To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Joy

Lessons from the longest living people in the world… A summary of the world’s Blue Zones

You’d think with it being summer and all, I’d be reading more than ever. Well, as I shared in last week’s blog, I have been saying “yes” a lot more, which equates to not as much time to read.  I’ll get to a good balance soon. In the meantime, I finished up the Blue Zones book by Dan Buettner tonight, and it was amazing as I expected. It’s been on my list for too long.

In case you are unfamiliar, The Blue Zones is a term coined scientists coined for the areas of the world with the largest concentration of the longest-lived people. (Specifically while mapping one of the regions on the island of Sardinia. Shout out to my Italian readers and their beautiful country!) As the cover says, this book is a “must read if you want to stay young!”

Most of the lessons aren’t surprising, but it is inspiring to hear the stories of the lives of those thriving in these amazing communities. The areas can be found in small villages in Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Loma Linda (California), Nikoya (Costa Rica) and Ikaria (Greece). I summed up the primary lessons below, but as the picture in this blog states, having a purpose is what I feel stood out the most. That purpose is putting you square in the middle of a community of friends, family and faith that lift you into a world with less stress than most of us ever see, and a clear sense of joy and love. I hope all of that for each of you. For me, I need to do some research on how to retire to one of these beautiful places!

Lesson 1: MOVE NATURALLY. Engage in regular, low-intensity physical activity. If you are older, combine balance exercises, get on the ground and get up often, and practice staying limber and flexible. (Most of these people regularly sit on a floor (not from a recliner or bed) and get up several times a day, so they stay on the move.)

Lesson 2: HARA HACHI BU. For Okinawans, this is a phrase they say often while eating to remind themselves to stop eating when they are 80 percent full. Love the simplicity of implementing this.

Lesson 3: PLANT SLANT. Avoid processed foods and meat. In all of these areas, they are not in the habit of eating meat or fish on a regular basis, and they pretty much do not eat any processed foods. It’s all about eating off of the earth.

Lesson 4: GRAPES OF LIFE. Drink red wine, in moderation. I have lots of friends who love this one – me too! The true strategy here is take it easy with 1-2 glasses per day. When we drink any more than that, the negative consequences outweigh the health benefits.

Lesson 5: PURPOSE NOW. Take time to see the big picture. See the notes on Ikigai above.

Lesson 6: DOWNSHIFT. Taking time to relieve stress is of the highest importance, including reducing noise, napping and meditating… All things we know and don’t engage in enough.

Lesson 7: BELONG. Participate in a spiritual community. In every one of these areas there is a strong concentration on their faith life.

Lesson 8: LOVED ONES FIRST. Simple: Make family a priority.

Lesson 9: RIGHT TRIBE. Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values. Being around healthy minded people is essential. The key is making sure you are committed to regular time with those people.

I highly recommend the book. If you want to take the online quiz to establish where you are on your current “expected life expectancy” you can find it on the Blue Zones home page. You can also use it to develop a plan to live longer. For example, mine gave me some strategies to gain three years if I follow their advice. It’s pretty interesting if you like those types of exercises. Have an awesome weekend.

 

 

Simple Thoughts Sunday: A banner year!

Happy Sunday! I love some abundance! My favorite is abundant life, as in full with joy and achieving purpose.

We are nearing the halfway mark for 2018, so it’s a great time to stop and declare (or recommit to) this thought and promise over our lives. We were all designed to live in abundance. We only have to set our minds on those things and move forward with actions that ensure we are on that path.

My prayer is that this week, you will consider what this looks like to you in every key area of your life, relationships, health,  finances, community engagement, etc. Abundance is yours for the taking.

Let’s all drive toward having a BANNER YEAR!

Simple thoughts Sunday: Honoring moms of all types…

  1. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are a biological mom, play the role as needed, stepped into the magic of it all unexpectedly, or otherwise have helped raise up this generation of our children.

For many generations and in all cultures, it has been true that it “takes a village” to raise a healthy community. I absolutely cherish that thought, because I immediately think of the people that have played a role in my life knowingly, or not; and also, those who have in the lives of my children.

Today, as you celebrate your own mother — if you are lucky enough to still have one — my prayer is that you will reach out to those that may have given you or your kids a boost when you or they needed it. There is so much power in community and so much love that is needed to wrap up each other so that we can all be who God intended. If you have lost your mother, my prayer is that you will find great joy today in knowing how thrilled she was to raise you and I believe looks down and even protects you today with her undying love.

(Update on our mom: She is still healing and we are hoping to get “her” back. Today, we celebrate the many caregivers who have helped in this process and continue to shower her with love and prayers.) 

Simple Thoughts Sunday: It is truly all joy

(Is this not the greatest photo? Credits go to Ann Voskamp who is wonderful to follow, and she took it I believe from “@Bored Panda,” which I am now following, and they credit: “@howfarhome.” That’s an Instagram account focused on travel! Worth following!)

So, it is truly all joy. I know that is hard sometimes.

I never even knew about this famous verse in the Bible until about 10 years after my divorce, infertility and some other fun and not-so-fun experiences. I sure wish I would I have known about it because it would have helped shape my perspective.

It is one of those that you have to live through to “feel it… to know it’s sheer truth.” Life throws curve balls, course corrections and all sorts of hurdles that cause us deep desperation, pain, or simple tears. In the end, these are the times we clarify and cleanse our souls. We find God through this times often, and we lean into friendships and a new level of family intimacy. It’s the layer where magic unfolds.

This picture is taken in the Netherlands, which is known world-wide for their annual tulip festivals with over 15,000 types of tulips and literally fields upon fields of elegance. (This happens in April every year.) I would sure love to see this beauty with my own eyes. The notion of riding bikes through the tulips sounds like a fantasy. You see, the magic = the beauty found in the fields. The fields only arise after rain and plenty of upkeep. This, my friends, is where the beauty of our lives happens: In all kinds of seasons.

As you go into your week and month, remember no matter how bad, good, emotionally or physically you may be challenged… COUNT IT ALL JOY. It is bound to produce something beautiful.

Never underestimate the importance of reassurance

Sharing is caring… Always a truth I fully support. I read something similar to this phrase recently and I had an internal  “standing ovation,” which inspired me to share!

To me, this may be the most important reminder we all get this week, or heck, even this month. Taking the time to reassure one another is so important to a healthy community. The best leaders get this. Parents do this often when children are younger, but need to remember that at all ages we need this. Friends and colleagues… that’s where we see this most in our daily lives. Who can you reassure today? Be creative.

  • The UPS man/woman who delivers your Amazon packages could use a thank you for a job well done.
  • The front desk team member who welcomed you and had you complete that “annoying” paperwork. (I assure you, they didn’t want to ask you to fill it out again either…)
  • The grocery store clerk that is starting hour 8 of a 10-hour shift?

I hope that you have strong wrap to the week! Thank you for taking a moment or two to read these heartfelt insights.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Living in abundance

Most of you know that on Sunday’s I usually write about my faith. This thought was powerful for me and I hope it will be for you. What do I mean by abundance? Here’s what I am thinking:

Abundance in positive thinking (vs fear)

Abundance in joy

Abundance in strength

Abundance in prayer

Abundance in deepening friendships

Abundance in health

Abundance in wisdom

Abundance in generosity for others

That’s a short list. What areas of your life do you need or desire “abundance” in?

God’s word tells us that he desires for us to have great victory in this life. (The Psalms are a great place to find these messages first… Psalm 37:4 is a good start.) 

If we can lean in on Him, instead of our own understanding, we can experience the freedom of His love and provision over our lives. I pray that this week you will pray for ABUNDANCE in the areas that might help your life to overflow with just what you need. When we are filled, we can exponentially give back to others.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Rise and shine

I have decided that snow, wind or hail, I’m going to pretend it’s a SUNNY DAY!

Seriously folks, we desperately need spring. You know, that “rise and shine” feeling that only the sun can bring out in you. The spring in your step, the desire to skip like a worry-free 10 year old! The verse above calls us to “rise” out from the cold, the dust, the dreary days and the things in our lives that hold us back or down… It imparts the wonderful feeling of coming out and the season of new.

Last week we celebrated Easter. In the actual scholarly commentary on this verse it leads us to the fact that this was a chapter discussing the “glorious state of the New Israel, a reign that began on the first Pentecost after the Resurrection of Christ.” (Coffman’s Commentary) Truthfully, I had no idea of that when I picked the verse — I just wanted to talk about “rising” (above the ashes — or just out of my winter jacket and boots).

Please join me this week in RISING. Rising in honor, in attitude and with a downright simple JOY that makes people want to embrace the day no matter what mother nature serves up! I’m praying for each and every one of you right now.

Hello March: Nothing but blue skies ahead!

Here’s how I feel: We made it, we made it!

We came, we saw and we conquered the worst of winter! We (mostly) conquered cold and flu season. And maybe some exhilarating “go get ’em” goals for January and February! We did it, it’s over! Today is a new day and a new season is about to begin. Yahoo!

As you head into March, consider shaking off one season and head bravely into the next. Open the windows and breathe deep, because spring comes with promises of new life. The Easter story alone is breathtaking, but we also get sunnier days, flowers and fresh air. Oh, and for those in corporate America: one month left to bring home the big wins for a successful quarter. It’s beautiful. (Oh, and this year, the season opener in baseball is in March! That means it just has to be great!)

I hope this weekend you will shine a little brighter with the new month and make a decision to have your best month yet this year. We all have to make that choice each day really. How can we serve the best? How can we show up to meet our purpose? I recommend that, along with setting some goals, you think about how to inject some fun as well. This month is a good one to hit reset and laughing out loud is a great source of healing for the soul!

Make it great my friends! I was reminded again this week that life is short and we have to optimize our days!

Rewind: Go ahead, jump the fence!

(Photo creds: We Heart it)

(This is a throwback post to 2017, because levity goes a long way.)

I told my son I wanted to do something funny today – something to 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 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!

Why we MUST build energy, perspective and immunity

Constant growth is what makes us who we were designed to be. Three thoughts for you today.

We must BUILD ENERGY: Be it physical energy or mental energy, we simply must be working on our health game. Even Instagram is a showcase of opinions, thrashing politics and personal agendas… (Aside: Please make it go back to a place for cool pictures and powerful messages!) Staying on top of this is a must have if you are to maintain a healthy mindset. Be thinking about BUILDING ENERGY!

We must BUILD PERSPECTIVE: Your perspective determines your ability to perceive opportunities, pursue optimism and to embrace chaos. Focusing on your perspective — what you know to be true — is a game changer. When problems arise, it’s our perspective that allows us to move to the other side and deal with it in a way that encourages and helps us and others grow. How is your perspective?

We must BUILD IMMUNITY: This one was a wild card, but it was top-of-mind so I had to include it. My point here is immunity against anything that has the ability to alter our days and our minds. Anything that can get us off track. As with sickness (those ugly winter colds going around), the world can get to us. People — even our families — may say something that can shift our mood in seconds. Build IMMUNITY against that.

At the end of the day, life is too short to get our feelings hurt easily and we can decide up front that we are not going to be distracted from joy.

Have the most amazing weekend.