To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Perspective

The Culture Connection: Why travel is a priority

Rewind! This is a throwback post – an oldie but a goodie – as I am traveling this week. Enjoy!

I have made travel a life priority.

Along the way, I learned that whatever your budget — and whatever your goals with travel — it can be done with a bit of research and flexibility. There are so many stories out there of poor college students backpacking across Europe, and travel blogs that showcase journeys around our vast world. This is encouragement to many, as travel can seem to be a goal achievable only after retirement, if at all. In my viewpoint, even a trip to the lake can be a much-needed cultural shift from our day-to-day lives.

As it pertains to my writing on this blog, I truly feel that in order to serve well (for me) that travel is essential to creating a greater understanding of the people we share this planet with.

Here’s why: Being immersed in different cultures allows us to stretch and grow beyond our normal experience.

I have learned that whether it be a trip to New York City, Chicago, San Diego, or abroad to say, Australia (or my current journey in Barcelona), the customs from the time they eat meals to the way they approach their day opens me to new, potentially life-changing perspectives.

For example, in bigger cities, you seldom see anyone overweight. This is likely due to their active lifestyles to some extent, with a dependence on walking as a major means of transportation. It forces me to consider how to incorporate more of that lifestyle into my own.

In most countries I have visited outside of the U.S., the pace of life seems to be less frenetic and more reasonable. Even the average vacation time they are offered by employers is almost triple what we find here in America. It ties to a focus on overall wellness, it seems. I believe our country has a lot to learn in this area. (Side note: I have not been to the Asian countries, which I understand are more hurried in their approach, and perhaps it is due to the size of the population.)

One of my favorite authors (Batterson) is known for saying “a change of place, offers a change of perspective.” That is so very true. Somehow, when you are able to remove yourself from your routine, your mind “shifts” to a neutral zone that allows you to more easily embrace the beauty that surrounds us, even in the seemingly simple matters. I believe that notion leads us to achieve creativity and engage in life with a more health focused approach.

I try to keep these short, so will stop here. As the North Face slogan goes, I hope that you will “Never stop exploring,” and I hope this has inspired you to travel, local or abroad — just get out there!

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Pause, reflect, celebrate

Happy Sunday and welcome December, the month of culmination… love… joy and celebration. I’d submit that this is true only if we allow it. If we pause. If we reflect. If we set our intentions early on to achieve peace and resolve to find open spaces of quiet.

I’m committed to find this in the next 29 days – to pause and embrace solitude when I can and have quiet conversations that center around true joy. Getting to the depths of…

  • What brings me true peace?
  • Who brings me full joy?
  • What activities create a positive energy that leaves me wanting more?
  • Where can I see growth?
  • How can I curate more days of fullness and beauty?

These are not easy questions. I need to recognize that and take time to go all in. I would love for you to walk this path with me this month. I’d love to hear your stories and I’d love to know what questions you may add to the list. At the end of the month, let’s celebrate this reflection and forge into 2019 with a fresh view of God’s purpose for my life.

I am praying as I write this that you find yourself right now in a moment of gratitude and commitment to use the month to find the joy you so richly deserve. I believe that is God’s plan for all of us… to fully feel the love, joy and peace available to us.

Freeing our minds to allow space for gratitude

I am all in on gratitude and the idea of wanting to feel it as much as possible. Sometimes I feel like this week each year we are supposed to “flip the proverbial switch” and get into a blissful attitude of deep thanks, as if it’s somehow automated.  With the hustle in most of our lives, this idea can seem a bit far reaching. The good news is that we can help ourselves out with a small dose of intention and action.

Did you know we cannot feel the full expression of gratitude available to us when our emotional and physical environments are filled with clutter? Yep, science backs up that “getting to gratitude” is challenged by the world around us. (By the way, that would be the world that we allow” around us, since we get to decide what we allow in our lives.)

So, as you move toward absolute gratitude, think about what you can eliminate… Whether it be the contents of the junk drawer or the high standards you have for yourself.  There are no doubt a number of items that can be stripped out in order to free up your energy, heart and mind.

Some other ideas…

Declutter relationships. Are yours serving you well?

Declutter the fears and anxieties that keep you up at night. Name them and claim them “gone” from your mind and, if necessary, make an appointment with a counselor to deal with those that you can’t seem to release on your own. (I have found that especially helpful.)

Declutter the frustrations of the past. Decide to allow forgiveness to yourself or others …and move on.

Declutter bad habits. The extra dessert, hitting snooze too many times, not keeping the commitment you made to yourself to exercise even on cold days and nights…

I know I have a few areas to focus on. I am looking forward to freeing up my schedule a bit so I can think and be mindful of what really matters to me… the people I love and who God placed in my life.

The Radical, Strategic Mind

Happy almost weekend! As we wrap up the week, I’m mindful that with school pretty much back in session, those of us in the work place are also gearing up for a strong end of the year play.

To me, this season is sort of like January where we rise to the occasion and develop tactical strategies on how to achieve our professional goals. Come to think of it, we do this for our lives in general as well. It’s the ideal time to assess our wins so far for the year, and those areas where we haven’t hit the stride mark yet. The great news for all of us of course is we have more than a quarter of the year left — that’s plenty of time to regain perspective, strength and eventually hit the ball out of the park so to speak.

So what is a radical, strategic mind to you? For me, it’s getting out of the norm in thinking and allowing ourselves to be truly creative… to paint outside the lines. It is a fundamental difference in how we view whatever challenge is in front of us. Radical minds are those that are the voices of social and political change advocates, and those that often make the greatest impact.

The end of summer is a great time to fire up the mind. In theory, we had time to rest a bit and soak up some sunshine, and our minds and bodies should be prepared for a higher level of energy. My personal game plan is to identify a few key areas — for me, likely career and relationships — to focus on for the year-end wrap up.

Asking the right questions is critical right now:

How can I maximize my time to ensure I achieve my goals?

What areas can I “cut” or reduce so I can make more time for what is important?

What are the “must haves” that I have?

Who are the people I need to connect with?

What projects must get off of the ground? Are there some that I can move to next year? Why do they matter? Who can help me achieve these? 

What is a different approach that may be better?

Those are some of mine. How about you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Taking a step back

Woohoo… we are wrapping up June. Well, I’m not sure if it’s a woohoo, because SUMMER NEEDS TO SLOW DOWN. Now would be a good time!

So, as we go into July, let us remember that summer is a time to take a step back, and evaluate —  reflect and redirect as needed.

Quite literally, to “dip into the pool,” immerse ourselves, and come back out with a fresh outlook on how we plan to master the rest of the year.

So, what are you doing this summer to take a step back? If you don’t have anything scheduled, maybe this weekend is a good time to evaluate what you can still pull off. I’m a big fan of even a 3 or 4-day weekend. Sometimes you can transport yourself so that you can really make good decisions on what your mind and soul need right now.

Mark Batterson, one of my all-time favorite authors says something like this: “A change of place, offers a change of pace, and an opportunity for a change in perspective.” I really like that! How about you?

Let’s step back and as a result serve better!

The Culture Connection: Why travel is a life priority

I have made travel a life priority.

Along the way, I learned that whatever your budget — and whatever your goals with travel — it can be done with a bit of research and flexibility. There are so many stories out there of poor college students backpacking across Europe, and travel blogs that showcase journeys around our vast world. This is encouragement to many, as travel can seem to be a goal achievable only after retirement, if at all. In my viewpoint, even a trip to the lake can be a much-needed cultural shift from our day-to-day lives.

As it pertains to my writing on this blog, I truly feel that in order to serve well (for me) that travel is essential to creating a greater understanding of the people we share this planet with.

Here’s why: Being immersed in different cultures allows us to stretch and grow beyond our normal experience.

I have learned that whether it be a trip to New York City, Chicago, San Diego, or abroad to say, Greece (or my current journey in Australia), the customs from the time they eat meals to the way they approach their day opens me to new, potentially life-changing perspectives.

For example, in bigger cities, you seldom see anyone overweight. This is likely due to their active lifestyles to some extent, with a dependence on walking as a major means of transportation. It forces me to consider how to incorporate more of that lifestyle into my own.

In most countries I have visited outside of the U.S., the pace of life seems to be less frenetic and more reasonable. Even the average vacation time they are offered by employers is almost triple what we find here in America. It ties to a focus on overall wellness, it seems. I believe our country has a lot to learn in this area. (Side note: I have not been to the Asian countries, which I understand are more hurried in their approach, and perhaps it is due to the size of the population.)

One of my favorite authors (Batterson) is known for saying “a change of place, offers a change of perspective.” That is so very true. Somehow, when you are able to remove yourself from your routine, your mind “shifts” to a neutral zone that allows you to more easily embrace the beauty that surrounds us, even in the seemingly simple matters. I believe that notion leads us to achieve creativity and engage in life with a more health focused approach.

I try to keep these short, so will stop here. As the North Face slogan goes, I hope that you will “Never stop exploring,” and I hope this has inspired you to travel, local or abroad — just get out there!

Rules for excellence…

If you don’t know the leadership guru of all gurus, Tom Peters, look him up. He is well into his 70s and still pushing out amazing content. I love that.

He’s most famous for co-authoring ‘In Search of Excellence,’ but his credits go far beyond that classic. I have found his book ‘The little BIG things, is probably the best I’ve read in years. In it, he outlines 163 ways to pursue excellence and most of them are brilliant. (I’m sure all are to some.) The quotes in the attached image come from this read. He wisely credits other great thinkers, including the everyday types, like lessons from the local barista.

I knew for sure when I read #62 (above) on his list that I had to share it with you.

If I were Rosesblatt (author of “Rules for Aging”), I would say that these are great suggestions for all of us. Wisely seeking good counsel and, for that matter, a wide array of viewpoints, is always something that can help us improve. I believe this is true whether you’re dealing with basic home matters, finances or, of course, fulfilling your purpose in work/school/where ever God planted you. LOVE IT.

Is there an issue right now where you could use some counsel? Someone to listen and give you a perspective? We should all seek that out this week. (Make a note now to do it… that’s what I have to do!)

The second suggestion on thanking others early and often – and even profusely – was the point of Tuesday’s “Spread Joy” blog. We cannot underestimate the power of encouraging one another.

WE MUST MAKE THIS A PRIORITY if we want to SERVE WELL!

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.

An accelerating world… Making THIS summer count by learning

(Photo Creds: Canva)

I am reading one DEEP BOOK (Hint: You should be reading it, too).

Some of you may be familiar with Thomas L. Friedman, who also wrote the famous book, “The World is Flat.” He also has won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work with the New York Times. He’s a genius and his style is a bit refreshing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I’ll do my best to make it required reading in my house and in my circle, (hint: In the house, that means there will be bribes).

So, here’s the thing: I hope you’ll stay with me on this “deeper than normal” writing for this week.

As you may have picked up, I’m HUGE on innovation. I am even bigger on life long learning… reading, listening, whatever I can get my hands on to grow as a person. Here’s the thing… it’s summer. If you have kids of any age, they probably have some down time. This would be a REALLY great time to begin to explore with them how this WORLD is moving and to help steer them in the right direction. I’m afraid we don’t have the answers because this world is markedly different. What we DO have are great resources such as this, and with a bit of effort we can MAKE THIS SUMMER COUNT in helping the younger generation grasp and grow and take FULL ADVANTAGE.

I’m not even halfway done with this book as it requires really understanding, taking time to soak it in. Here are the key points so far and why I decided it was so important to get it in writing now:

  1. The world is changing so fast we cannot even begin to understand. Since 2007, a mere decade ago, our lives have been upended and are each year by a pace that we cannot even define. The three largest forces  -technology, globalization, climate change – on the planet are accelerating all at once which requires that our societies, communities, etc. be reimagined.
  2. We should consider having “no limits on our curiosity” about learning different disciplines and how the advent of the internet and the “cloud” have literally OPENED the FLOODGATES into what is possible and who can achieve what. The three possible ways to look at the world sounded reasonable:
    – “Inside the box” thinking
    – “Outside the box” thinking and the best one…
    – “Where there is no box” – of course this is the world we live in today
  3. Consider how the world is becoming interdependent… Technology can connect us to one another in ways not imaginable a few years ago. Case in point is AirBNB, which now connects any renter to any tourist or business personal anywhere on the planet… The platform build had an infrastructure that supported BUILDING TRUST so you could rate one another, etc. This is one small example.

I hope this gives you a SPARK of INTEREST to consider going DEEPER THIS SUMMER for the sake of a better WORLD. It is entertaining also, I promise! The generations that follow will thank you!

Another quote from the book I loved… it happened to be at the start of chapter one, which is likely why I jumped in so fast:

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie