To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Wellness

Let’s give care to our true priorities this weekend

Always such a strong topic to keep top of mind. How are you doing, now that we are closing in on the end of the first quarter for the year? From where you started the year, has your schedule aligned with your goals, dreams and desires? Have you spent enough time where you want?

I personally have been heavy with career and not enough on financial health (I’m in the group that hasn’t filed taxes yet); and moderately successful with physical health and relationships thanks to some pre-scheduled events so to speak. (If not for those, it wouldn’t look good at all.) I share that for the purpose of being vulnerable and yet exposing that no matter how much you “want” to do the right thing and be balanced, you can easily fall off of your game plan. Life tends to dictate itself if we don’t edit and actively and mindfully move it where we want.

So, you may be thinking: what’s up with the “deep priority” comment? What makes it deep versus just a priority? This, to me, is the “next” level. Saying I want to grow and nurture relationships is one thing, but what do I really want or need? For example, I haven’t spent any time this year with my dad. That’s not good, and that’s important.

Also deep: Being more specific is critical. Using the example of physical health and wellness, saying that I want to be successful in this category alone frankly won’t move the needle. What might move the needle is a deeper and specific goal, perhaps increased time doing cardio, lifting weights, etc., signing up for a “race” or some event that drives me toward success? Thinking out loud, here.

As we think through the last three months, it may be timely to take a long look at our priorities and develop an action plan that aligns.

Cheering everyone on and especially my NCAA bracket! Sun, please come out to stay!

The Culture Connection: Why travel is a priority

Rewind! This is a throwback post – an oldie but a goodie – as I am traveling this week. Enjoy!

I have made travel a life priority.

Along the way, I learned that whatever your budget — and whatever your goals with travel — it can be done with a bit of research and flexibility. There are so many stories out there of poor college students backpacking across Europe, and travel blogs that showcase journeys around our vast world. This is encouragement to many, as travel can seem to be a goal achievable only after retirement, if at all. In my viewpoint, even a trip to the lake can be a much-needed cultural shift from our day-to-day lives.

As it pertains to my writing on this blog, I truly feel that in order to serve well (for me) that travel is essential to creating a greater understanding of the people we share this planet with.

Here’s why: Being immersed in different cultures allows us to stretch and grow beyond our normal experience.

I have learned that whether it be a trip to New York City, Chicago, San Diego, or abroad to say, Australia (or my current journey in Barcelona), the customs from the time they eat meals to the way they approach their day opens me to new, potentially life-changing perspectives.

For example, in bigger cities, you seldom see anyone overweight. This is likely due to their active lifestyles to some extent, with a dependence on walking as a major means of transportation. It forces me to consider how to incorporate more of that lifestyle into my own.

In most countries I have visited outside of the U.S., the pace of life seems to be less frenetic and more reasonable. Even the average vacation time they are offered by employers is almost triple what we find here in America. It ties to a focus on overall wellness, it seems. I believe our country has a lot to learn in this area. (Side note: I have not been to the Asian countries, which I understand are more hurried in their approach, and perhaps it is due to the size of the population.)

One of my favorite authors (Batterson) is known for saying “a change of place, offers a change of perspective.” That is so very true. Somehow, when you are able to remove yourself from your routine, your mind “shifts” to a neutral zone that allows you to more easily embrace the beauty that surrounds us, even in the seemingly simple matters. I believe that notion leads us to achieve creativity and engage in life with a more health focused approach.

I try to keep these short, so will stop here. As the North Face slogan goes, I hope that you will “Never stop exploring,” and I hope this has inspired you to travel, local or abroad — just get out there!

The 100-year-old tree: What we can learn?

The rings of a tree offer a lot of information. We can think of these as a visual imprint of the life the tree has lived, referencing seasons of good and bad; growth, scars and of course SURVIVAL.

I love this little book I keep by my bathtub, “The Art of Stopping Time,” that is really a wellness guide. I give them credit for this topic and the idea of looking at our time on earth in the context of the “rings of a tree” today.

If you had “rings” like a tree, what would they say? What mark did you leave? Did you have some stressful years that took a toll? Health challenges? Did the marks come from happy or sad times? It’s always a good idea to take account of our lives and be sure we are getting properly “watered,” so to speak, so we can ENDURE like the 100+ year old tree.

I loved the first picture on this image, because it represents a beautiful tree, marked by both good and bad times, pings and dents that created the true beauty over time. We are all like that. Our richness and ability to fully express our beauty comes from our experiences and challenges and forms into a life that can provide great energy and comfort for ourselves and those around us.

Designing a life you love

I don’t know about you, but I love to look at beautiful buildings, no matter if they are historical, or modern.

Some of the coolest modern-day structures are actually sports stadiums, which create an experience far and above what we have come to expect from “watching a game.”

Architecture is fascinating, as is the idea that someone can sit down and literally create a structure that can endure storms while maintaining its integrity and beauty.  Great architecture inspires, and offers a connection to the environment around. It can even engage our imagination.

All of these qualities lead me to the idea that we are the true architects of our own lives. No matter if you are in school, looking to what the future brings, or a young professional, ready to know what the “next” level looks like, or heading into a later phase of career or life, the same truth applies.  We have this wonderful opportunity to design what we personally find to be rewarding for ourselves.

My perspective has always been that it starts with attitude, and if we choose a positive one, then we can  achieve whatever it is that we strive for.  While it is true that we all have been given gifts that help us fulfill our purpose in life, we still “get to” prioritize and use our time and talents to mirror a beautiful life.

So, what is it for you? Is your life currently where you want it to be? Do your weeks look how you want them to? Is your health and wellness lined up where you’d like it to be? Your relationships? Your career, studies, retirement? Your community engagement?

Sure, sitting down to design the life you want takes intention (I recommend a quarterly assessment at minimum), but the results, like great architecture, endures. I think that sounds pretty good to me!

The Culture Connection: Why travel is a life priority

I have made travel a life priority.

Along the way, I learned that whatever your budget — and whatever your goals with travel — it can be done with a bit of research and flexibility. There are so many stories out there of poor college students backpacking across Europe, and travel blogs that showcase journeys around our vast world. This is encouragement to many, as travel can seem to be a goal achievable only after retirement, if at all. In my viewpoint, even a trip to the lake can be a much-needed cultural shift from our day-to-day lives.

As it pertains to my writing on this blog, I truly feel that in order to serve well (for me) that travel is essential to creating a greater understanding of the people we share this planet with.

Here’s why: Being immersed in different cultures allows us to stretch and grow beyond our normal experience.

I have learned that whether it be a trip to New York City, Chicago, San Diego, or abroad to say, Greece (or my current journey in Australia), the customs from the time they eat meals to the way they approach their day opens me to new, potentially life-changing perspectives.

For example, in bigger cities, you seldom see anyone overweight. This is likely due to their active lifestyles to some extent, with a dependence on walking as a major means of transportation. It forces me to consider how to incorporate more of that lifestyle into my own.

In most countries I have visited outside of the U.S., the pace of life seems to be less frenetic and more reasonable. Even the average vacation time they are offered by employers is almost triple what we find here in America. It ties to a focus on overall wellness, it seems. I believe our country has a lot to learn in this area. (Side note: I have not been to the Asian countries, which I understand are more hurried in their approach, and perhaps it is due to the size of the population.)

One of my favorite authors (Batterson) is known for saying “a change of place, offers a change of perspective.” That is so very true. Somehow, when you are able to remove yourself from your routine, your mind “shifts” to a neutral zone that allows you to more easily embrace the beauty that surrounds us, even in the seemingly simple matters. I believe that notion leads us to achieve creativity and engage in life with a more health focused approach.

I try to keep these short, so will stop here. As the North Face slogan goes, I hope that you will “Never stop exploring,” and I hope this has inspired you to travel, local or abroad — just get out there!

Getting to mindfulness

(Photo Creds: Canva)

I absolutely loved swinging as a child — I still do when I get the chance. When we were in Tuscany, the property we rented for a few days had a wonderful swing and I snuck on there as soon as I got my chance without an audience. I am not sure why I find it to be so exhilarating, but I imagine it’s what it’s like to be “mindful.” To be a child again, not a care in the world, feeling the wind hitting your face, your feet swinging around and overall being aware. I like the idea of doing that more… If you do as well, follow the next few thoughts that I dug up.

With the onslaught of social media and life in general just plain being increasingly fast-paced, distractions are imminent. This is the genesis for the focus by wellness experts on “mindfulness.” As I shared Tuesday, the idea being that you get to a higher level of awareness and focus. I had no idea it had gone so mainstream… There is even a website addressing this — who knew?

So with or without the distractions we have today, the mind in general is wired to wonder 50 percent of the time, according to a Harvard study. The idea of  being more mindful doesn’t mean those distractions go away, but it does mean that our we handle them better via the mental training practices that we establish. It was related in one of the articles to a “mental gym.” I liked that idea, and thought you might too since it’s a bit challenging to wrap your head around.

So, what does this gym look like? I like the Huffington Post for topics like these, because they seem to drill it down to my level. Here are some of the many ideas they share:

  1. When you eat, eat. When you drink, drink. Focus all of your attention on the act of mindful eating.
  2. Walk mindfully. Pay attention to the movement of your body and your surroundings. This time of year is my  favorite because of the leaves crunching.
  3. Observe your breathing. When you pay attention to your breathing pattern it takes you out of your mind and into your body.
  4. Connect with your senses.  Touch, smell, taste, sound and sight: they are the gateway to the present moment. When you are lost in thought you don’t experience all your senses have to offer.
  5. Get lost in the flow of doing what you love. Incorporate more of that into your daily life.

As you power through the rest of your week, I hope that you’ll stop and think about the idea of being truly aware. Fall is a beautiful time to observe what life has to offer and going into the holiday seasons even more so… Enjoy! We have one life!

Hello August!

(Photo Creds: We Heart It!)

Happy August ya’ll!

I don’t know about you, but July was both super long and also fleeting. I always have a bit of anxiety when July ends, because August seems to rush in with back to school and a lot of competing agendas in the workplace, community etc.

I always seem to be holding tight to the invisible rope attaching me to longer summer days and cancelled meetings due to vacation schedules. Summer is just a bit easier. August means we need to start the process of putting our game face back on and get fired up to make the last half of the year count! I’m ready – perhaps a little reluctantly! How about you?

So, here are some thoughts I have as we set ourselves up for GREAT SUCCESS in the last five months of 2017:

I think we need to start with a strong game plan. Not a multi-point strategic document, but a handful or less of key “must haves” for you to feel like you slayed the year in the best possible way.

Here’s my #1: Go BIG on PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELLNESS. Keep this top of mind, force it in my schedule, focus on my spiritual life, stop eating s***,  exercise more, challenge myself, renew my commitment to discipline in all things in this category… (Here’s the thing – I can’t do what I need and want to do without amazing health and energy, so it has to be #1)

Others on the list…

Stay focused on my “50 year” plan. That little document I put together to identify the 13 things I want to do this year leading up to my  big “50” in March… Let’s just say I’ve got some work to do.

Career growth. I launched a health care strategy company in May and need to get laser focused on where God wants this to go. It has a different “feel” or rhythm than my career so far, so I need to get in the “flow” of this new world!

Parenting. This is always a top priority because I want to be the best mom in whatever stage the boys are at. As they get older and they begin to take on this whole “adulting” thing, I need intention and guidance on how to step up in the best way possible. It’s always top of mind.

I think I have a few others, but the intent is to get you started with your “short” list this week. Let’s make every day count. I hope you’re reading this on a beach or lake somewhere and still soaking up summer. I pray it’s been ridiculously restoring and if not, that you figure out a way to carve out some time before the days shorten.

Always cheering you on!

– Lori

Considering our assignment

blog_752840_2829812_1452094414I love this idea of “considering” our assignment. I also love this idea of ‘we are young!’ What are we here for? To make it more practical, let’s focus on this year only. I don’t know about you, but I want to thrive in the key areas of my life. I did a little “mind map” exercise to launch the year, and my key categories were:

– Family
– Career
– Financial
– Health/Wellness
– Spiritual
– Travel
– Community

Thriving in our “assignment” takes a bit of considering. I took the next step to document a couple of key points under each of them. Considering is hard for some of these. Family seems easy, but then not so much. With the years going by and my friends starting to lose their parents, I’m confronted with how to make the most of the years. Meaningful is the key word. With my boys in college, planning family time isn’t really easy either. (The next weekend we will all be together is Thanksgiving next year…)

For my career it’s a bit easier, but when you are 47, you want to go “deeper” in your knowledge and contribution and that gets a bit tricky, aka more time to consider.

Finances are pretty straightforward, as is health and wellness (for God’s sake stopping eating pasta and pie and get to the gym and quit hitting snooze!).

Travel… Now that’s fun!

Community – What aligns with my believes? Worthy of my time? Global, local?

Okay, time for you to consider… Bold Goal… Bold visions my friends… If this year was to be your best yet, what would it look like?

(Photo credits: We Heart It – comments added are mine)