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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!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Black History Month – Why we must continue to educate ourselves

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I loved this photo because it depicts a diverse and loving community of students. Students who don’t know yet the meaning of “minorities,” nor the impact race, religion or sex have had on the lives of their families and friends.

While, I love that idea, I also acknowledge that we must continue to educate ourselves and future generations on what America’s history looks like, so that we can be sure to learn from the best stories and those that don’t reflect our most shining moments.

This Proverb spoke to the idea of seeking wisdom. I hope all of you would say that wisdom is not only worth finding, but needed now more than ever in our lifetime!

So, on this first Sunday of Black History Month 2017, I hope you prioritize becoming more educated on America’s past and how it relates to us today. Our nation would certainly not be as great as it is today without the diversity and strength of this great community. As we struggle as a country to unify around all manner of issues, let this be a month of gaining the wisdom required to help us reach the next level.

I’m all in.

Some side notes:

In preparing for this blog, I found out some cool facts about African American leaders I didn’t know yet, which reminded of how little I know…

  • Madam C.J. Walker was America’s first self-made woman to become a millionaire. She was considered an entreprenuer and a philanthropist in her time (1867-1919). Isn’t that awesome?! Her product was beauty and hair products… some things never change for us women.
  • Thurgood Marshall was the first African American man appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. He served for 24 years and was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Please note that in 1967, our country was still divided over Civil Rights issues. Bold move by the president and AMAZING COURAGE by the Honorable Thurgood Marshall.
  • In 1992, Dr. Mae Jamison became the first African American woman to go into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. Not only that, but she is a professor, dancer, actress and holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters and the humanities. Can you say POWERFUL?

(Side note: If you haven’t yet made it to see “Hidden Figures” one of the Oscar favorites, you should! The amazing, unheard story of the brilliant African American women who played a key role in NASA for many years. It is a must see for students of all ages.)

Some major, fun lessons you and your family may want to sharpen your minds around this month:

  • The Underground Railroad, a secret network of routes and safe houses used by African American slaves to escape into the free states.
  • Rosa Parks’ story, as well as the many women who lead the Civil Rights movement. Much to my surprise, there are several Rosas – she’s just the one most of us know!
  • Inoculatin (Vaccinations) were introduced to America by a slave named Onesimus.
  • The diverse history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Very cool story, and there are two state-funded HBCUs in Missouri! One in Jefferson City and anther in St. Louis. There used to be a private, religious HBCU in Kansas – Western University – but it stopped operating in the 1940s.
  • One in four cowboys was black… In fact it is believed that the real “Lone Ranger” was inspired by an African American man named Bass Reeves.

Have fun learning. Share your stories if you learn something interesting… I’m sure we will all love it!

Beautiful Chaos! Part 1

blog_712158_2766184_1439861599I love the idea of “Beautiful Chaos”- Our lives are literally filled to the brim with both chaotic and beautiful moments.  I feel the key to living well is to find the ying and yang or balance in these possibly opposing forces. If you have ever been to Times Square, pictured above, it is the essence of BEAUTIFUL CHAOS.

Follow me on this one…

  • Beauty in the… People, Energy, Diversity, Arts (street performers mainly)
  • Chaos in the… Loud Sounds, Imagery, Movement, Smells

This experience hits pretty much all of your senses in a fairly abrasive way. It seems to be non stop.  “The City that Never Sleeps”, right?

Do you ever stop in your work day, fully aware of the barrage of emails, phone calls, texts, and demands of life closing in on you, and still find beauty in the unexpected?

How about this…

Find BEAUTY in… The rush of warm air when you step outside from an ice cold office environment, your co-workers too funny to miss weekend story, the “you got this” encouragement from a leader or friend, or simply knowing that after work you get to do something you love… (That could be family, a good workout,  a great meal, your latest favorite read, or your Netflix addiction.)

There is literally BEAUTY everywhere.  We should challenge ourselves this week to look around and FIND BEAUTY IN THE CHAOS.

Diversity. It’s All About the Mindset.

blog_709681_2763047_1439254327Yep!  you guessed it!  I am taking a major bend in road on the DIVERSITY CONVERSATION, into an entirely different version of the conversation! Since it’s Sunday when most of you are reading this, it’s a good time to focus on our PERSONAL HEALTH, which coincidentally requires some DIVERSITY IN OUR PERSONAL HABITS to ensure we are FUELING our bodies with nutrients that keep us in TIP TOP SHAPE!  

This can get downright complicated and since the image I chose shifted my mind to amazing fruits and veggies, I wanted to include some simple thinking on adding diversity here first!  Plus, it’s always more fun to talk food than working out! With that said,  how many of you can name more than 5 different fruits you have eaten in the past week?  I know I’ve been pretty focused on less than a handful, so I personally get zero points for diversity. Here’s some information that is pretty compelling.

A Colorful Adventure  – an excerpt from an article DIVERSIFY YOUR DIET via Sharecare

Start at the grocery store and spend a little more time than usual exploring the offerings. Hit the produce aisle first, and while you’re inspecting the fresh fruit and veggies, focus on the range of colors. Richly colored plant foods — bright berries, sunny tangerines, and dark green lettuces — each contains protective phytochemicals and antioxidants that help prevent disease and preserve health. These healthful vegetables, fruits, and legumes are often lacking in most diets.

Pick out four or five that you’ve never had before or that you rarely eat, and grab a few of your favorites, too. Make sure you see a range of colors in your cart. The following table will help you appreciate the full range of nutritional power these different colors have to offer.

RED
Tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red potatoes, rhubarb…

Red foods contain lycopene, anthocyanins, and phytochemicals that help lower the risk of some cancers and promote:

  • Heart health
  • Memory function
  • Urinary tract health

BLUE-PURPLE
Blackberries, blueberries, black currants, dried plums, elderberries, purple figs, red grapes, plums, raisins, red cabbage, eggplant, purple peppers…

Blue-Purple foods contain anthocyanins and phenolics, phytochemicals that reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and help promote:

  • Urinary tract health
  • Memory function

YELLOW-ORANGE
Apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, pineapple, tangerines, squash, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, rutabagas, sweet potatoes…

Yellow-Orange foods contain carotenoids and flavonoids, phytochemicals that lower cancer risk and help promote:

  • Heart health
  • Vision health
  • A healthy immune system

YELLOW-GREEN
Avocados, green apples, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwifruit, limes, green pears, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, endive, leafy greens, green onions, okra, peas, green peppers, snow peas, sugar snap peas, spinach, watercress, zucchini…

Yellow-Green foods contain lutein and indoles, phytochemicals that lower the risk of certain cancers and help promote:

  • Vision health
  • Strong bones and teeth

WHITE-GREEN
Leeks, garlic, onions, chives, bananas, brown pears, dates, cauliflower, ginger, mushrooms, parsnips, shallots, turnips…

White-Green foods contain allyl sulfides and allicin, phytochemicals that may reduce cancer risk and help promote:

  • Heart health
  • Healthy cholesterol levels

Time for developing a game plan?  Which are you going to add this week?  I think I’ll hit the city market and let the farmer’s make my decision for me!

Praying for everyone to have an amazing week ahead!

Diversity. Why It’s Important In Our Communities!

blog_709678_2763045_1439250945“If we can change our mindset from “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best person in the job” to “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best team in place,” we will have accomplished a great deal on improving company performance. And we will have accomplished a great deal on increasing opportunity and diversity.”

– Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of Ellevate Network, Former President of Global Wealth & Investment Management, a division of Bank of America. (In other words… IMPRESSIVE BACKGROUND)

TEAMWORK is dependent on DIVERSITY.  Think about it, it’s easy to grasp in sports teams, right?  We can’t have 5 point guards on the court, a field of strikers on the soccer field, or a bunch of defensive lineman on the gridiron.   It simply doesn’t work. We need speed, agility, size, intimidation, and a multitude of other skills.  As every good coach knows, in order to truly succeed we need a team driven toward a unified goal of success.

Today, look at your roster, do your community “teams” (think church, non-profit work, playdates for your children, etc…) represent a diverse group that will ultimately make you  or your family/friend group stronger and better?  If not, take the step today to consider a plan to grow your diversity in the process,increase the likelihood you will make the IMPACT God desired for you!  

Today is short, because honestly, this isn’t difficult. It’s simple and we need to embrace it and ensure it happens where it depends on us!  I leave you today with a great quote from the famous coach Vince Lombardi, who frankly couldn’t have said it better.

“INDIVIDUAL COMMITMENT TO A GROUP EFFORT – THAT IS WHAT MAKES A TEAM WORK, A COMPANY WORK, A SOCIETY WORK, A CIVILIZATION WORK.”

Diversity Makes Us All Better!

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET TO PUT THE BEST TEAM IN PLACE!blog_709670_2763031_1439250228
“If we can change our mindset from “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best person in the job” to “Hey, our goal is simply to put the best team in place,” we will have accomplished a great deal on improving company performance. And we will have accomplished a great deal on increasing opportunity and diversity.”

– Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of Ellevate Network, Former President of Global Wealth & Investment Management, a division of Bank of America. (In other words… IMPRESSIVE BACKGROUND)

This is a topic near and dear to my heart!  I know first hand that Sallie is right! No matter if you are talking intelligence, social ability, income, or race, we all tend to run to the part of the room where folks look and act like ourselves. Science shows that humans are not the only creatures that do this. It’s pretty much every species! If you think about it, no one has probably seen a roly poly hangin’ with a group of ants. It doesn’t happen naturally my friends!

The clear problem with that is it doesn’t allow for the push and pull needed to grow and to make us our best. Spending time with folks from all walks of life is what gives us a more clear point of view in order to optimize our thinking and be our best selves. Things always appear different when you stand back a few feet.

God gave us humans the amazing capabilities to THINK!  So, while the roly polys and the ants likely won’t change, we can, and have a CHOICE and PRIVILEGE to do just that.  I am providing a terrific link below that sums up nicely the top 10 positive RESULTS we can expect from making this a part of our everyday mindset!   This is a work focused list but make no mistake about it, this is true in our personal lives, communities, and homes! We need to make DIVERSITY a priority!  Later this week I will focus on DIVERSITY as a priority outside of the workplace so stay tuned!

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2012/07/12/11900/the-top-10-economic-facts-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/

Simply Kansas City

blog_700735_2752527_1437234082Kansas City has recently gotten some great press –  Ranked one of the top cities in many categories! One of my favorites reported by the Huffington Post via Forbes Magazine… America’s Top 5 Cities to Keep on Your Radar.

I am KC born and raised-  BLUE when the BOYS IN BLUE TAKE THE FIELD (and tonight during the All Star Game!) in the Spring and Summer and ALL RED when CHIEFS FOOTBALL STARTS each Fall!

This week’s theme is KC and as always, I will include some thoughts on what we can learn from the uber cool place we call HOME.

For starters, when I am aching to get out of South Johnson County (South JOCO- which is a great place but sometimes you need the feel of a real city…), I love to go down to the River Market area and enjoy our Farmer’s Market —  It is simply COOL.  The farmer’s, the local music, the aroma of fresh produce and coffee.

blog_698856_2752531_1436827101

On Sundays, the KC City Market has a flea market – strolling through the “booths” and finding unexpected treasures is sure to happen if you like that type of thing.

Here’s where my heart goes when I’m thinking about the “CORE” of KC that is the Rivermarket area —

  1. REAL PEOPLE: KC is home to strong midwestern values and the farmers are what made our city strong for many generations.
  2. CUTTING EDGE: While we might be old fashioned in many of our values and thinking, KC has made a leap forward in recent years in ensuring that our great CITY has world class amenities and industries that ensure growth for many years to come.
  3. CULTURE & DIVERSITY: If it’s music you love, we have it- If it’s art, we have that- If it’s sports, we have it- Great education- check- have that too-  We have diversity galore and within 30 minutes in any direction, a multitude of neighborhoods with their own unique vibe.

I LOVE KC and am PROUD to be have not only been born and raised here but to have raised my children here! If you haven’t been to KC, come for a visit- We will be sure you have a TERRIFIC EXPERIENCE!

 

Live Life to Fullest and then some.

I know, I know, I have talked about graduation once, and this blog is not REALLY about graduation, but since I have three graduates, I guess I may include the thought one more time just to be even… Thanks for obliging me! 🙂

Graduation is such a great time.  It feels like a New Year, a new opportunity to relaunch, to go after the next adventure –  Graduation is FUN and EXCITING and possibly scary!

I have the great privilege of being the mom to three boys that bring so much joy to me that I can’t even believe how good God is!  The funny thing about graduation are the comments that folks make… mostly some version of the comment, “it goes so fast.” –  but I have a different view.

One of my life goals is to always be intentional about whatever I’m doing – The role of parent, makes this even more important.  The future of our country and families rely on it!

Our family attends an amazing camp in Texas called Pine Cove.  I highly recommend your family attends or even your student if you have kids under age 18 – It is simply life changing. Pine Cove was responsible for me becoming super aware of how important it was to sit down and really focus on character development of my own boys. It showed me how I want my family life to truly be – It led me asking, “What story did I want for my boys?”

For me, it was to be men of excellence. Men who were obedient to God and lived out their life’s great adventure in a meaningful way.  In order to achieve this things had to happen, Travel to experience the world, build a spirit of community, and embrace diversity and the power in that – This takes a concentrated effort to build the plan – Much like we do in business.

So, each of the last 13 years (The first 5 were a blur…) that was the goal for my boys and I – To engage FULLY in what life had to offer and work toward the goals. It didn’t go fast – Each year was FULL, AMAZING, and an ADVENTURE.  The good with the bad helps us grow and learn. It has been AWESOME and I can’t wait for the next chapter.

One thing I do know, it take us being intentional, and knowing that GOD WILL SHOW UP.