To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Living Your Passion

#MarchMadness

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

March Madness officially starts TODAY.

The NCAA Basketball tournament dominates the next few weeks for many people. I’m not a huge basketball fan, but it’s so much fun to see people get excited about watching their teams play out their dreams. Here are a few insights on why this time of the year is both magical and “mad:”

  • It seems almost everyone joins the fun: Even if you don’t know a thing about basketball, many people jump on the bandwagon and complete a bracket in an attempt to claim the guessing-the-most-wins prize. Some pick by colors (ahem – that’s me), mascots, season records, and of course there are those who actually know what team could win based on solid criteria. Regardless, it’s a ton of fun!
  • “Scratching your way to the top:” Watching teams come back from a 20-point deficit with five minutes left always leaves me thinking the refs must have their back. Anyone who is a KU fan remembers the 2008 series and Mario Chalmer’s infamous 3-point shot to win the game, after KU shocked the nation with overcoming a 9-point deficit with two minutes on the clock. It’s that kind of drama that makes someone who normally doesn’t care join in around the TV appreciate the ENERGY and VICTORY.
  • EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE – CINDERELLA STORIES: This is the BEST. For a few weeks in March, any team can show up and show off. It’s fun to watch the magic Cinderella videos online, or SportsCenter.  We’ve seen names such as Butler, Wichita State and Davidson come from seemingly nowhere and make an amazing RUN FOR THE BIG WIN.

I hope you’ll spend some time over the next few weeks getting wrapped up in the “MADNESS,” all the while remembering that you also ALWAYS have a chance at achieving the CINDERELLA STORY of your own making! It takes GRIT, PASSION and HARD WORK, but the VICTORY is like none other! Enjoy your weekend!

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.

What stories do you want to tell and create?

(Photo Creds: We Heart It. I’d love to give further credit for the photo, but the app doesn’t give details… folks, I know this is a professional photo and I give full credit.)

I am a total sucker for award shows, especially the speeches. Speaking from the heart… those are the ones I love. If you joined me watching the Oscars on Sunday evening there were many. The humble and selfless speeches were plentiful and endearing. My favorite was Viola Davis’ speech for the best supporting actress win for her role in Fences. I have not seen it, but will.

Viola’s words captured the audience as we hung on to her words. She commanded the audience to listen and gave the “academy” a great window into why they selected her for this award.

What stood out to me, was this tag line. It was the crux of her speech, sharing that she wished to tell the stories of the past – of the dreamers who died too soon, people who fell in love and lost, so to speak. What a worthy question for us all.

What kind of stories do you want to tell?

With our ONE LIFE, we  have this opportunity to tell and live out really cool stories. To reach into the past as Viola shared, or to CREATE A NARRATIVE ALL OUR OWN – Steve Jobs… Oprah… just a few potential examples.

I love to learn from the past and to be completely overwhelmed by the minds and lives of those in history. I equally love to watch the modern day world take on building on our world’s greatness. I think I want to take my place on the CREATING part. To come up with a new story. One that carves a new path and changes lives for the better.

Did you have a favorite part of the Oscars? (Let’s for sure talk about that ending… wow… live TV is terrific.)

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!

Yes, we can develop GRIT! 4 ways to move forward!

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I just wrapped up reading the bestseller, “GRIT, The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth. It will definitely be on the top of my reading list for this quarter.

I got almost through it, and thankfully there was an entire section at the end devoted to “Growing grit from the outside in.” As I poured through the book, I was hoping it did not say that if you or your kids did not have this critical life skill that you were out of luck. There are plenty of character qualities that are innate, and that are hard to develop if you don’t have them. (At least that’s what they taught me in behavioral management training. Judgment by the way is one of those…)

The great news is that WE CAN DEVELOP GRIT. Whew!

“First and foremost, there’s no either/or trade-off between supportive parenting and demanding parenting. It’s a common misunderstanding to think of “tough love” as a carefully struck balance between affection and respect on the one hand, and firmly enforced expectations on the other. In actuality, there’s no reason you can’t do both,” Duckworth writes.

As a parent of 20-year-old boys, I can say that this is more than true in my experience. Having said that, I think my personality was a little too “supportive.” Of course I demanded respect, and still do, but firmly enforcing doesn’t sound much like my house, which isn’t really a good thing.

Thankfully this blog isn’t about me, but I do feel it’s important to be authentic. My boys are amazing, but perhaps I could do more to impress the critical importance of GRIT. So, what I thought was really cool in this book, was a little segment on “Doing Hard Things.” I did at one time write a blog on this, but a different focus to the concept. Here’s what I found valuable that I hope you get something out of, too:

The author’s family employed a three-part “Hard Thing Rule.”

  1. Everyone, including mom and dad, has to do a hard thing. A hard thing is defined by something that required deliberate practice. (Her example as a mom was that she studies psychological research, but also that she is trying to employ a yoga practice.)
  2. You can quit, but you CAN’T quit until the season is over. Listen up, that means high school and college kids should be “grittier” when it comes to sticking with classes. The hard classes that we all want to relieve ourselves of… YOU MUST FINISH WHAT YOU BEGIN.
  3. YOU GET to pick your hard thing. Nobody picks it for you. Mom and dad, you can’t decide your 10 year old should be a piano player. She really does a nice job of explaining that her kids cycled though dozens of interests to get to something they enjoyed.

They had a fourth added after their children got to a mature age… this was…

4. Must commit to at least one activity, either something new or something they’ve started. In other words, you cannot just decide you aren’t going to actively be practicing something. Think of the natural tendency to stop sports after graduation.

I like this “hard thing” concept and am thinking through how we might approach the idea in our family. Heck, I think all of us can do this. What I really like is that as you get older, you have to push each other to exercise, to stay strong, to sharpen your mind, etc., and that my friends is GRIT. We need to keep growing it at all ages in order to live out our lives of purpose.

If you are a reader, pick up this one. It is truly a game changer.

Simple thoughts Sunday: We can’t do it alone

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

Many of you might know that Exodus is at the front of the Bible. I truly love the lessons I have learned by focusing on Old Testament wisdom over the last several years. It is clear that God knew right up front that we needed some solid advice on how to navigate life. This particular bit of advice is a key message that I can use over and over again. I hope you hear the message speaking directly to you, because I know for sure that many – if not most of us – don’t do this well.

I don’t know what “it” is for you, but I do know that regardless of whether it’s the simple act of getting through the day – sailing a proverbial boat – or a large project like getting out of debt or starting a new business… we are not supposed to get through it alone. We are meant to be a community, bringing others alongside us to accomplish our purpose.

I hope that this week you will put down the phone and think through what areas of your life you might need to delegate with the help of your community at school, work and home to be BETTER than you could be on your own.

Side note: As a mom, I hope all of you parents don’t hesitate to field some work to the kids… They need it… (note the “tough love” language in the verse). Tuesday we talk about developing “grit” in our homes and this is a good step.

Revisiting a post from last January – Consider a Comeback

 

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many consider Lincoln the greatest president in American history. He led the country through its greatest moral and military crisis, essentially saved the country from destruction and directed it toward restoration. Lincoln grew up in meager circumstances, failed at business twice and had what most would call a nervous breakdown. He lost when he ran for Congress, lost twice when he ran for the Senate and lost as a vice presidential candidate. Lincoln was then elected the 16th president of the United States, led the country to reconciliation and won re-election. (Information from the good ole’ Internet – word for word.)

Everyone loves a COMEBACK. Kansas City Royals fans are familiar with comebacks, as our team won the 2015 World Series after losing the 2014 Fall Classic in a heartbreaking game 7. This week, as we are on the topic of “considering” I thought I would share a personal comeback in hopes that it will resonate at some level. Here we go…

To be honest, my personal comeback probably doesn’t fit the dictionary definition of a “comeback,” but to me the word describes my story perfectly. So here it is… Nearly three years ago (now four). I left my career of leading what is considered by many (and for sure me!) Kansas City’s premier medical practice. Leaving was SO HARD, but I felt called to join Humana, which is where I am today. (I’d be happy to share offline the details of that with anyone who wants to hear it,) Just know that it was definitely a calling, or else I wouldn’t have considered leaving. The people I worked with and the mission we served was AMAZING.

Since I felt that I was supposed to be in this new role I had this crazy expectation (That may very well become a new blog post… rereading this brings forth the idea of how do we even get these “crazy expectations,” and how can we temper or address them) that the experience was going to immediately be incredible. I was going to pop in and get to work, add value to the company and grow professionally. I was seriously shocked that it didn’t play out that way at first. It felt like I landed in an unfamiliar city, half-way around the world, without knowing the language, the landmarks, or really anything that I could understand, let alone contribute to- As you all probably know by now, it is REALLY important for us all to feel that we are doing meaningful work, contributing at our highest level!

I struggled and learned, navigated new waters and created some new pathways. The experience was one I wasn’t familiar in my career, and one that I am not sure I want to experience again. At almost the two year mark (note: patience is not my greatest strength) the path finally became more clear. (update: I still don’t have a good amount of patience and the path is clear on most days…) I had a new leader which was a key factor, but more importantly I was finally contributing and bringing value to the team and company at a level I was comfortable with. To me, this was a MAJOR comeback.

One important part of this story is that I stuck it out. I’m still sticking it out. When you know you are supposed to be somewhere, whether it’s a relationship, a career, a healthy living path, or anything else it is important to be obedient and stick with it, but most importantly, to MAKE the COMEBACK that helps you get to where you feel you are MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

COMEBACKS are IMPORTANT. Do you have a comeback story? Maybe you are in the middle of one? It’s HARD, but the HUMILITY factor grows, and that my friends, is a critical character quality to hone!

Why I do the Daniel Fast every January….

(Photo Creds: We Heart It. One of my all time favorite activities was going dogsledding in Colorado. It is not only beautiful but watching the dogs do what they love is incredible. I want to have the energy to pull through and achieve my 2017 purpose, which is why this photo appealed to me so much! If you make it out to Colorado or anywhere where there is snow this winter, please try to find somewhere to dog sled…it’s an incredible adventure.)

I started out on Sunday with the “paths” that God may take us down this year… knowing fully that “whatever” they may be that we are covered. He is with us and surrounding us at all times with just who and what we need to not just survive, but to serve well.

About 5 years ago, I became friends with a group of wonderful people that introduced me to the Daniel Fast. Now, before you freak out and think I am not eating at all, please be assured, I AM and if you join me, you will actually enjoy it! (That was for you mom.)

The Daniel Fast is focused on the Old Testament scripture where Daniel refuses to eat the “rich food and wine” and despite that, he and his friends end up healthier and stronger than their fellow soldiers. The idea is that we should turn our focus to eating primarily plant based foods (no sugar, white flours, dairy nor meat) for 21 days and, at the same time, our attention should be on hearing what God may have in store for us. I do this every January usually from the 1-21st. There are many that do this starting the 8th, so it’s really just like anything else, a personal decision.

So why did this intrigue me and why might you want to consider it? Since I’ve trialed it for you and many ask me over the year, I thought it may be a worthwhile blog topic. Here’s the main reason:

The fast allows me to REFOCUS and, at the same time, RESET my physical health.

  • REFOCUS: By turning off social media for the most part and my attention on books, podcasts and other opportunities to learn and grow personally, I am able to remove the distractions that limit me from being my personal best.
  • RESET: You may be one of those people that eat healthy 24/7, 365 days a year, but I’m not. I try to go for the 85/15 rule, but it’s probably closer to 70/30 and that may be generous. This fast removes anything bad and allows my body to have time to recover and reset. Over the pasts 5 years I have given up any soda and sweetened tea or coffee and have a much higher knowledge and palette when it comes to sugar in general. It is truly amazing how much sugar is in everything. This RESET is AWESOME and the best thing I do all year for my mental and physical health. (As a side note, there have been a few years that I have done this again midway through the year… it’s just that good.)

For those of you who want more information, by all means please message me. There are books, blogs, websites, pinterest, etc. that offer us recipes and other inspiration focused on the Daniel Fast. A simple Google search goes a long way!

I’d love to hear any stories you all may want to share, and also if you do something like the Daniel Fast, please let us all know!

A game plan for having more energy!

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(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

Who doesn’t need more energy? I know, I know, there are some of you who drink 10 cups of coffee a day and seem to be able to move through the day like a modern day superhero.

Some joke that I have an enormous amount of energy… As I age, I am thinking “what the heck is going on?” It’s true, I’ve always felt that most times, I have more than enough energy to conquer the days, but not so much now. This is a frequent conversation point among friends and colleagues that feel the same way. It also seems that regardless of age, it’s a concern… maybe our world has just gotten so fast-paced and the constant brain drain from our phone usage has caught up with us mere humans.

At any rate, this seemed a timely topic as WE NEED EXTRA ENERGY RIGHT NOW. So, here is a laundry list of energy-boosting tactics we find in every manner of magazine or talk show:

  • Waking up at the same time every day – after getting the 7-8 hours your body needs, of course…
  • Exercising… moving… grooving…
  • Taking multi-vitamins and eating the proper nutrients….

That easy, right? I’m going to throw out a few more specific thoughts, and then I’d love for this to be interactive and have you all chime in with one or two words or thoughts about your own tactics. It indeed takes a village, so learning from one another is ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. Here are some of mine:

  • TAKE A NAP… Yep, I’m a napper. I only do this on the weekends, and when time allows. I make every effort to make time for this. I have learned over time that giving your body this “extra” rest is rejuvenating for the soul!
  • H2O! I kick off the morning with a glass of warm water. I’m not sure where I learned this, but some speaker when I was in my 20s. It’s been a great add to my daily rituals. Give it a try. It’s hydrates you early on and seems to get the blood flowing.
  • GET OUTSIDE! I’m really grateful for my dog, because honestly she makes this SO MUCH EASIER. Getting outside a few times a day, whether heat or cold outside, is just a good thing to do… Tucking my phone away and breathing in the fresh air, looking up at the sky and watching nature evolve through the seasons, is life filling….

Okay… YOUR TURN! 

Why we must be on the look out to STEAL GREAT IDEAS

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(Photo Creds: The Robinhood Foundation, NYC)

Just 2 years after I graduated from high school, successful business man Paul Tudor Jones founded the Robin Hood foundation in NYC with a goal to improve the lives of those who live in poverty.

For 28 years now, the organization has been at it in a unique way, combining investment principles and philanthropy to find, fund and create programs that support their goal. Over time they have expanded to also support relief efforts, such as those needed with Hurricane Sandy. According to last year’s estimates, giving to this foundation provides a 15:1 return on investment, which is significant and a place that donors can feel good about. The key statement in all of that to me, is that they CREATE…solutions, ideas, programs that move toward their mission.

I chose this topic today, because the idea of being innovative is always top of mind for me. One of my personal philosophies has always been to be “ON ALERT FOR GREAT IDEAS.” If you take time to look around – especially outside of your own industry, family or environment – you can count on being INSPIRED and even yes, STEAL THOSE IDEAS and CREATE YOUR OWN from that seed that was planted.

Our communities need all of the INNOVATION that we can create in order to solve the problems and issues of today. I encourage you to embrace this idea, keep your eyes and ears open and MAKE AN IMPACT. If you get some extra time, explore Robin Hood’s website, it’s a cool story.