To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Football

Simple Thoughts Sunday: March out BOLDLY

Thank you to the @chiefs app for the image

By far one of my favorite parts of being at Arrowhead (or really any football stadium) is when the players run on to the field from the locker room. The Kansas City Chiefs come out with fire and smoke and the environment is electric! They march out with straight-up bravado and an obvious pursuit of winning. Isn’t that what we all want each day? To “suit up” and go after it? To be confident and bold in our knowing that no matter what the day brings, that God has provided for us all that we need?

One of my favorite parts of having the fortitude (yes, for me it takes endurance to plow through year after year) in reading the Bible and trying to get to a deeper understanding is that you happen across the most amazing scriptures. They seem to be freshly planted just for me for this moment in time. I came upon one of those this week, and it couldn’t be more relevant for the launch of a new year and a new season.

“Don’t be afraid, DON’T WAVER. March out BOLDLY tomorrow, GOD IS WITH YOU.” (2 Chronicles 20:17 MSG)

I have learned not to take one scripture out and shine a light on it, without understanding and being sure the context is appropriate. Sure enough, this one is spot on. The topic is of a battle, where God is basically saying, “this is not yours to fight.” What if we prayed this prayer in the face of our concerns, challenges, fears? What if we put it in our phone and on our refrigerators or bathroom mirrors, as a reminder… “Dear God, I pray that I won’t be afraid, that I won’t WAVER, that I WILL MARCH OUT BOLDLY, and know that you are with me, no matter what me or my family faces today,” or “Dear God, I pray that our country, despite the many tensions we face, that our leaders and communities will not WAVER… but will see that this is your battle and they will MARCH OUT BOLDLY, and ask you to center them and be with them.”

I find great power in this. I find it to be a perfect reminder, that we should be praying boldly. Like in this story, God has repeatedly said that He will fight our battles… If we can make praying this scripture an intention this week, I feel it could be a game changer. No matter what happens on the “field” today or on the “fields” of our lives, we can know that God is with us. That, my friends, brings so much peace and joy.

Sending you BIG LOVE and BOLD PRAYERS today as I write this.

Strengthen your spirit today

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

What a lovely scene in the picture above. The sun and the strength of the thoroughbred painted across a beautifully calm pasture.

The Kentucky Derby would have been this weekend. The picture is from the Claiborne Farm Instagram account. Claiborne is a part of the “Derby” story with over a century of success in raising up the most-beautiful and incredibly-fast horses. I love their history, attributing their success to “adhering to the best principles of stewardship of the land, the horses, and the sport…” Stewardship. Today’s post is around this idea of how we “steward” our light… What we offer up to our own souls and those God has surrounded us with on our journey. So, how well are you stewarding today?

By the way, a quick Google search helps frame up this role of a “steward” as: “A person who looks after the passengers on a ship for example… A person responsible for/managing…” Essentially, a person faithfully looking after what God has given him or her to protect and even grow.

Shaping the path of any given day requires a commitment that we make to ourselves. We make this silently, in the quiet of our meditations or prayers as we go to bed and rise each day. The thoughts that we allow to run wild as we drive, or walk or otherwise navigate our cities and communities. Pastor Adam Hamilton shares that he asks each morning that God would be with him on his mission for the day. I find that to be profound. I find that any power to steward well comes from God speaking through me, whether by word or action.

We have this enormous opportunity to “be the light.” As we go into this week and this season, let us be mindful that this is a gift and that it requires a steadfast dedication as it has for centuries on end, for everything and everyone from thoroughbred horse breeding operations, to NFL football clubs, to local business owners; to teenagers, seniors and every age in between… We collectively can bring the brightest light together if we choose. I pray that our actions bring forward the most powerful joy and light to all around our community.

Easy is an ambush (a snare, a trap)

I especially love this synonym I found for easy: idiot-proof. 

When it comes to some basic things, like fixing a running toilet or a non-threatening sound coming from my car, easy is exactly what I’m looking for. This post isn’t about that.

I have to say, it’s really hard for me not to want to go straight to game day examples since we are coming right off of the BIG WIN, but I will resist because there are plenty of wonderful writers and thinkers filling our tanks with those strategies. (And I love every minute of it!)

Bringing us into focus, getting past our human desires to find comfort (Comfort food, anyone? Too many long & lazy weekends? An extra hit on the snooze button?) and to creating our best lives, we have to quickly get to the reality that easy truly is an ambush. What is an ambush? A surprise attack … that’s the primary definition. Something that sneaks up on us, like a surprise bill we weren’t counting on. Or consequences of a project we didn’t quite get to, or a health issue brought on by too many easy choices.

Idiot-proof should be the last thing we are looking for. We should instead be building our capacity, our skill set, moving toward healthy relationships and optimizing our energy. Those things require excellence and not ease. They require discipline, seeking great coaches, doing the deep thinking, hard work and praying.

Let us not be snared by the easy, but rather commit to going all in with all we have to be prepared, strong, healthy and at our very best in whatever season we are in.

I won’t ever get over the excitement of our Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LIV win!! I hope their effort inspires us all to keep throwing the ball downfield no matter what comes our way!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Be God-struck, own your joy (A lesson from our own KC Chiefs!)

This super fun celebration photo on Instagram showcases pure joy and owning the moment. Did you know that God truly wants us to be explosive in our joy? I just love that. Sometimes I hear people say that the Bible is too serious and doesn’t apply to life as we know it in this generation. I have to challenge that because even Jesus, when he walked on earth, was a party-goer early and often. Dining with friends, family and community and celebrating in many scriptures. After all, he had a tremendous story to live out and it was worth a full expression of joy.

In Psalms, which is a great place to start if you haven’t ever dived into the Bible, there are so many references to this truth. I love Psalm 126, which helps us see joy played out. The best part is that it is not imposed joy. It is not for one person, it is not for the naturally joyful, but for all of us. It is found when our lives are tethered to God’s and a deep knowing that joy isn’t found in vacations, new clothes, the latest technology… or whatever we like to think will fill us up.

I love that Patrick Mahomes and other team members realize this and use their platform in a humble way. Patrick has not been shy about sharing his faith, and has been clear that he’s not putting on a show for Chiefs Kingdom, but that he’s playing for God.

“Obviously I want to win every game, but I’m glorifying Him every single time I’m out there,” he said this week on the road to Miami. His ability to bring this energy to the team and to a world-wide stage is beyond powerful. I for one, absolutely love that he is able to be both God struck and joyful, both in the grit and the glory.

I believe we should all play out our days with that exact mentality and focus. In fact, I’m praying right now that we will do just that! Let’s bring our best self to every project, conversation and effort and be God-struck and own our own joy along the way!

You gotta fight…

You gotta fight… for your right… to PARTY!

Who knew the Beastie Boys would come alive strong on Sunday night! A blast from the past, and a timely and on-point reminder brought to us by the Kansas City Chiefs post game celebration and Travis Kelce. Incredible! 

We all know this is true if you stop and think about it. We don’t just get to celebrate big – to toast to small or great wins – without first serving up some time, sweat and often massive effort (AKA, fight!). 

Winning in 2020 (and every day) starts with a certain rigor, and the decision to not settle for anything less than excellence.

Excellence in our routine…

Excellence in our personal wellness…

Excellence on both large and small platforms…

It is indeed first a decision, and then a commitment to doing whatever it takes each day to bring us to our highest levels.

Where do you need to fight? Where do you need to go deep and build a strategy to ensure excellence? 

As you hopefully saw in Sunday’s historic and epic celebration… the ability to celebrate (or as Travis Kelce said this weekend, paaaaartty) makes all of our efforts absolutely worth every ounce of hard work.

Have the most incredible wrap to your week!

Heading into the season with a spirit of prayer and expectation

The saying above is beyond powerful. Let it saturate your soul.

Prayer is a first response. Prayer is a gift that can help us open up so many gifts it’s truly incredible. Prayer offers us a companion to…

  • Show our adoration & gratitude 
  • Intercede for others
  • Seek guidance 
  • Deliver us from self focus
  • Confess our misgivings and concerns 
  • Simply share our heart … (and so much more)

I have unintentionally strayed from a rich prayer life. Upon reflection, it is simply due to allowing life’s everyday distractions to consume me, edging me off center. I found the book “ The Battle Plan for Prayer” in my bedside table last week. It’s been waiting there for me. The book is part of the War Room project, which included a fantastic movie reminding us of the power of prayer. When I was in Columbus for Thanksgiving, my son had a prayer board in his room with various prayers and scriptures pinned up that he wanted to lean into. This was the point of the movie. (The “war” room is essentially the prayer closet.)

I am always fascinated by the ways God speaks, but never surprised. Right in my direct path, two reminders to nudge me toward perhaps the most powerful tool I have ever found in order to center me and give me direction and hope: PRAYER–

As we launch into December, it is the ideal time to lock into what we know is absolutely true for us… Seeking the roots of our life and spending our physical and emotional energy to ensure we finish the year strong and move steadfastly into God’s plan for us in the new year. I want my prayer life to go deep again; to truly start each day with the power of that connection, and never to consider it an add on to my days if time allows. How about you?

On this CHIEFS Sunday, and the first day of December, my prayer is that you will have one of those holiday seasons that you find yourself taking in wonder at every turn. What a gift this season is!

Immersing ourselves in all seasons! (Bring on the fall leaves & eventually even the snow!)

There are some seasons of our lives we would rather just skip over. Some actual seasons, such as winter, that we may be compelled to do the same. (I’ll take the first snowfall and then give winter back…).

The idea of not skipping seasons hung with me for a bit, and I thought it may with you as well. I have found, through reflection, that all seasons are important and frequently critical to my personal development and ability to succeed better in the next phase. Whether that growth be emotional, spiritual, financial or professional. If I would have somehow been able to skip them or chose not to grow through and with them, I flat out wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t have the inherent wisdom I may have gained, and I certainly couldn’t share it, with the idea of helping others through a similar passage.

I have always believed our lives evolve with an intentional plan. A plan that God put into play when he designed this crazy beautiful (and also, separately, crazy & beautiful) world we live in. I believe we learn best from others sharing their journey and when we live out the seasons head on, taking the good …and the “not so much” as they come. When we commit to continuous growth and learning, we can use the stories and experiences of others – and our own – as arsenal to make for an even better season next time.

So…we are in the middle of fall, (AKA football season, all things apple, pumpkin spice, fires, jeans, flannel and, of course, boots!). I’m not sure where this season finds you in your life, but I hope that you will honor it for all it’s worth. Honor it with gratitude and eyes and ears that are wide open to see and hear where you can serve yourself and others the best. Even when the winter seasons come around – and they always do – we can choose to find joy and embrace whatever it is with the spirit of a child, ready to take it ALL ON! 

*Side note, with fall being a busy season, we are changing up the days we post to Wednesday/Sunday from Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday. I'd love your feedback! It is such a gift to be able to write and hopefully inspire, and I (of course) always want to know how I can do that best for those who take the time to read these short insights!

3 reasons to celebrate at work

I love hosting a version of this team-building exercise at work. It is a great example of celebrating others.

You simply take a large flip chart pad and put everyone’s names on them, post across the room, and then others go around with fun colored markers and write down the positive they see in their fellow team members. It is nothing but positive and it accomplishes so much! Both the writer and the receiver feel GREAT in the end!

Today, I’m going to launch a three-day blog series on CELEBRATION. It’s about now in the year when we have gotten ourselves fully in to back to school, the push for year end goal achievement in the workplace or perhaps personally. That ramp up period often means we may forget to stop and recognize we need to simply celebrate small and large moments with our tribes. Today, we focus on your teams. That may be at work, or heck, that may be your classroom, retirement community – whatever!

Let’s dive in…

Here are three really good reasons you should plan a celebration today…

CELEBRATIONS… 

  1. CREATE MOMENTUM! One of my favorite life experiences so far was attending the speed skating event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It was a scene of ongoing celebration. What I learned was that for the Netherlands, speed skating is their national sport, much like baseball or football in America. I loved the sea of orange representing their national colors and the celebration that ensued at every play. The celebration and cheers created momentum and ultimately helped them no doubt to achieve a medal on that winter day! When taking time to celebrate others we are in essence “cheering” them on to their next victory. We all need more victories.
  2. YOUR CULTURE DEPENDS ON IT! The Ancient Greeks initiated the Olympics in great part to promote peace during wartime. It was a chance to pause and allow disparate agendas to come together. The culture of our nations are notably more positive during these international games! I think a terrific example of planned celebrations. A life truth, which is applicable from parenting to the environment we sit in each day is that “what we focus on expands.” If we place our attention on creating a culture where we celebrate each other we are focusing on something we all want to expand and be a part of:generating positive energy, and thus, a positive culture. 
  3. MAKES US ALL BETTER! “A rising tide rises all boats.” We have all heard this, and it’s one to always remember. This one is short, because of how obvious it is: we must be the ones that ‘raise’ the tide. Celebrations are one way to do this!

Have a strong wrap to your week. I’d love to hear how you have celebrated, both small and large! GO CHIEFS ?❤️?.

Meet Myra – When opportunity is really a gift

Chance. Happenstance. Serendipity. Call it what you want, but sometimes you meet someone and truly feel like you may have encountered an angel, or perhaps you think of them as an unexpected gift. I had the opportunity just two weeks ago while traveling and I have to say, I still am feeling the energy from that introduction.

Here’s the thing: I probably only talked to Myra for 30 minutes, if that. (I share that because many times, I feel the best gifts come in the what seems small or seemingly-meaningless moments, and yet if we really allow ourselves to feel, we realize it was a great gift.) She greeted me in the corridors and we shared a walk to our next session. I then seemed to run into her several more times… Her smile, passion for life itself and her commitment to her health and wellbeing literally radiated around her.

Myra is 78 and from New York City where she’s led a full but hectic life. By my recollection of her story, she had been traveling to Canyon Ranch (where our program was) in Arizona for over 20 years. Somewhere early on in those years she decided her health and wellbeing (emotional, spiritual etc) were connected and that she would resolve to live her days out fully committed to being her best self in those areas of her life. Perhaps I saw myself in her story… realizing that her wisdom was something I needed to tune into?

I’m not sure yet what the purpose was for our introduction. Maybe when I go back next year I will meet Myra again and the story will unfold. Regardless, it occurred to me that there is opportunity around us each day if we open our eyes, minds and hearts to the many blessings and gifts that we are given. That simple handshake introduction today to a new colleague, that new staff member at your local restaurant or gas station, the person sitting next to you at your next event… They may be just the gift you need to inspire you to move your life to the next level. We never really know, but to me, it’s worth it every single time to greet someone with care, a spirit of love and a listening ear.

Have an amazing wrap to your week! GO CHIEFS!

The power found in excellence & community

It’s FOOTBALL SEASON! CHIEFS SUNDAY BABY! (I’m more than just a little excited, obviously!)

Thousands of football fans across the country do their best to cheer on their teams each week and quite frankly, the energy is contagious! You know what else is contagious? Excellence! We all gravitate toward people, teams, places, experiences, and products that are amazing, above average, great and … devoted to excellence.

The Kansas City Chiefs are a great example to point to today on the topic. They have been in “build” mode for the past few years, and moving toward excellence. The one thing that stands out to me is that the team has quite clearly shifted toward this incredibly-positive energy that quite literally fuels the community into believing they can achieve whatever they set hearts and minds to. They are bringing forward extraordinary commitment and dedication in support of their goals and the community they play for. The end result is that this attention to excellence in all that they are doing shows up on the field, and that is a beautiful thing!

The COMMUNITY has rallied behind the team’s new attitude and approach and therein lies the POWER of EXCELLENCE. We all want to be part of it… a part of people doing great things, and of organizations that BRING their BRILLIANCE to the field every single day. I’m thankful for Kansas City and its dedication in all kinds of years, including the building seasons that aren’t always too much fun. No matter what you do, or who you find yourself cheering for, I hope you’ll stop for a moment and notice the level of EXCELLENCE and continue to move it forward. It’s a fun thought to think about the power we could generate if we all did this!

Praying for you all to have the best week!

GO CHIEFS!