To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Inspiration

Raise a glass to those that help you be you!

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

As we all get prepared to spend the next few days with those we love, and that God has surrounded us with, I thought this quote was ideal.

Acknowledging those that help us along the way – that cheer us on through prayer, kind words or even constructive criticism – is so very important. It takes a bit of extra time and thought, but being intentional about this can truly deepen your relationships and increase your own happiness.

There are times when we get overwhelmed with people or processes – or just life. If we can stop and take time to write out the reasons we appreciate those people it really shifts our thoughts to the positive.

I think I’m going to write a letter of blessing to my boys and maybe a few others. I am also going to spend some time during the pre and post-holiday meals to thank those that have had true meaning in my life, such as my grandma Zillhart. Every year, she pretty much stuns us all with the most amazing prayer of gratitude before our family holiday meals. That simple prayer enriches the lives of my boys and myself. The little things… they are the big things.

I hope that you will take time to “call out” those who help you achieve your best and if you’d like I know the readers would love to hear your story!

Joy is a function of gratitude and gratitude a function of perspective

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This phrase stopped me in my tracks. I was simply reading yesterday’s advent message and I had to take a moment to let this idea soak in. I get the idea that once we are grateful we can be more joyful. That seems simple to grasp. If I can understand how blessed I am and call those areas out, my life is happier and more joyful.

The second part hit me, because I think since gratitude does have to come first and we have to realize it’s not that simple if your perspective has shifted. Like most of you, I have many friends and family that have a different perspective due mainly to unfathomable loss that they have experienced. This can be in their health or of someone they care for, loss of a relationship, or even the sudden loss of a loved one. THESE REAL LIFE REALITIES NO DOUBT SHIFT your perspective and possibly can get some stuck in “neutral.”

This “neutral” creates, in some situations, not necessarily a heart nor soul that is ungrateful but a heart that can’t quite get to full gratitude and joy. After all, the pain is real, and our human nature causes us to not easily hurdle over pain to shouting joy to the world.

So, what to do? As you know, the goal of my writing almost always goes back to how to best SERVE WELL in our homes, communities and workplaces/schools etc. We really need to remember that we have an entire world around us that isn’t feeling joyful during this season. We need to maintain an empathetic PERSPECTIVE and do what we can to be that smile and that listening ear to possibly help move someone out of neutral and into gratitude & ultimately joy.

Have an amazing holiday weekend!

Who is that one person….?

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

Who is that one person that you meet with BUT not often enough? That person that no matter what, when you do get to share a conversation, they make you better? You leave smiling. You walk away going, “wow, I’m blessed.”

This question is a bit of a trick question, because at least for me, there is no way I could narrow this down to one person. Now, let’s make this a bit more difficult and unless there is absolutely no one else, let’s not think of dear friends or neighbors we see often, or immediate family members.

I did this little exercise a couple of weeks ago; reached out and scheduled lunch… AND, THIS IS THE WEEK. I get to meet with three of the coolest people and boy am I excited!

There is not much that should make us more “JOY CENTERED” than being with those people that most certainly God placed in our path for a reason, to change us for the better and create a life fulfilled.

Your challenge today is to at least come up with one…reach out and put it on the calendar.  A walk in the snow, a mid-day coffee break, a meal to break bread with those you love. Make it happen! I’d love to know if you joined me on this challenge.

Simple thoughts Sunday: JOY

(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

I love the JOY of this picture. I’ll never forget the first real snow my dog experienced years ago. She ran, galloped, rolled and literally jumped INTO THE JOY. This is our opportunity this week. It’s Advent week three and the theme is JOY.

As Christians, we begin to let the season sneak into our hearts. No matter your faith, we all find ourselves singing along to favorite Christmas songs… ‘Baby it’s cold outside,’ ‘Mary did you know,’ Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is you,’ and the ol’ faithful songs like ‘O Holy Night.’

Those famous lyrics seem to GENERATE JOY and a feeling that something “is different” about today – about the season we are in. It IS DIFFERENT. It’s special.

As you go into your week, my prayer is that you will not only find JOY AROUND EVERY CORNER, but that you will EMBRACE the reason for this season.

For those who want to go deeper, the following is the Prayer of Peace of St Francis of Assisi (St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history (had to look that one up). Even though this was written likely in the late 1100s, it stands true today.) 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is discord, union.  Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, HOPE.

Where there is darkness, LIGHT.

Where there is sadness, JOY.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!

Don’t settle down, stay hungry

(Photo Creds: We Heart It: Trialing a new app “Text on Photos”- thanks for being my test market!- Cool pic though!)

Stay Hungry!

Stay Healthy!

Stay Strong!

BELIEVE!

Go Beyond what you THINK you can do!

We all have these limits of what we think we can do. Depending on how we live and how our environments are, some of us think that at age 50 it’s time for a major slow down… get out the wool sweaters and boot covers and settle in for the winter. No use going out unless you have to, right? Others at 80-years+ are out shoveling others’ driveways, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and embarking on their latest adventure. What is the difference? It comes down to mindset. We ultimately decide how we are going to respond and how we want to live our days. WE HAVE A CHOICE.

I know some of you may push back and say that your schedule, an illness, injury or other situation has impacted you, and that may well be true. However, there are stories for those same examples from people who have faced the most enormous physical and mental challenges and CHOSE to live a full life anyway, IMPACTING the world around them in a positive way, and inspiring us all in the process.

A friend was telling a story last week about their first visit to the gym to meet with a trainer. They showed up and told the trainer, they “didn’t do” leg exercises or ab exercises. The trainer went on to begin work on arms with a pull-up set. My friend explained, “I can’t do those either, so let’s move on.” The funny thing is that of course they could do all of these things, once they made up their mind. Slowly but surely, a small step at a time, they not only did them, but did them well. (By the way, I’m pretty sure I shared that same story line with my friend…) The bottom line is that we need to NOT SETTLE and push through our mental blocks in order to achieve our best selves.

This is a terrific time of the year to begin to audit our lives. Where are we winning and where do we need to fire up the engines? What are we afraid of and what is standing in the way of us being our best? Once we can identify them, we can begin to develop a plan to overcome and ACHIEVE the best year ever in 2017. IT IS OUR CHOICE!

(By the way, I have been doing this gym thing for a couple of years now, and I still STRONGLY DISLIKE “LEG DAY.” I do it because I want to be strong so I can achieve my life goals…  Message here: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIKE EVERYTHING… Just decide you will do it anyway for the benefit it provides!)

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! 

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Peace through obedience

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(Photo Creds: Billy Graham advent devotion)

Advent week two: Last week was focused on ARRIVAL.  The meaning of the Advent season and how to begin to prepare our hearts to truly understand the significance of this season in our lives. Week two is officially focused on PEACE, a truth that is top of mind for people all over the world. How do we get more of this? How do we participate in ensuring or improving PEACE? Big questions, without a straightforward answer. For that reason alone, we are compelled to go to God in prayer for his direction and guidance.

While preparing for this blog, I found this wonderful insight from the Reverend Billy Graham. His wisdom has always created a stir in my heart. This idea that we need only look at the beginning of the Christmas Story, where Mary and Joseph showed us how to gain peace around what seemed to be an impossible situation. What did they do? They listened and were obedient to God’s call on their lives. Please know that this was not without some initial push back (Joseph wanted to cancel their engagement), however, ultimately both followed the plan and had faith in the unknown. The result was a situation that escalated from unbelievable to scary to creating absolute wonder and awe.

As we think about the season we are in and try our best to embrace the moments of quiet, and those of joy and yes… even chaos, I pray that we remember that we can achieve PEACE throughout the year by being obedient. By listening and using our gifts that he gave us to best serve our communities and families.

Welcome December 2016! Opportunities to love, serve and sacrifice!

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(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

It’s December! Can you believe it? Part of me feels like it’s been a super long year, and the other part feels that we are just getting started. Regardless, it is HERE and I’m ALL IN.

December provides us this AMAZING time to SHINE THE BRIGHTEST! Perhaps my favorite part of this month is that there are so many OPPORTUNITIES to LOVE, to SERVE, and to SACRIFICE for the benefit of those in our daily lives.

This weekend is the IDEAL TIME to truly sit down and be thoughtful about who those people are and creatively come up with a way to express that to them this month. Although the family is top of mind, there are so many people that make our days and ultimately our years rich and meaningful. December offers us a perfect chance to make sure they know how much their silly jokes or simple smiles make our lives joyful.

Of course this isn’t about spending extravagantly unless that is your choice. A hand written note, handmade item, or home cooked “anything” are ideal gifts of thoughtfulness. A meal together or any type of invested time is the best. It’s all about expressing and showing love.

Join me on this exercise this weekend. I’d love to hear your outcomes. Heck, I may get started today.

Some ideas:

A trip to the local fire or police station with a thank you note and some cookies or pizza…. Something to show that you notice their contribution and are grateful! (I have a friend that does this and I think it is so inspiring!)

Of course I try not to forget the hair stylist and all of those folks most of us need to feel and look our best.

What about the postal workers, cleaning crew at work, garbage collectors, medical offices…. And of course the teachers…

How about those that work for the non profits and are so busy raising funds and planning activities that they get overlooked?

So many options…maybe between all of us, EVERYONE CAN FEEL LOVED THIS DECEMBER!

Out of the chaos….

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

(Photo creds: We Heart It)

This could be my hand, but it isn’t. I know that on Sunday, my insight was on the importance of focusing on the season – the true meaning, the richness, the depth… I do believe that by the way, and I am absolutely counting on it this year.

Today however, I want to expose the very idea that we are human. Not only that, but humans in a potentially hazardous world. A world thriving on “being busy,” capitalism, etc. We all would like, from time to time, to get in the car (preferably a fantasy car; something fast, fun and that meets our every need with a great stereo, warmth and cooled seats) and drive right out of the city… out of town… out of the chaos.

The very idea of being surrounded by family offers both a deep sense of warmth and gratitude, and a bit of a stir to get the heck out of dodge. To run from the possible side conversations and dinner table topics that could ignite a family disaster. I mean, who really did you vote for? You get the idea. Who wants to upset their favorite uncle anyway? Isn’t it better to just get the heck out before you say what you really feel.

This isn’t limited to family. This is true for work, and I love my career. That doesn’t mean however, that there aren’t more than a few days that I want to jump in a getaway car and have some extraordinarily fun accomplice drive me out of town to some getaway; one that offers a reprieve from crazy people and processes that just might bury a less-strong person.

I hope you all can identify. So, here is the insight for the day: take a drive.

Leave before the chaos reaches the front porch. (Too often, we follow the Darwinian approach and dive right in… but not today.) We have this freedom that we don’t use often enough. Pick a friend that you feel yourself with… It may be a 7-year-old niece, a college roommate or a work colleague. Get in the car and DRIVE. Even if you just drive to Fort Scott (if you are in my neck of the woods, that’s due south and only a one hour and seven minute drive. Approximately one tank of gas – who knew… It’s the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas… Does that mean we could get a quality cocktail there?)

My point…We all need to get away.

We all need a good friend, be it family, chosen family or a great coworker who will help us reset.

We all need someone to jump into the chaos with us… but only for a little while.

The world needs us to come back to reality, but if you need to get out, get out. I personally need to do it more often. Heck, I know I’ll find a fun boutique or road-side diner that will make my day for sure. I also know, that by driving out of the chaos, that I’ll be a better person when my GPS takes me back home.

It will for sure help me to hit ‘reset’ and be able to not only live in the chaos of the season, but to thrive in it. To connect and to grow… To achieve that expectancy that I indeed truly strive for.

Thelma and Louise, anyone?

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Expectancy

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(Photo Creds: We Heart It)

What a terrific photo. I love the expectancy of children. As we grow older – and especially because I have the joy of watching my boys come of age – I am more and more aware of how we lose this feeling of excitement.

This season quickly consumes us with apps eagerly sharing the greatest new “deal,” dinners, shopping, movies, etc.  As cool as that can be, I long for deeper moments of connection and a true focus on the meaning behind this incredible season. (By the way, it may be slightly more than a longing… a bit more like a full-out sprint from the “mall,” so to speak, and into the welcoming refreshment of reveling in sheer HOPE. Hope for a world free of illness, sadness and brokenness in general.)

For Christians, the Advent season starts today, signaling the four-week countdown to celebrate the birth of the messiah, who brings us this hope. For others, the season is equally rich in meaning and I love that I am a part of a diverse community. Most of all, we all come together to unify around family and the best parts of the human spirit: giving, celebrating… enriching our world.

My great hope today is that we will all choose to make this year, 2016, the year we truly take this time and this season to become as expectant as children. To relish in what the season has to offer.

Dear God, provide us with your heart, and the joy and expectancy of a child.