To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Priorities

You never get your days back, you know?

Powerful thought. I am in the middle of Robin Sharma’s new book, ‘The 5AM Club’ and tucked in was this profound message: “You never get your days back, you know?”

Sharma highlights Eugene O’ Kelly’s final memoir, ‘Chasing Delight,’ and its critical message that we need to be engaged in every moment. O’Kelly, the once CEO of KPMG, one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S., wrote the book after learning that he would soon pass unexpectedly. This deep thought still has me reeling…

“In the course of saying goodbye, he would sometimes invite a friend or acquaintance to take a stroll in the park.” O’Kelly stating, no doubt with regret, “This was sometimes not only the final time we would take such a leisurely walk together, but also the first time.”

I’m sure most of you, especially if you read this blog, are already intentional about your time and truly value your loved ones. I’m confident you spend a great part of your year creating moments that capture love and experiences that you hold on to tightly. This message makes me want to reach a bit deeper. Who are those I would want to spend time with if I were in my final days? Why haven’t I made it a priority, and how can I curate my life so that I have time for these priorities? It doesn’t seem easy, but I am confident I could clear my days in the blink of an eye if I really needed to. What about you? Does this resonate?

A final message for today, via Sharma: “O’Kelly wondered what it would take to make healthy people slow down and heed his quotation of Jonathan Swift, “May you live every day of your life.”?

My prayer is that we will all do just that. Live and love deeply, my friends.

Be fully awake to the present

Today is the opportunity we have been granted.

This month is a great time to recommit and be fully awake to what is going on around us, and be completely open to living in the moment.

Tom Peters has a thought that “Excellence is the next 5 seconds…”

I want to be excellent. I want to be IN this moment, not OUTSIDE of it.

I want to be fully aware of the lights on the tree, the anticipation from the children for the holiday festivities, the tears that are hidden behind my friends smile, the extra-tight hug that shows a friend needs a little extra support right now… all of it.

I want to be fully awake. Don’t you?

I believe that if we can get better in this area, we will be closer to being fully alive.

Who’s with me on this?

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Pause, reflect, celebrate

Happy Sunday and welcome December, the month of culmination… love… joy and celebration. I’d submit that this is true only if we allow it. If we pause. If we reflect. If we set our intentions early on to achieve peace and resolve to find open spaces of quiet.

I’m committed to find this in the next 29 days – to pause and embrace solitude when I can and have quiet conversations that center around true joy. Getting to the depths of…

  • What brings me true peace?
  • Who brings me full joy?
  • What activities create a positive energy that leaves me wanting more?
  • Where can I see growth?
  • How can I curate more days of fullness and beauty?

These are not easy questions. I need to recognize that and take time to go all in. I would love for you to walk this path with me this month. I’d love to hear your stories and I’d love to know what questions you may add to the list. At the end of the month, let’s celebrate this reflection and forge into 2019 with a fresh view of God’s purpose for my life.

I am praying as I write this that you find yourself right now in a moment of gratitude and commitment to use the month to find the joy you so richly deserve. I believe that is God’s plan for all of us… to fully feel the love, joy and peace available to us.

Freeing our minds to allow space for gratitude

I am all in on gratitude and the idea of wanting to feel it as much as possible. Sometimes I feel like this week each year we are supposed to “flip the proverbial switch” and get into a blissful attitude of deep thanks, as if it’s somehow automated.  With the hustle in most of our lives, this idea can seem a bit far reaching. The good news is that we can help ourselves out with a small dose of intention and action.

Did you know we cannot feel the full expression of gratitude available to us when our emotional and physical environments are filled with clutter? Yep, science backs up that “getting to gratitude” is challenged by the world around us. (By the way, that would be the world that we allow” around us, since we get to decide what we allow in our lives.)

So, as you move toward absolute gratitude, think about what you can eliminate… Whether it be the contents of the junk drawer or the high standards you have for yourself.  There are no doubt a number of items that can be stripped out in order to free up your energy, heart and mind.

Some other ideas…

Declutter relationships. Are yours serving you well?

Declutter the fears and anxieties that keep you up at night. Name them and claim them “gone” from your mind and, if necessary, make an appointment with a counselor to deal with those that you can’t seem to release on your own. (I have found that especially helpful.)

Declutter the frustrations of the past. Decide to allow forgiveness to yourself or others …and move on.

Declutter bad habits. The extra dessert, hitting snooze too many times, not keeping the commitment you made to yourself to exercise even on cold days and nights…

I know I have a few areas to focus on. I am looking forward to freeing up my schedule a bit so I can think and be mindful of what really matters to me… the people I love and who God placed in my life.

Where do you want to end up?

For me, it’s all blue sky and blue water! (OK, really any kind of water. But dang, this pic is cool.)

Where are you headed? As in, for the next let’s say 81 days or taking us to the kick off of a new year? If that scares you, how about the next 30 days.

I had a great meeting yesterday with someone I’d say is a “co-mentor,” as in I get way more out of our exchanges, but hope I am helping her in some way. We talked about the need to really gavel down on where you want to be in this season – not the fall like season, but the season of your life.

Are you in a growth mode or a contentment mode? Are you ready to fire up the engines and move to the next level or simply rest? All seasons are good for us so there is no judgement wherever you may identify that you are.

For me, where I want to end up by December 31 can be summed up by a few key things…

I want to connect or reconnect as it may be with those people that I absolutely treasure but my work or life has not allowed for the time I desire. I want to elevate my work by spending more time on strategy development and execution now that I’ve been on a learning curve for for four months. I want to ensure I don’t lose sight of my physical goals to maintain a healthy exercise regimen, and mainly eating right in the midst of a very hectic season. Oh, and I think I better find some time to rest and truly reset at some point soon. (The whole blue water thing needs to happen.)

How about you? Where are you at today? Can you spend some time writing down what you’d like to see happen? The power of the written word is strong. According to a recent Forbes study, we are 1.2 to 1.4 more likely to accomplish what we take the time to write down. In the process you “encode” your hopes and are able to draw on these thoughts as you go through your days toward success.

I hope your weekend is purely wonderful. Here’s to smashing the heck out of whatever we all want to achieve in this season.

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!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Nourishing our souls

So, what is nourishing you?

We need healthy food and lots of water so that our bodies have the best chance to give us optimum performance. We need sleep to achieve full restoration each day. From my point of view, we need a strong spiritual life to truly nourish our soul so that we can fully utilize the gifts God has given to each of us (and to serve well).

Today seems like a great day to think about what is nourishing our souls. Are we spending as much time in the word of God as we are on social media? Watching mindless Netflix or reality TV shows, listening to music that doesn’t inspire? Are we filling our minds and hearts with the truth, or are we distracted constantly?

This week, can we up the game on our focus toward nourishment through spending our extra time in activities that draw us and our families and loved ones closer to God? I’m totally up for this challenge and would love to hear if you are too!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Playing to win

I am a fan of daily devotions. A good friend got me the ‘Awaken’ devotional book from Priscilla Shirer for this year, and I am really liking it. I love practice examples and she offers plenty. In this verse, she focused on the “in such a way,” part: “Read this again and see: the winning is not just in the running. It’s in the WAY the RACE IS RUN.”

It’s Superbowl Sunday and the Winter Olympics launch on Thursday. A huge week for sports fan and I am indeed among them. Serious athletes and all of us who strive for excellence in our own “race” must run with endurance and have the discipline needed to anchor our souls and lives to a plan that will help us to do so in the best possible way.

Shirer suggests that we do this by listening and submitting in obedience to God’s word. In other words, to actually seek out his voice through scripture reading and any other way that you can soak it in with today’s many resources.

For this “Simple Thoughts Sunday” I am all in on following his plan to achieve the life of excellence I desire. I hope you will have some time to truly enjoy the big game today and will celebrate the athletes who have indeed put in the effort to WIN later this week with the rest of the world.

I can’t wait to spend some time this week diving into the insights of Olympics past and present. It will be FUN!

2017, The final review: Books I loved

Reading — and continuous learning in general, really — is among the top three things we can do to grow personally, if you ask me.

I realized I wrapped up 2017 without my final reading list, so I thought today would be a great day to get this on the record. In fact, as February kicks off, I hope you will find one that interests you enough to grab a copy on Amazon or your local bookstore.

With the temperatures still hovering around freezing, it’s the perfect time to shut off the television and jump into learning! (For many, it’s getting lost in a fictional story. I seem to prefer nonfiction. Whatever you fancy, the practice expands your mind, imagination and thinking so go for what you love.)

Here are some thoughts on a few books that I loved in particular, but my full reading list from May through December is at the end:

Higher is Waiting, Tyler Perry

  • Why I loved it: Frankly I just love Tyler Perry (AKA Madea), so it didn’t matter what it was — I knew I’d probably like it. The thing is, his book is pure gold. This is where I got the idea from a December blog to ask those you love to write you a letter versus giving a gift. I did this and my boys and my mom wrote me the most wonderful, personal letters. I will cherish them forever and make this an annual practice. Books like this provide us those “gems” that enrich our lives.

Side Hustle, Chris Guillebeau

  • Why I loved it: Our current economy is sometimes referred to as the “gig” economy. What this means is that many people have made it a practice to have many “side” streams of income coming in. Chris promises to go from an idea to income in 27 days. This is a simple and practical little book that highlights ideas and stories that just might be a game changer for you.

A Resilient Life, Gordon MacDonald

  • Why I loved it: First of all, let’s just say that I really loved it! I have gifted it multiple times now and paid my boys to read this one. If they soak up even a part of it, their lives will change in the best possible ways. The book is older and full of wisdom. It is a Christian perspective on business and life. Some of the ideas that got me thinking: Who stretches your mind? Who listens to and encourages your dreams? When forming your group of close friends, you might ask: Who will protect you? Those alone are worth the price of the book and that is just a glimpse. If you only pick up one of these, pick this.

Whisper, Mark Batterson

  • Why I loved it: Mark is my very favorite Christian author. His book the Circle Maker is another I gift often. Mark’s books are full of stories, science and studies that compel you to be better and stronger. This book is about hearing from God and how we do so. I loved his story about Pure Delight: “Seven times in the book of Genesis, God steps back from the canvas of his creation and admires. It is his reaction and is expressed as “good” which comes from the Hebrew work tob… joy unspeakable. That first emotion sets the tone, sets the bar. God delights in what he does and he wants nothing less for us.”

Of Mess and Moxie, Jen Hatmaker

  • Why I loved it: Jen is hilarious and inspiring. She captures motherhood — and she has her hands full to say the least, so she knows the job well. One of my favorite quotes in the book she attributed to Brennan Manning: “Many people between the ages of 30 and 60, whatever their stature in the community and whatever their personal achievements, undergo what can truly be called a second journey. The second journey begins when we know we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the morning program.” It’s good.

Unscripted, Ernie Johnson Jr.

  • Why I loved it: This one is especially for the men but good for everyone. I pick up books like this so I can better understand my boys. Ernie is a long-time NBA commentator and the books takes us through his journey, including a fierce battle with cancer. I loved this concept: “God has given us many moments that blessed us and blessed those who seek them. I call those blackberries (blackberry moments). If get get too tied up in what we’re doing in our jobs, in the game, in whatever it is, we miss them, and when we do, we’re missing out on so much.”

Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes

  • Why I loved it: I heard 100 times how great this was before I picked it up. It IS that good. Go get this one for sure. It’s fun, useful and is exactly what the title says about making a decision to get out and say yes to things, including and especially those that scared Shonda.

Braving the Wilderness, Brene Brown

  • Why I loved it: Another amazing work from Brene who has blessed us with game-changing TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” and three other terrific books. Brene is a research professor at the University of Houston and lives out a life of impact. She covers why joy and pain are collective journeys, including the need to “show up” to experience these with those you love and why it is so powerful. So many good concepts that you really should read the book.

She’s Still There, Chrystal Evans Hurst

  • Why I loved it: I think this is her first book. She comes from a family of writers and musicians. I have to say, this was an amazing read. She could have titled it different, but it is full of great insights and inspiration. One idea I noted and love, “Schedule celebration moments monthly.” Love that.

Quiet, Susan Cain

  • Why I loved it: There is a reason this book has earned so much notoriety. It’s one about introverts, and as someone who is just over the edge into being an extrovert, I adored this book and the science and thinking behind the work. This should be a must-read for anyone who works with people, including parents. One of the thoughts: “One genuine relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.” True, true and true!

Black Privilege, Charlamagne tha God

  • Why I loved it: I loved it because it is SO out of my normal category of books. The language and approach aren’t quite my cup of tea but, we MUST learn and grow by understanding others and this is a great way to do it. Charlamagne is a popular co-host on the nationally syndicated hip-hop iHeart Radio program the Breakfast Club, and a featured television personality. He tells his story in a way that makes you feel like you were a part of it. His quote: “If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this book, it’s that privilege is something that everyone can access.” It’s worth your time.

Tribe of Mentors, Tim Ferris

  • Why I loved it:  Tim Ferris may be my favorite author at the moment. Last year he wrote Tools of Titans and his famous 4-hour work week, that he wrote a few years ago, are both best sellers. This book is essentially “short life advice” from who he considers some top contemporary influencers in our society today. It’s easy to read and full of wonderful ideas. He asks the same series of questions to these influencers and showcases their answers. My favorite question was: “What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about how to enter the “real world?” With 200 answers to this, I think I sent 50 to my boys… Brilliant format and a must-read.

Let me know if you end of reading any of these. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Priorities

In Matthew Kelly’s classic book ‘The Rhythm of Life,’ he shared that he often sites this prayer during the day, especially during busy times.

His theory is that finding the “rhythm” is largely about assessing and reassessing our resources and energies, ensuring they are in alignment of fulfilling our purpose.

Most of us do this annually, or maybe a few times a year, but daily? That is powerful thinking.

As you launch into February, my prayer is that you will take pause to make sure your efforts, time, actions and focus are in the direction that aligns with you being the best and most amazing version of yourself! I will for sure tuck this one in my proverbial back pocket to ask throughout my week. It’s pure gold in my opinion!