To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Joy

Entering 2022 with a spirit of JOY

I can’t even! I am so over the moon still about the wedding earlier this month, and I can’t keep smiling. JOY.

I made a note a few weeks ago that I wanted to blog about “entering” a state of joy. It seems so powerful to me, this idea of entering… No matter what is going on in our lives, we have so much to be grateful for. So much joy literally outside our window, in the next room, or a call away. Throughout the year we get beat up a bit, start to feel weary from the activity and the noise, and we often can’t seem to pull away from that feeling. Starting in November, we circle the calendars for Thanksgiving. and somehow turn our minds toward the joy of life.

Here’s a thought: What if we entered every single day in 2022 with joy?

Sure, not every day, year or even decade brings us a wedding, a birth or some other major celebration, but EVERY SINGLE DAY there is so much good to be found. (And YES, sometimes WE HAVE TO BRING IT!)

I have often talked in the blog about the power of a pre-decision. Pretty much everything from building a healthier emotional life or staying disciplined to a physical wellness routine is dependent on if we have made a strong decision and commitment to that practice. So, I believe that we can and SHOULD call out 2022 as the YEAR OF JOY. Entering every room we walk into with the intention of finding and sharing JOY. Bringing a heart of sincere gratitude to our days… quietly starting our mornings with a renewed promise to ourselves to OWN the JOY around us.

I know it sounds a bit over the top, but goodness, after 2020 and 2021, we need an ENERGY SHIFT and that is going to take some crazy joy. Remember flash mobs a few years ago? Those impromptu singing & dance performances where people have fun? SO COOL! Let’s bring those back!

Who’s on this JOY TRAIN with me? I’d love to break down anything that’s been holding us back and doing it with each other is, well, THE BEST! TOGETHER ALWAYS MAGNIFIES.

Sending love and JOY to you all on this third week of ADVENT which just happens to be the JOY CANDLE!

3 strategies to win the day

I am oftentimes reminded that we need to try to win each day, as tomorrow is never promised.

So, let’s jump in with some ideas around this thought!

  1. Start with what winning is to you! What brings you true joy? (Yes, that can include your career, school, etc.) Who are your “must haves,” as in I can’t imagine my life without [enter your closest friends and family names here]?
  2. Audit your schedule, specifically the last 90 days. Does how you spent your time line up with your definition?
  3. Align what your version of winning is with your next 90 days. Schedule that coffee date, start reading that book, connect with what or who fills your proverbial cup.

Here’s to a week filled with owning a life that allows you to full on seek and find joy.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: For the joy that is ahead! (Advent Week 3)

Advent! Week three. The season is pushing through at a phenomenal pace. It seems I barely cracked open my Advent devotional to get prepared (my heart and soul) for the “real reason” for this season and now we are entering week three. I’m probably still on the 20-yard line, and I oh so badly want to go all in with all that Advent has to offer us: Peace that surpasses understanding, love that pours through our every being, and a deep knowing that this period ushers us to experience the greatest gift. “Advent is the season of expectancy, preparation, and longing.” (Tsh Oxenreider)

As I prepared for this, a simple Google search presented this simple and perfect explanation of week three: “For the Joy that is ahead.” And oh boy, I feel that…I sense the build up. I am beginning to feel the energy shift into delight and lighter spirits all around. Hanukkah started this week and my friends who celebrate have been sharing their stories. My friend Nan, posted a message with the classic menorah and Christmas tree merged together with a simple message that said “two celebrations, one hope for peace.” I loved that!

The days of the work year are dwindling and there is a feeling of expectation from young to old… School in all of its forms this year will take a pause at the end of this week for most, and with any luck, our preparations for celebrating those around us will come to a point where we can take a deep and restorative breath.

I hope that you will pause today and focus on all of the crazy good that is ahead. The promises of God surround us in both word and action. In truth, they bring us absolutely everything that we need, (down to the last detail), to fully achieve our purpose and find incredible and true joy in service to others.

Attend to the moment

I haven’t thought about my “one word” for 2020 much this year (that reminder post is coming soon!). This week, it confronted me front and center.

I started Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts” study this week* and in session one my journal entry was, “Attend to the moment.” Hmmm… Sounded familiar. So when preparing for this I let it sink in that my “one word” was “available or present.” Digging a little further, one of my 5 intentions for the year was to “Feel the full expression of joy.” I am presuming that I intended doing that by being more present (i.e. “attending to the moment” more often).

I’ve reflected on this and I’ll give myself a bit of grace here and say I have done better than prior years. Partly that is the season of life I find myself in (If you are raising kids still or knee deep in school work or launching a career, this is truly difficult), and partly, it’s due to some great wisdom gleaned from terrific authors who have mentored me in this area via their work (Voskamp, Lyons, TerKeurst).

My dear friend Gretchen and my sister, Lisa, are role models for me by constantly pointing me to God’s beauty all around us –– often sending snapshots of the sunrise or morning walks. Redirecting ourselves to creation –– to immersing ourselves in the magic that is all around us –– takes a bit of intention, but the payoff is tremendous. Attending to the leaves changing colors, the wind carrying them off, and the animals preparing for winter. That alone is just incredible to observe and a reminder of the simplicity and complexity of God’s creation. All of these things… are gifts that God gives us freely if we simply will be aware.

My “Simple Thoughts Sunday” today is a call for us to truly dive into the season at hand. There is a lot of loss around us –– a lot of noise around so many topics, and yet, we can watch each sunset, knowing that God is in control and that tomorrow brings new hope and an opportunity to attend to finding and delivering joy. Praying you all have an incredible Thanksgiving week.

* It coincides with the season, and I assure you, it’s one of the best books you will read- If you aren’t a reader, jump on the video sessions that started last week, so you can catch up easily.

What legacy do you need to honor today?

What is the definition of legacy? According to the dictionary, a legacy is a gift that is handed down, endowed or conveyed from one person to another. My father gave me the gift of his work ethic and my mother the gift of humor. (One of my favorite experiences with her has been over the past few years, just laughing together. That came later in life, and I mention it because I want people to know it’s never too late to be given a new gift, memory, or profound experience. In other words, your parents or others may not have “bestowed” or even have been able to do so when you were a child, yet the legacy is tremendous whenever we receive it.)

My grandparents endowed their spiritual beliefs and a strong value system, of which me and generations after me will be so thankful. My uncle, gentleness and grace. My sister has given me unconditional love and support no matter what. And my brother, pure happiness with his simultaneously strong and fun spirit.

I can think of teachers who conveyed pure kindness and deep empathy and friends that have given me joy in the face of life’s difficulties. Heck, I can even think of authors and speakers, that have used their gifts to inspire me and spur me on toward growth. All of these and more have strengthened me by sharing their gifts.

I share these to get your minds to stir up those in your life that have impacted you. Those who have made you better and stronger and helped create your story. Legacy is not always from someone who is no longer with us… We can and should in fact take time to honor those who are still present. To acknowledge their impact, express our gratitude and reinforce their purpose. When I was preparing this, I found some insights on writing down your legacy and why you may want to do so …

  1. Embrace how much you have learned from life.
  2. Offer a gift of your learning, experience and values to others.
  3. Tell someone how much they have meant to you and give a blessing.
  4. Recognize what’s most important as you navigate the road ahead

This idea of “Whose legacy do you need to honor” today came from the epic @robinnyc, my favorite Peloton instructor. I hope you will take time to honor someone today who has or is making an impact on your life. Spreading joy is oh so important and today seems like the absolute perfect time to do just that.

Creating a joy list: It just may help you rethink how you invest your energy

I love inspirational thoughts and that often happens when people share their stories and experiences. Podcasts are a great venue for receiving this type of motivation for me. Brené Brown always seems to come through with some deep thinking that leaves me feeling the need to share it with you all... (just in case you don’t listen to her quite yet, I highly recommend her podcast, “Unlocking Us”.)

Last week, she shared that her and her husband created a joy list, and that the process was much harder than they realized. ( To me… this sounds fun after all… hard seemed at odds with that….) She shared that their best moments consisted of experiences such as cooking dinner together. I understand that, because a simple trip to the Saturday Farmer’s market would definitely top my list. They then thought through what she referred to as their “acquisitions” and “accomplishments”...The lists didn’t align, and this is where “hard” came in- an honest conversation that created some new thinking and a change of direction.

Think about purchases you make that are on your “this will make me happy list.” Like, a new sofa, a new outfit, etc., and of course degrees, careers, and so on. For her and her husband, those lists didn’t look the same. Even though it may have been a life-long goal to achieve something or to buy or acquire something, those things didn’t make the “joy list.” Not all together surprising, but yet important. It left me wondering how mine would line up.

While I realize that an acquisition for example can bring joy… (a beautiful and comfy sofa can make me quite happy actually) – it is important to recognize that what delivers true joy may be in conflict with all of the focus we bring to obtaining, seeking, acquiring. It is quite possible that a shift toward those “value creation” moments that weave together and create our best days… and ultimately our best lives is the best use of our energy.

This project may in fact be worthwhile for you to do individually, or with your family. No question the investigation itself will provide you valuable insights. What creates the most joy? Let’s do MORE of that, and align our time, resources and energy around building lives of joy.

Celebrating the little things

I want to throw it back a little bit to an old post, but with a new spin for you. Back in August 2017, I talked about how important it is to celebrate the little things. In fact, I said so in the context of the eclipse!

But three years later, this concept feels even more relevant, as we all are looking for little silver linings amid what sometimes feels like chaos. I personally need to do a better job of celebrating small moments.

I actually used to always have a bottle of pink champagne in my refrigerator to have on hand to celebrate the little things in the lives of our family, neighbors and colleagues. My friend and blog helper, Ashley, tells me that she has a system to celebrate the small wins: She buys champagne, and tapes a piece of paper with a goal onto it. When she hits the goal, she pops the bottle. How cool?

How else can we make celebrating easy and top of mind? What do you do? Share them with the rest of us so we can adapt and adopt!

Celebrating is a gift we have on hand every day and week if we choose to use it! Seeking out the good in life is a key to happiness and to a life of serving others and yourself well.

The pursuit of happiness: The power of multiplication and our daily habits

Most of us know the drill. One push-up leads to two, and so, on as we build our strength.

I just finished a fantastic book, ‘The Slight Edge,’ which helped me understand why we don’t always choose to take the small steps necessary to achieve the life we desire. The bottom line is that it is easy to make the decision to do the one push-up (or make that tough call, or choose greens over fries, or take a walk versus watching that next episode, and so on) and it is also easy to NOT do it!

In fact, a shocking 95 percent of Americans choose the easy route – the path of least resistance. The path that doesn’t leave us with the money in the bank we hoped for, or the healthy energy we long for, or the depth of relationships we need to thrive. Ninety-five percent! (This book is a few years old so maybe we have gotten better!)

One of my favorite chapters focused on happiness, and what can we do to pursue happiness. Here are a few of the thoughts he shared:

  1. Train your brain toward the positive, small moments of joy. Create a habit of writing three of these down daily. Be vigilant and watch yourself change toward being and thinking more positively!
  2. Become focused on the details of what made those experiences positive. Write down (is as much detail possible) the positive experience-one every 24 hours. “I walked by a house that had the most beautiful flowers… it’s as if the owner meticulously guarded them day in and day out to ensure we could walk by and be refreshed by something beautiful.”
  3. Yep, this is super easy and I’m sure you expect it: Integrate a small act of kindness into each day. My fav is writing an email to someone’s boss or leader to raise the frequency of positivity throughout every path you are on. Your kind drive-thru worker or barista would so love that positive nod.

So much truth to the simple. Here’s to a week of pursuing happiness. Let’s be dealers of happy. Let’s raise our energy in this area and watch what happens. Personal growth will abound… I’m confident of that at minimum!

Shake it off

I asked one of my dear friend’s at work what she felt I should blog about today (what does the universe need right now?), and she emphatically said that I should use this video of our dog, Waffles.

Within moments, Wonder Woman (aka Ashley Jost, who is my right-hand blog professional), quickly made it happen to the tune of this great little clip from the one and only Taylor Swift. I tried to not like Taylor a few years back, but when her songs come on I find myself catching the vibe in a heartbeat. She’s fun and her spirit is contagious. The music lyrics here in “Shake it off” are right on point.

We all know the truth is that with this situation and with many others, we can’t simply “shake it off” completely, but we can identify the weights that bear us down and work to take a few off, replacing them with better energy and more positive or useful thinking. Taking a hard look at what is keeping us up at night, or causing that sick feeling in our stomach, is good for the heart and soul. One of the Twitter feeds I read last night, (@brokeymcpoverty) shared some of the most helpful content I have ever seen. It was an ask that went something like this, “To help make things a little easier – and noting that therapy is a luxury – ask some who are seeing a therapist (or virtually seeing) to spread the wealth and share their best tips.” Here are a couple that I felt were pure gold:

  • “Do you have to sink or swim? What if you just float?” (My fav!)
  • “Capture mood logs” (Journaling is a proven good idea to help process thoughts and experiences.)
  • “Lean into being uncomfortable. Fighting it is like fighting a wave in the ocean, you’ll end up exhausted and possibly feel worse.”
  • “Give equal space to the thought of ‘what if it all works out?'”
  • “Recognize that the whole world is grieving. You can’t expect to be the most productive you’ve ever been just because you have more free time. Everything about your life has drastically changed, be easy on yourself.”

So much good here and such a marvelous tie in to “shake it off.”

I know like me, many of you are doing your best to pray, to “call in” the positive energy and to advance our thinking so that we can come up with better approaches and solutions to dealing with this change. We are all in this together, so by all means, please share any wisdom you may find useful with other readers.

Depending on where you read this it may look like there are only a few readers, there are actually quite a few. In February there were 3,014 people reached through the blog with 550 engaging in some way. My goal with each post is for it to impact one person, and sometimes that person may only be myself, but still I forge ahead knowing this is what God has called me to do.

I share that with the ask that you share your thoughts early and often so that we can collectively share insights that can together shift our world to the positive. So much light to share and we need everyone on board!

So much love for you all!

God wants more for you than an “almost” life…

“Almost.” The word may perplex you, like it did me.

If you are a person of faith, you know deeply that God wants us to have a full life… One full of extravagant love, meaningful relationships, purposeful careers, and surrounded by what is good.

Why then do we often settle for “almost?” As in…

  • “I almost eat right…”
  • “I am almost where I want to be financially…”
  • “My partner is almost the person I know I’m supposed to be with…”
  • “I almost have a spiritual life that I’m growing from daily…”
  • “I almost spend time with the people I love as often as I want to…”

We all settle for different reasons, be it lack of discipline, lack of belief that there really is something better, lack of faith that God could orchestrate the impossible in [name the area].

This idea of “almost” recently hit me squarely where God needed it to. I have had some areas where “almost” was starting to ease its way into my daily routine. I’m not willing to have an “almost” life and I know for absolute sure that is not God’s plan for me – or you.

If you think you may have some areas that you need to stop “settling” in, my prayer this week is that you will seek God’s plan full on with a spirit of both joy and accountability. You deserve to have all that is yours!