.

One (late) night – during the puppy’s midnight “wake up and go out…” session – I laid awake thinking about changing my direction. My mind went to something FUN, something that would make us all laugh. I was going to wake up and research fun, giddy & humor in all languages and come up with a few new ideas to toss out to the family. I think my initial idea is still good, but LIFE CAN BE PRETTY CHALLENGING, so adding a SPARK OF FUN made total sense.

When I woke up, one of my boys had sent a few names on a late night text. One being WAFFLES. It was JUST PERFECT!

How can you call the name WAFFLES and not laugh? Not only is she the color of waffles, but my boys often visit Waffle House with Pa Pa Mallory. So, there you have it…  FUN, APPROPRIATE and IT BRINGS UP GREAT MEMORIES of someone we all LOVE.

I had a few folks suggest I share this for today’s blog post! Can’t wait to share more puppy stories along the way! I hope it will challenge you to incorporate FUN into your life this week!

The Language of Rain

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

Rain. Rain can be…

Generous

Giving

Replenishing…

And at the same time….

Painful

Desperate

Overwhelming….

I wonder if the language of rain helps us understand how we can wrap our heads around serving better. The picture painted in Ann Voskamp’s the Broken Way, is on point: “The abundant life doesn’t have a bucket list, as much as it has an empty bucket – the giveness of pouring out.” I for sure feel like my “bucket” is full when I am pouring out versus being poured upon.

Our lives certainly experience all matter of “rain,” both the refreshing kind and the drenching kind. Today, let’s focus on the filling/refreshing of others who are being flooded with life right now. I think it’s interesting that if you decide that you are going to be more aware of those in need, that you start to see need around every corner it seems. Honestly, I dare you to actually do this, because it shifts and shapes your own perspective. Your fellow co-worker, an extended family member struggling and sharing on Facebook, perhaps someone much closer. We need rain and we need each other to fill those buckets with encouragement and service.

Let’s go out today with the goal to REFRESH.

Simple Thoughts Sunday – God Ideas!

(Photo creds: Pinterest)

This week we are going to talk about IDEAS!

We did the same at the end of last March. I don’t know about you, but I have an “itch” for spring (just not spring allergies!), and am ready to rev up the engines for a terrific second quarter of the year.

I feel like we are all always holding GREAT HOPE that we will have IDEAS that create something special, something fun, meaningful and perhaps even INCREDIBLE. An idea that brings our family closer, elevates our career, fills our financial needs, or brings meaning to those things we care about passionately.

I fully BELIEVE that “GOD IDEAS” (A God idea is one that you can’t stop thinking about; one that has grabbed your heart; one that surely must have come from God) are quite possible for us to attract if we simply give our lives to God in prayer and faith. As the picture captures so perfectly: Make Him your first priority and He promises a fulfilled life.

My prayers for you this week are for you to be inspired by GOD IDEAS and that HOPE continues to RISE in your heart as Easter draws near!

Love and technology help the world go ’round

(Photo Creds: My Own)

South by Southwest (SXSW), the “convergence of the interactive, film and music industries” is an annual event (since 1987) held in the ultra-fun city of Austin Texas.

Over the 30 years, it has grown in scope and size and the “coolness” factor is off of the charts. Technology has become a key player and big names such as Twitter were launched into the public conscious at SXSW. (A bit of research shared that Twitter only paid $11,000 in 2007 to host some signage at the event… and from there, they were able to blow up their brand. Influence grew from there.)

All of that said, SXSW seems to be a great place for those “game changer” hopefuls to see and be seen. I personally haven’t been – though hopefully next year! – but have been a “follower” for a few years.

Here’s what stands out to me: technology is the single greatest influencer in our lives right now. Well, that and love… One helps the other is what I’ve found. When you bring it together with music and the arts, it’s a marriage made in the heavens.

Just why is that? The tools of technology have helped us simple humans express love in more active ways. It’s pretty cool that on your birthday, your friends and family from all generations of life can send you a greeting and spread the love and good energy. That’s an easy example. I also love that my mom can text now and that alone has given us an opportunity to cheer one another on, which didn’t exist at that level prior that technology. Instagram and Snapchat allow us to share visuals that bring us joy.

(But, of course, technology can also be blamed for mass sharing of negative. To be honest, my feeds are 95+% positive so in my opinion, we have the ability to scroll or swipe past the “stuff” that makes us crazy… our choice.)

Two key messages today:

  • Embrace technology and the “movements” such as the annual SXSW event that help leverage those into our world… (By the way, I have listed below the various tracks at this year’s event so you can see the diversity and potential impact to our society.)
  • As crazy as technology can sometimes make us, FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE and that it is a  TREMENDOUS VEHICLE FOR LOVE… sharing and growing. We can use this to our advantage and create a world that we all would love to be a part of.

Finally, for all of those that wished me a happy birthday, I want to thank you! Sometimes I get busy and don’t take the time to utilize that awesome feature on Facebook, so I greatly appreciate all of those that took the time to reach out! It  means the world to me that you did. KEEP ON SPREADING THE LOVE.

SWSW17 TRACKS:

  • Brands and Marketing
  • Design
  • Development & Code
  • Government
  • Health
  • Intelligent Future
  • Style
  • Tech Industry
  • Workplace
  • Entertainment influencers
  • Film & TV Industry
  • Making Films & Episodics
  • Making Music
  • Music Industry
  • Music Influencers
  • Touring & Live Experience
  • CLE  (Continuing Legal Education)
  • Experiential Storytelling
  • Food
  • Journalism
  • Social Impact
  • Sports
  • Startup Village
  • VR/AR (Virtual/Augmented reality technologies)

Bringing home the language of a strong manager

(Quote in part taken from a tweet from @ValaAfshar)

The original thought on this was the language of a strong manager. That’s true, I think a good leader definitely uses these simple but not always easy statements during a normal week. I have also learned over time that these are true for parents and friends and possibly others I haven’t considered yet. Let’s break it down:

  1. I am proud of you. Pretty straightforward? When is the last time you heard this from your leader? When is the last time if you are a parent you shared this with your children, toddlers to adults? (Shout out to my mom, who just told me that this week.) Lastly, a friend? “Friends are the family we choose,” right? If that’s true, then keep in mind that some friends don’t have family, and you may be the only person that can remind them how they impact you and our world.
  2. I trust our team. This is a little more complex. I do agree a “team” needs to be reminded that the core of a team is trust in one another. Trust built over time and the knowledge that we are in this together can propel teams to heights they never thought possible. I’ve seen that in action many times. This one may not hold as true for a group of friends, but it sure does for family: “I trust that we will get through this stronger, I trust that we are going to create a environment of love and respect in our home.” I don’t know about you, but I think this one needs to be played out more often.
  3. What do you think? Seems pretty obvious to me. I mean, we ask each other if others like our hair, our outfit, our project, etc. Do we think to ask our kids, mom, aunt, friend, what they think about our decisions? Do we include those that may hold us accountable? A favorite quote: “Cater to my success, not my ego,” can likely show up in this conversation. Who do we need to ask this question on something more challenging that might help us achieve the next level of success or happiness?
  4. How can I help? This one probably happens more at home and with our friends. But at work, how often we ask our co-workers how we might ease their load is something to consider.
  5. I was wrong. I am sorry. I have heard others actually say they wouldn’t apologize to their kids. They “are the parent” after all. While that might be true, I personally believe we as parents need to apologize when we show a behavior that we don’t really want our children employing in their lives. Think: raising your voice, walking away from a difficult conversation versus dealing with it directly, etc. This one is HUGE. It’s of course important in every aspect of life, but I think remembering to show our children we are human (at all ages) is important and will result in healthier conversations and families. That’s one perspective at least.

Anything missing? I’m all about getting better, one small step at a time!

Are we acting like circus elephants?

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I really like CUTE elephants… the childhood imagination type. The ones on the red and white striped ball at the circus, complete with an environment of cotton candy and spinners in hand.

This picture was alarming to me. I wanted it to be cute, but the topic isn’t cute.

I just wrapped up a book by JJ Virgin, ‘The Miracle Mindset.’ She’s best known for diet related books, but this one is different and shares her path with a 16 year old son who nearly died in a tragic accident. It’s a short, inspiring read that gives you another example of how humans are able to overcome in the midst of great pain and enormous hurdles.

In the book, JJ references how we often have beliefs of what we can handle and as a result our lives our limited. I think this is so true. She likened it to the circus elephant who learns while being shackled and in the end truly believe she is not able to get out, staying place by “force of habit.”

What are your limiting beliefs? Do you really think you can only be successful in the job you are in today? That you will get a certain health issue because everyone in your family has by age 60? That you are bound to a path that you aren’t thriving in?

It’s worth your attention. I’m pondering this and would love to hear your thoughts.

Grounded and grateful: 3 reasons to reconnect with friends

What fun it was to spend a day with my college sorority sisters on Saturday. I have to say, after not spending any quality time with them over the past 25+ years, our time felt like we were still 19 hanging out talking about God knows what.

Today, my hope is that you will find value in connecting with some of your friends from the past. Here are a few reasons why it’s a good idea:

  1. They GROUND YOU! Sure, we have all moved on and experienced life, but these gals know me. They know me before the career, the family, the kids, the deaths, the divorce… Yes, life may change you, but your CORE is the same, and surrounding yourself with the folks who knew you “back then” is refreshing. I’m certain that if we would have had access, we would have permed our hair, put on some thick blue eyeliner, and sported some killer 1980s outfits!
  2. They INSPIRE YOU! This one I hadn’t really thought of and it was the most surprisingly cool part of the weekend. These ladies have gone through so much and despite it all, they have persevered and came out a quarter of a century or more later better and more beautiful. I felt like I could get through anything by hearing their stories.
  3. They PROPEL YOU! I know we were friends and we probably cheered each other on during college to some degree, but let’s be honest, at that point in our life we are all trying to get through, to achieve, to aspire, to move up the ladder of life. In other words, I’m not sure we propelled each other forward on purpose. What I know now, is that the encouragement these ladies gave me over the weekend is enough to keep me pedaling and pushing ahead.

We all need to be in “community,” and connected, and although I have an absolutely wonderful group of friends and colleagues, coming back to “home base” for me was notable. My encouragement is for you to reach out, schedule some meaningful time, tell the stories that “made you” and where you’ve been, what your hopes are…

It may be some of the best time you have spent in years… It was for me!

Simple thoughts Sunday: Reclaim your peace

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

Folks, I listened to this message this week, and it was a strong one. Joyce Meyer, who is one of the most amazing Christian preachers, seems to always speak to me quite loudly. I have her app on my phone, and on long walks I listen through her daily 25 minute podcasts. Joyce is 73, a motherly type figure for someone my age, but more like a wise sage in that she is so well-versed in the word of God and its application to real life that you hang on to every word.

So, this particular segment was about reducing stress. I can use that pretty much every day of the year. I would characterize myself as spirit-led, and the “type of gal” who is able to handle the daily stresses of life.

Even given that, stress seems to echo in the background noise coming from TV, social media, work life and the stress that enters the homes of each of us. It’s a topic that always leaves us wondering how to persevere better.

Joyce asked us to “make a list” of who steals our peace. Whoa! Immediately, I had three come to mind. None of you though, I promise. 😉

Next, she said to really ask God to take those people (that your human existence cannot seem to handle alone) on for you. It’s that simple. Right? Well, I talk to God about those things, but not sure I have “claimed” them as stealing my peace, so I’m going to give it a try.

She wrapped up her message with what we already know well, that in areas of your life you don’t have peace over, you lose your power. I need my power. As I age, I value every last minute/vial/whatever measurement of it.

As you get ready for another week and your goal toward having the “BEST YEAR YET,” I hope you see some value in this exercise. I’ll be praying for all of you, in fact, I am right now as I write this.

“Peacemakers who SOW IN PEACE REAP a HARVEST of righteousness.”  James 3:18

“Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”  Col 3:15

“Cast all your anxiety on him…”  1 Peter 5:7

Go ahead, jump the fence!

(Photo creds: We Heart it)

Having the right photo or image is always important to me when I prep for a blog. I told my son I wanted to do something funny today – something to perhaps add some levity to our day and get away from anything too serious.

Initially, this idea of “jumping the fence” was captured in a conversation about diversity and the need for us to not be afraid to experience different cultures, food, people, environments, etc. That is still a good idea, but what’s better (I hope for you too) today is this perspective of the image.

Through all of the stress that America has realized over the last few months, and what seems like a never-ending back and forth accelerated by social media, WE REALLY NEED TO LAUGH.

So maybe this photo captures how you feel as you try to get away from your friends’ viewpoints on Trump…? Or, perhaps you had so much fun watching the Grammy Awards on Sunday that you gave some thought to changing career paths to become a rock star… You know you’ve got that image now of you on Monday morning with your blazer on and your friends cheering you on running & jumping toward your new found PATH TO GLORY.

No matter what it is, make it a demonstration of fun, friends and no doubt a lot of laughs. (By the way, that may be me struggling to even get up the dang fence.)

I’m in the mood to jump the proverbial fence into brighter territory. Into something meaningful and beautiful and truly FUN. Grab your tribe this weekend and create some memories filled with laughter!