To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Impact

Yikes, I don’t know what to say… (reach out anyway)

(Photo Creds: Canva)

Have you ever been in a position where you really didn’t know what to say? Someone is sick? Someone lost someone they love? Maybe they went through a divorce or a break up? Perhaps someone you know is going to be alone this holiday season…

These situations create awkwardness as we contemplate possible uncomfortable circumstances where we really don’t know what to say. Sometimes it’s easier to just live your life and not make the call or drop in, and instead pray that God will comfort them. I wanted to share what I’ve learned about this topic, but I also want to tell you I’m not necessarily good at it — it’s a work in progress for sure.

Here’s the deal: The answer to those prayers is likely you. We are the “feet on the street,”  the ones that God intended to use to comfort others, to lift them up, and this may just mean a simple conversation to let someone know you care and are listening. I have read some decent research and heard from friends — the answer is the same: WE NEED TO STEP INTO THE DISCOMFORT and just be there. Just being there is all you need to do. You don’t need to have the “right” thing to say, or to really say much. An encouraging word… a listening ear, a hug…

As you go into the weekend, who do you need to reach out to? I hope you’ll make that call or drop in with a small bouquet and let someone who needs it know that you care.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: It’s a wonderful world!

It’s Sunday and I can’t wait for you to see this video! My sister sent it to my yesterday and I’m so happy she’s letting me share it with you all here! This little gal sings one of my favorite songs in an incredible way. Along with that, it happens to be a pretty great Sunday insight for us all… It is a WONDERFUL WORLD! We have to keep that thought front and center. As you go into the week, find beauty in every moment… I believe it literally surrounds us if we are willing to stop and soak it in.

Now, watch this crazy-fun video from this beauty of a young soul! Pass this one on, because this world for sure needs more of this type of inspiration.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: A final thought on mindfulness

(Photo Creds: Canva)

I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up the idea of mindfulness than this message.

This scripture gets me every single time. Most likely because I’m not so good at it. I totally get it though. The ONLY time I have truly felt I have heard from God was when I quieted my soul to reflect on what was happening in my life at any given time, truly listening to what I was reading, watching, etc.

I do believe the research I’ve found and shared, and the simple message of mindfulness goes hand in hand with this scripture.

I hope that you have found something valuable over the last week and know that GOD is indeed with you and guiding every single step. Even the ones that do not make much sense to you right now. If we can still our minds to listen, we will surely see him show up… step in and help us RISE to our next level.

Have a simply wonderful week. Relish a bit in the fun of the holiday and, as always, I’m so grateful today for each of you that read this and am always cheering you on.

A great lesson from football!

I have always loved football and understand the basics of the game really well. I can thank my parents for that, who, before I was born, used to drive to another city and get a hotel just to watch the Chiefs play. That’s dedication, and was probably great fun for their generation.

We happen to have a great friend from our summer camp days that plays in the NFL as a defensive tackle. Understanding what that means is a whole other topic (reminder: I’m into basics). I didn’t really know, so my son gave me a great illustration to help me get it…

A defensive tackle, he said, is the guy who doesn’t really usually get the credit, but is setting his team up to succeed. He blocks, hopefully leaving an open path for pressure on the quarterback. How cool is that? My immediate thought was that this is the position we should all strive for: helping others to succeed, to win, to get the credit.

I was curious, so I consulted with the internet for some more fun, insightful and technical details…

  • The DT is typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players. (Well of course he is… it takes a big person to allow others to take the spotlight while you are a key building block for their success.)
  • They may be called to fill several different roles. (Always important. Flexibility to move and accommodate is critical to serving well….)

Have an awesome week! Let’s all go set someone up to succeed this week!

Capturing our best thinking… “THE” FLOW

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!

BE A DOOR OPENER

(Photo Creds: Purchased on Canva)

Vala Afshar is one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter. He is inspiring and thoughtful. Consider following him!

I have personally found this statement to be more than true. I know everyone is hitting the ground running this morning, so I am going to get right to the point. Who can you open a door for this week? We all have something to offer: career connections, personal hobbies, love for a child who could use an extra dose, wisdom in an area that needs sharing, and of course the door of encouragement is always needed.

As we think about “How do we serve well,” we SIMPLY MUST BE A DOOR OPENER and do SO INTENTIONALLY & GENEROUSLY!

Please let me know how you think about this topic? Have an AMAZING WEEK!

Simple Thoughts Sunday – Speak Vitality (LIFE)

(Photo Creds: Canva… but I’m pretty sure I have one just like it from my Ginger Farms trip last year!)

Happy Sunday folks!

Isn’t it awesome that most get to BREATHE DEEP tonight and not worry about working tomorrow? Love that feeling.

So, what in the world do I mean by speak vitality? That may seem obvious and yet we don’t do it enough. One year at camp, one of the parenting talks (intended to help us teach our children how to be upstanding humans that care for others) was a simple message we were advised to ask our children often: “Are you going to speak a blessing or a curse?”

In other words: simply be nice! I appreciated that construct when talking to my boys, especially when the discussion was around how they treat each other sometimes. I recognize however, that at any age, it’s a great reminder. We have a choice to speak LIFE, and we should choose it more often.

Do the words we are speaking to ourselves or others speak joy? Victory? Positivity? Or are we focused on “why in the world we are getting acne at our age?” “Where did those 5-plus pounds come from, for god’s sake?” “Why can’t I eat the mac and cheese with bacon?”

We all are in different seasons of our lives, and it is so important that we SPEAK LIFE and VITALITY to ourselves and to the WORLD. This week there has been much heroism displayed as the needs are great in a time of national disasters such as the great flooding. There have also been those that are blaming, calling out and otherwise judging people that they believe should be helping. My feeling: We need to hold ourselves accountable for ALWAYS SPEAKING VITALITY.

Have an AMAZING WEEK, and remember to EXHALE and BREATHE IN LIFE!

Simple Thoughts Sunday – Who is that seeks after God with you?

(Photo Creds: My good ole’ iPhone @ my dear friends Jan and Nan’s 50th birthday celebration in the Dominican Republic!)

Simple Thoughts Sundays are my favorites. As many of you know, I am an avid reader and in the last few weeks I stumbled upon the most brilliant and thought provoking author. I’ve read three of his books in the last 10 days, but one book in particular called ‘A Resilient Life’ falls into one of my top 5 ever. That’s huge.

The author is Gordon MacDonald if you want to look him up. In the book, I marked literally hundreds of passages, but the one that stood out was the idea in this picture.

The chapter, ‘There are Certain People,’ focused on the people that “enable us to be as we have never been before.” That is an awesome truth. He goes on: “The pathway to resilience requires that I fill my personal life with a very special set of relationships. Who makes up your happy few?”

Other questions:

  • Who stretches your mind?
  • Who listens to you and encourages your dreams?
  • Who will protect you? (Have your back as my friend Coretta has reminded me…)
  • Who are those that share your tears?
  • Who rebukes you?
  • Who plays with you?
  • The final question: “who is it that seeks after God with you?” This one, I can’t quit thinking about.

Let me know if this stirs your soul at all.. I’d love to know!

Make it an amazing week!

Today is a great day to make an impact…

(Photo Creds: My Own)

I took this picture outside of my hotel windows while traveling.

I love to look at the architecture of old buildings. I think about the conversations that have taken place over the years, the weather that has surely beat on the exterior and the endurance of both.

Architects, artists, great thinkers… they bring us both function and beauty. If we take the time to “look up” and really appreciate the work, I feel we can be inspired. When I think of inspiration, I think of that as being the space I can make the greatest impact. (When I slow down to be inspired…)

Time to think. Time to evaluate. Time to CREATE IMPACT…

As we head into a long weekend – and perhaps some rainy moments of reprieve for a long nap, reading a book, or watching a movie – I hope that you take the time to CREATE the space for IMPACT. Our world needs us to be thinking about what WE CAN DO for the common good.

Don’t settle down, stay hungry

(Photo Creds: We Heart It: Trialing a new app “Text on Photos”- thanks for being my test market!- Cool pic though!)

Stay Hungry!

Stay Healthy!

Stay Strong!

BELIEVE!

Go Beyond what you THINK you can do!

We all have these limits of what we think we can do. Depending on how we live and how our environments are, some of us think that at age 50 it’s time for a major slow down… get out the wool sweaters and boot covers and settle in for the winter. No use going out unless you have to, right? Others at 80-years+ are out shoveling others’ driveways, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and embarking on their latest adventure. What is the difference? It comes down to mindset. We ultimately decide how we are going to respond and how we want to live our days. WE HAVE A CHOICE.

I know some of you may push back and say that your schedule, an illness, injury or other situation has impacted you, and that may well be true. However, there are stories for those same examples from people who have faced the most enormous physical and mental challenges and CHOSE to live a full life anyway, IMPACTING the world around them in a positive way, and inspiring us all in the process.

A friend was telling a story last week about their first visit to the gym to meet with a trainer. They showed up and told the trainer, they “didn’t do” leg exercises or ab exercises. The trainer went on to begin work on arms with a pull-up set. My friend explained, “I can’t do those either, so let’s move on.” The funny thing is that of course they could do all of these things, once they made up their mind. Slowly but surely, a small step at a time, they not only did them, but did them well. (By the way, I’m pretty sure I shared that same story line with my friend…) The bottom line is that we need to NOT SETTLE and push through our mental blocks in order to achieve our best selves.

This is a terrific time of the year to begin to audit our lives. Where are we winning and where do we need to fire up the engines? What are we afraid of and what is standing in the way of us being our best? Once we can identify them, we can begin to develop a plan to overcome and ACHIEVE the best year ever in 2017. IT IS OUR CHOICE!

(By the way, I have been doing this gym thing for a couple of years now, and I still STRONGLY DISLIKE “LEG DAY.” I do it because I want to be strong so I can achieve my life goals…  Message here: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIKE EVERYTHING… Just decide you will do it anyway for the benefit it provides!)