To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Inspiration

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Living Unafraid

Summer is often a time where we get out there and sometimes have the opportunity to explore new heights. The boat goes faster, the mountains we climb are higher… It can take us outside of our comfort zone. Our adrenaline amps up and our body responds in ways that often catches us by surprise.

I read Adam Hamilton’s new book, “Unafraid,” this week. At first I wasn’t too excited because I don’t view myself as a fearful person at this point in my life. It pretty much immediately captured my attention though. I got a ton of inspiration out of the book. Here’s a quote I resonated with…

“We are the healthiest, wealthiest, and the longest lived people in history.  And we are increasingly afraid.  This is one of the great paradoxes of our time.”  (ref:  Daniel Gardner)

Our hurried lives create a need for yoga, meditation, mindfulness… Anything to reduce our anxiety and stress. The one thing that we can all rely on is that God’s peace doesn’t change, no matter what is going on in our lives.

Hamilton covers the biblical support of God’s promises and how we can truly rely on him to carry us through these times. He covered everything from financial stress, to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out and the impact of social media), aging, death and loss.  I found myself in every situation he illustrated and I think you might too.

He shared my favorite Bible story from Matthew 8 23-27 where Jesus calms the storm. I have loved this even as a very young girl. Somehow the image of Jesus asleep during a storm, reveals to us that we can rest, knowing that whatever happens we are safe.

I’ll end there today. As you go through the week, know that you are covered. You can rest knowing that even if the storms are strong and seem out of control at times, that God has you.

Praying for us to all to grow our faith life so that we can live “unafraid.” I hope your summer is off to a STRONG START!

Daily rituals of excellence

It is no doubt that if you want to lead an “epic” life – a life of purpose – that you incorporate some steadfast daily rituals that help you achieve your best self.

I am a sucker for any book, article, speaker who offers me ideas of what may be worth adding into my routine. I loved this picture for two reasons: it is a beautiful work of architecture and, the people in the background look like they are soaking up the beauty around them instead of hurrying past the moment. That’s a great ritual.

So today I am sharing 13 of my daily rituals. That’s my lucky number so it had to be 13. Hopefully at least one will strike a chord for you. They ebb and flow a bit with the season, so the start of summer may be a great time to change it up a bit. I’d love to hear some of yours, so please take time to note one or more in the comments!

  1. Get moving. My grandmother, who just passed a few months ago at 96, used to always say “You have to get up, even if you don’t feel like it.” So get to moving!
  2. Incorporate greens into every meal if possible. Yep, I am even throwing a few with some lemon vinaigrette next to my morning meal.
  3. Drink lots of water! I carry my water bottle everywhere!
  4. Use dishes you love. I had a local potter, (Erica Iman of Urban Potters) make my plates, bowls and mugs for the house. I got the idea from a hotel I was visiting for business. They served up a simple dish in a super cool bowl and I loved it. I realized that something as boring a salad or bowl of soup can be special if you know it was made by hand by someone who loves their craft. That is a gift to me.
  5. Spend time in nature. A walk with my dogs is my personal favorite, but any time outdoors is the goal. Some days it may even just be rolling the windows down in the car and enjoying the breeze.
  6. Start the day by reading from the Bible. I have done this 7 years in a row now. This year, I am following a chronological version plan via the YouVersion Bible app. I journal one thing that stood out to me and pray that I might learn, grow and engage with it if applicable.
  7. LEARN. I incorporate learning into my life anytime I can. Solo time in the car, walking on the treadmill, etc. I have a host of speakers I listen to as well as podcasts as of late.
  8. Send an encouraging message to a friend or colleague.
  9. Try to catch the sunset and snap a picture if possible. I just added this one over the past year and I love it.
  10. Read and relax. I almost always end my day with a bath and take time to read for at least an hour, and often a lot more. This time to unwind and get out of my head is just what the doctor ordered to sleep well! (I read non fiction, and generally business books, or some sort of self improvement, spiritual or otherwise similar in messaging.)
  11. Music… I need to learn to listen to it more, because I love it. I’ve tried to be mindful of this lately because there is nothing like throwing on some Kenny Chesney, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Hillsong, Elevation Music, Lionel Richie, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, etc. It can shift your energy on the spot.
  12. Positive social media talk! I am very intentional about keeping my social media feeds positive. For example, I use Twitter primarily for business or inspiration, but I craft who I follow with a goal in mind. I unfollow those who aren’t consistently positive and thoughtful. (Overuse of social media could be on my “things I need to take out of my daily life.” I’ll save that for another blog…)
  13. Pray. My goal this year is to be a better “prayer” person. I’m good at the brief, “popcorn” prayers and I believe all prayer forms are great, but I want to go deeper and truly connect through prayer.

Your turn!

Staying within the lines: A nudge to stay on track

How in the world did I not know the term, “rumble strips?” Honestly, did you know this?Or am I not the only one who learned this as a 50-year-old? Don’t tell me I am the lone idiot, folks!

At any rate, I heard a terrific series from Levi Lusko on this whole idea of how we all need “rumble strips.” (You know, those lines or bumps in the road that keep you within the lanes… guard rails are similar in principle, but God knows we don’t want to actually hit those.)

This whole thing really hit me. What areas of life do we need some reminders on to stay focused on our lane? Who speaks into your life as a “rumble strip,” caring enough to tell you when you are out of line in your thoughts or actions? What do you personally do to ensure your thoughts and actions are aligned with your true core values? (A practical example: What movies, shows or music are you listening to that may not be aligned with those?)

Like you, I am a good person who tries to do the right thing in order to live my best life. Still, I slip off of the road at times. Often with diet or exercise. Sometimes with my thoughts about life and not being aligned fully to what I know to be true. I need to spend some time telling my “tribe” to be strong “RUMBLE STRIPS” for me.

Dear God, I hope I can handle their feedback at my age, following my personal goal of asking others to “cater to my success, not my ego,” in their honest comments.

Anyone else with me?

The Power of Story

I have always been fascinated by that one tree in the middle of a field on a road trip. Somehow it has a story to tell, or so it seems. How did it arrive here? How has it endured the many seasons and harsh conditions? Is it lonely? Is it super confident because “damn, I survived?”

Clearly trees don’t think like us humans, but if they could talk, they’d have some powerful stories to tell. We all have stories, and we need to know and understand them, celebrating their lessons and impact on our lives.

A part of my mom’s recovery process has been a stint at a psychiatric hospital, where the goal was to modify her medications against the new anti-seizures meds to try to get her out of what seemed like a modified coma (or at least a state of not having her mind or many physical functions). I have to tell you, that at first it was beyond scary to be there. People walking, others laying or sitting in beds and chairs, yelling and babbling incoherently.

It’s tough on everyone involved and God bless the care team. My mom leaves there today to start rehabilitating her body. I have to tell you, that I’ve come to love these people who have taken care of her. Yesterday, Maria told me about her 46-year-old marriage and pieced together a story for me about how she is a working woman, a proud mom and how she’s scared. She, like so many, likely has dementia – or a version of Alzheimer’s. She has a story.

Many of these people didn’t seem to have family or friends ever come to visit… no one to hear their story. Even those who do, I wonder if we take the time to understand and listen to the stories.

I’m mindful as a health care leader in the senior space about how we are doing in creating pathways to ensure the dignity of our seniors and to hear their stories. As a now 50-year old, I know I haven’t listened well to the stories of the older generations. We need a culture shift in America to focus on the importance of this. Other countries do this really well, if we can stop and learn from them.

Stories are powerful.

What if, today I…

(Rewind! This is a timely and relevant rewind post from 2017 to help get your mind in the right space as we top off the week!)

If you are in the workplace and have anything to do with marketing, you might follow Seth Godin.

He has daily, short blogs that offer up simple ideas on pushing you to the next level in creativity. His recent post caught my attention, and my mind took it another direction. His title, “Three simple and difficult steps” offered this:

  1. Get Smarter. Hurry. (Technology and life is moving fast)
  2. Solve interesting problems.
  3. Care. More.

His thinking was that most people do one of these, but what would happen if you became the type of person and does all three? You might add leverage and value and ultimately choices to your life.

I thought it was good, but here’s where my mind went with it…

What if today we set a goal to accomplish something that really impacted our life/world? What if today was the day that we did not operate our daily routine, but instead choose to take a new route to work, craft a personal mission statement outlining what we’d love to do right now, and set forth a plan to make it so?

One day can be so impactful, yet we often let our days become routine and settle in. I like settling in, but I LOVE feeling energized and like I’m really doing something important. That one is much better! How about you?

What can you do today to UP YOUR LEVERAGE? To get smarter, or change paths or to just be a part of a nicer and better world? My guess is that we can ALL DO SOMETHING.

Simple thoughts Sunday: Honoring moms of all types…

  1. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are a biological mom, play the role as needed, stepped into the magic of it all unexpectedly, or otherwise have helped raise up this generation of our children.

For many generations and in all cultures, it has been true that it “takes a village” to raise a healthy community. I absolutely cherish that thought, because I immediately think of the people that have played a role in my life knowingly, or not; and also, those who have in the lives of my children.

Today, as you celebrate your own mother — if you are lucky enough to still have one — my prayer is that you will reach out to those that may have given you or your kids a boost when you or they needed it. There is so much power in community and so much love that is needed to wrap up each other so that we can all be who God intended. If you have lost your mother, my prayer is that you will find great joy today in knowing how thrilled she was to raise you and I believe looks down and even protects you today with her undying love.

(Update on our mom: She is still healing and we are hoping to get “her” back. Today, we celebrate the many caregivers who have helped in this process and continue to shower her with love and prayers.) 

Honoring your children well!

I stand in amazement at how others honor their children so well. Let me first say that honoring can be done in so many ways, and I believe they are all good and necessary. The point today is to lead you all to some folks that do this in ways that astound me, and will spur you onward. I personally love to to learn from others, and these ladies have pushed me along while not knowing it.

Check out these gals if you can; and if not, I have put in a few excerpts below that they recently posted that will offer a flavor of what I believe is pure awesome.

Kira Atkinson-Montuori – Kira always speaks out not only the virtue she sees, but also how her children do this for others. I honestly think without knowing it, she does this instinctively to reward them for being there for others. I love that. What do you want to see more of in your children? Here’s an excerpt from Kira’s Facebook post after her daughter ran the Girls on the Run 5K this weekend:

“She is everything I want to be.

She is determined. She is strong. She believes in herself. She is a goal setter and a goal go getter. And she is kind.

Every picture tells a story. A story about a girl who was excited. nervous. committed to what she wanted. And a girl whose main focus after crossing the line was to go back and congratulate her friends.”

Steph Guerin – This comes from a Facebook post for her son’s birthday (note, it doesn’t have to be her child’s birthday… she does this almost weekly). It’s incredible. Also, please note this is part of a multi-point message, so she really takes the time to honor well. I think that is a key we all need to remember:

“10) You. You, my son are a gift in and of yourself. I love your mind. I love your heart. I love your enthusiasm. I love your determination. I love your desire to win. I love that you would give any friend of yours anything that they wanted. I love your loyalty. I love your secrets. I love your chatter. I love your sense of humor. I love your memory. I love the way you connect things that other people can’t. I love that you get bored with stuff that doesn’t matter- it sucks in 5th grade, but it will serve you well later. I love that you want more than anything to be a good husband and father and that you already have the best taste in girls. I love that you’ve had your career path lined up since you were 5- even though it has changed. I love that you are able to take all the crap the world hands you and say you got it, and now I’m proud you can say you need help. I love that you are an 11 year old boy who can express a full range of emotions. I still wish you’d give me more hugs, but I should give you more, too. We’ll work on that.”

Casi Quinn – Casi does this type of Facebook post often. As parents, expressing our raw hearts is important and yet I find myself not doing it as much as I should – rarely even. Taking the time to point out this level of detail, leaves the family with a connection on how they should live out their lives. The lesson here for me, at the minimum, is that we teach our children how to honor by how we honor:

“Tonight was prom. And as we come to a close on Colton’s Senior year, I am once again reminded that behind every great older brother (in our house) is a younger brother who is equally as great. What memories they have made! How they have cherished one another….

I have watched them build forts, igloos, homemade weapons (In case they were ever stranded out in the wilderness). They have fought together, prayed together, cried together, laughed together – grown up together.

They have been roommates. Teammates. Schoolmates. Partners in crime…they are the epitome of what brothers should be. And I am so proud. So. Dang. Proud.”

Colton Quinn you are an amazing big brother. You are Just. Who. AJ. Needed. No one could have done the job as his big brother better than you. In your outlandish way, you brought out the best of him. You showed him that it was ok to be himself. And when he felt the world was against him, you would lift him up. God knew just what He needed. And AJ Quinn, you have been a silent strength. An unwavering constant that was a safe place for Colton to grow and learn that love doesn’t care about differences. A listener. An encourager. You’ve brought him peace – and balance. What a gift you are to one another!!”

Kira, Steph and Casi: Your words and heart are a profound lesson for us all. THANK YOU!

I hope this post gave you some ideas on how to dig deeper in honoring. No matter what, I hope that all of you will take some time this week to offer up a bit of extra honor to your children, or another loved one that could benefit!

Celebrate big this month: Congratulations, graduates!

I am a huge sucker for good commencement speeches. My sister was telling me about Will Ferrell’s graduation address to USC and, of course, that has to be an instant classic. We all need more humor and I am confident that most USC grads were beside themselves with excitement at the notion of Mr. Ferrell joining their celebration!

Although I’m sure that was terrific, I prefer the graduation speeches that are a bit more poignant. A bit more hit you right in your spirit, lump in the throat, type advice and inspiration. Something I can sink my teeth into.

I really love this quote from J.K. Rowling. It speaks to us no matter our age or degrees are – or perhaps are not. I sit firmly in the camp that we are all gifted with everything we need to CHANGE THE WORLD. IMAGINING the POWER that this idea has is something to really think about. What if God has already given me everything I need to make the impact I am supposed to make? To CREATE A LASTING LEGACY? To truly change our world for the better in my lifetime?

I hope today you will think of the POWER YOU HAVE. To join the thousands of graduates worldwide and just IMAGINE the possibilities… no matter your age. I am betting that we can add some significance to this day if we all do so.

(Most of today’s blog is a repeat from last year. It is also dedicated to my son Sam (the reason for spartan, of course), who graduates this weekend from Michigan State University. We all stand with you as you celebrate a key moment in your life. It is pure joy to be your mom. Surely, the greatest gift from God has been you and your brothers. We all love you! Celebrate and then go out and imagine, create and impact our world!)

Raise your hand!

Today is the day to look around and assess those who surround us. Both at work, home and in our circle of friends and neighbors.

Name and claim those who inspire you to be better… those who give you strength and inspire your happiness. (Note: This does not mean they are perfect every day, but that they overall add richness to your world.) 

Now, identify those that don’t even come close. These may be those that never say “good morning” or who  engage in life from the perspective that the world circulates around them.

Now, after you have both lists, there are decisions to make. If you find yourself in a position where you simply can’t dodge the situation, the great news is that you can set the tone for how you personally are going to engage. Even the crankiest of people find themselves in a bit better mood when they are surrounded by positive energy and people who care. (They may seem annoyed, but inside, we all need this…) If they are someone that you find yourself spending time with by choice, than by all means it’s time to put a stake in the ground and realize that you truly don’t HAVE to spend your precious time in this way. (Remembering that life is indeed short and it is ours to decide how to best live our days.) 

The point of today’s thought is that we need to live inspired. We have a decision on how we show up and who we allow to impact us. Don’t settle and soak of those strength givers.

Never underestimate the importance of reassurance

Sharing is caring… Always a truth I fully support. I read something similar to this phrase recently and I had an internal  “standing ovation,” which inspired me to share!

To me, this may be the most important reminder we all get this week, or heck, even this month. Taking the time to reassure one another is so important to a healthy community. The best leaders get this. Parents do this often when children are younger, but need to remember that at all ages we need this. Friends and colleagues… that’s where we see this most in our daily lives. Who can you reassure today? Be creative.

  • The UPS man/woman who delivers your Amazon packages could use a thank you for a job well done.
  • The front desk team member who welcomed you and had you complete that “annoying” paperwork. (I assure you, they didn’t want to ask you to fill it out again either…)
  • The grocery store clerk that is starting hour 8 of a 10-hour shift?

I hope that you have strong wrap to the week! Thank you for taking a moment or two to read these heartfelt insights.