To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Self care

3 ways to have more energy

blog_759540_2838533_1453779527If you aren’t familiar with this guy, he is a trained Sherpa. Sherpas take groups of brave (and prepared) men and women up Mount Everest. Sherpas are incredible in their ability to survive in the conditions at such high altitudes. They can do this because they were born and raised into this environment. They train themselves from a young age and have adapted to what for most is an extremely dangerous environment.

A Sherpa, in addition to guiding these missions, carries the greater load of the equipment, which is what you are seeing above. As I thought through what a good visual would be for a blog on energy, I struggled a bit, and then our pastor had a picture of a Sherpa in our sermon yesterday so a light bulb went off! Many days I feel overwhelmed with all I have to do, and that alone can take the energy right out of me! So how do we get the energy to not only survive, but to excel in our lives?

There are no shortage of “lists” out there, but I’m focused on those that aren’t about sleep, fuel and exercise, although those are important.  I’m focused on the not so obvious. Here you go! Let me know what you think!

  1. Surround yourself with people who drive your energy up. Seriously, people have the ability to make or break your energy level.  There will always be those people that for whatever reason drain the life right out of you (you can picture them right now, can’t you?), so be sure to schedule your days and weeks so that the majority of time you are with people who spark positive energy.  You know who they are!  Identify them, cultivate that relationship and thank them!
  2. Build your schedule around work that has a purpose that matches your values. In the same way it is with people, projects tend to either bring you to life, or “not so much.”  I am so there on many days and can do a way better job in this category.  Look at your calendar TODAY (as in as soon as you can get to it after reading this) and see what projects you have up the next few days.  Identify those that aren’t something that fills you up-  Again, those may not be able to be taken away, but be sure to surround those with work or activities that do have PURPOSE and that you will truly be able to showcase your talent.  Change things around and stay mindful of how important this is!  It’s a great exercise to do on a regular basis.
  3. FInally, OWN your energy level. Don’t make excuses for the people and projects that may create a deficit for you.  We all have the ability to shape our worlds in a way that drives us to our own personal success and happiness.  We can’t let others “take the wheel” so to speak.  Decide today that you are going to OWN this category and then make it happen.  When it is at all possible, say no when you need to, say yes only when it excites you or if it is important to those you love and care about, and structure your life for SUCCESS.

Happy Thanksgiving!

blog_739734_2813866_1448508539“Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday BY FAR. It’s really a feast of the superpowers:  simplicity (stripped of the gifts and excessive hype that can weigh down other holidays), love, (of course), and humor among them.”

(‘Life Is Good‘ by Bert and John Jacobs)
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As I said earlier this week, I love this book, but this thought couldn’t be beat as I truly discerned what is the best message for a Thanksgiving Day.

Since I post on Thursdays, I was thrilled that Thanksgiving will always be one of the days I get to take a moment to reflect. What am I thinking and what may resonate with my readers?

So for 2015, I think with the many issues that require our prayers and attention (See short list below), I loved this concept. Simplicity truly is a superpower, and one I need more of. I pray today that we all are able to take a deep breath and truly be joyful in the moment we are in. Whether it’s alone watching the Thanksgiving Day parade and drinking hot tea, or surrounded by many family and friends for a wonderful meal, and then playing a family traditional football game.

Add to that a big dose of love for those with us and those we wish were with us. Throw in humor to ensure sanity in this season. I promise there is a good laugh to be had if you simply look around the room. (Remember, those pictures of yesterday where that big hair and those bell bottoms are now hysterical, well, friends, that awesome outfit you have on today will give the same effect 20 years from now…Heck, you may have a similar outfit on today and are rocking the styles.)

Wherever today finds you, life is good indeed!

Here is the short list I mentioned above:

World peace (which translates to safety, security and a great future for our lives in general), is at the top. Other big ones include the critical importance of us electing a galvanizing leader for our country in 2016, taking care of those that have been placed in our care, be it families or community members that need our focus, and  working each day toward simply serving in the best way we can, using our gifts/talents.

Train your mind

blog_734618_2805536_1447168536Most every American knows Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos quarterback, NFL Super Bowl champion and MVP. To many, the best quarterback of all time.

Regardless of where he lies in the final stats, there is no doubt that he has demonstrated that training your mind is critical to great success. In fact, when he had potentially career-ending surgery in 2011, he did what many thought couldn’t happen and made a decision to seek the best training of his mind and physical body to step back into the game again. And he has done so with sheer greatness.

The first step in his decision: train your mind.

Most everyday we are hit with an array of challenges, decisions, problems, etc that have the potential to take us down. A simple action or reaction can send us reeling and quite often those are left whirling in our minds, often creating a life of their own. What if he meant that? Did that text she sent mean what I think it meant?

The National Science Foundation estimates that a human brain produces as many as 12,000 to 50,000 thoughts per day, depending on how deep a thinker a person is. Most of the so-called random daily thoughts are about our social environment and ourselves.

As you can see, with our brain on overdrive, we simply must train our minds to think positive and focus on the best of ourselves, our abilities, our intentions and of course, people.

One of the interesting things about the brain is that it is methodical. In my research, I read that a thought actually becomes a physical pathway in the brain. According to life coach Tim Brownson, the more you have a thought, the more you groove that path and the easier it is to have it again. That’s why having the thought “Why do I suck?” is never a great idea.

That’s where the training part comes in. I don’t want to overcomplicate this, but instead give you this to contemplate today. We are all champions in one way, shape or form. Peyton Manning just does it on a national stage. When troubles come our way, we have a choice to train our minds to go into what I’ll callexcellence mode.

What pathways have been etched into your mind due to constantly thinking or focusing on them? It could be a person in the workplace that has driven you to drink or at the very least you have hit your head against the wall so many times trying to navigate the situation. It could be a family member (Thanksgiving is a few weeks away in case you want to get prepared now…), that always seems to say the most life-draining things that leave you wondering where they came from or where you came from. It could simply be that you are really hard on yourself for pick your issue: over spending, not doing enough charity work, not working out enough, never picking up the phone and calling your best friend… You get the picture.

Let’s “groove” some new paths in our minds today and put our minds on excellence mode.

Fueled by good decisions

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A little history lesson:  John Deere was born in Vermont in 1804. His father died at sea, and he was raised by a single mother who had a meager income. John, at a young age, made some decisions, which resulted in his great success. As you may know, John Deere is the namesake of the global company that provides us with world-class machinery that started with farming equipment and has expanded over time. As Ralph Waldo Emerson says so well, sometimes, the universe conspires to help us be greatly successful once those decisions are made!
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

One of my favorite concepts I have learned over the past few years is this idea of making “pre-decisions.” At first it was a parenting application, sharing with my boys that when sticking with their values, the first step is making a “pre-decision.”  If you make a commitment to yourself to do or not do something important, well then, that is likely to be exactly what happens.

The thought then came into the area of health and fitness. Making a “pre-decision” at the beginning of each year to complete the “Daniel-Fast” for 21 days, was the catalyst for me getting on the right road to health!

After some reflection, I realized my whole life I have been making these personal agreements or decisions on how I wanted my life to look at the end of my “run,” so to speak. Decisions to pick the right friends, to make a difference, to encourage others daily, to be a person of excellence and lead well in my career. Somehow, giving it an actual term helped frame it and helps me to share those thoughts with my boys and others.

The application of the idea of making a “pre-decision” is well laid out once you look at the few key steps to John Deere’s success. I always believe that looking at historically great people who have impacted our world is a good idea when the topic is ‘how to be the best I can.’

Here are a few decisions Mr. Deere made:

  • He decided to go out boldly and leave home, leaving his family so he could help provide and learn his skill.
  • He decided to actually create what he thought just might work, to make his job easier (note that this is no different than what it is today, he simply decided to be fearless.)
  • He decided that to do this in the best way, he needed to partner with others who could help him move forward.
  • He decided after his company was well-oiled, to get engaged in the community. He held several leadership roles in his hometown, including mayor.

What decision do you need to make today? Where are you on life’s path? Time to dive into the community where you can help others or make a child laugh? Is it time to go after that new role at work that you have been teetering about for months?

Step in and make a decision today! I’m cheering for you and the whole world will conspire for your success. I believe that!

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Part 2

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I’m not sure what it is, but at least once a month, when I head to get the mail, I think “what if today I get an unexpected check?”- Isn’t that funny? I’ve talked to so many people that do the same thing and have heard comedians add it to their stand-up. It’s a universal thought and yet it’s so silly.

Of course there isn’t going to be a big check in the mail (most likely), but of course it’s terrific that we live in perpetual HOPE.  It makes me laugh just to think about it, especially because the mail typically brings us the other thing everybody’s looking for…  for us to pay our bills!

The thought, everybody’s looking for something, is in itself thought-provoking. No need to construct thinking around this.  Today and in this moment,  I am looking for:

  1. A team of angels to hover around my boys, lift them up and support them on their journeys, help them to achieve their dreams, and use the gifts they’ve been given.  (Add my family, friends and community to this one!)
  2. A world where we are unified, diverse, & strong….
  3. A place to shine- to showcase how much I care about others and want to make a difference.

What about you?  What you are looking for right now?

Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams

Interrupted – Having or Getting Perspective

blog_682064_2730031_1435426442Perspective. Everyone should go out and “get it” if they don’t have “it”.  I was not exposed to anything like this until recently.  If you are young and have the opportunity, expose yourself to the world early in life.  It will make the biggest difference in your perspective.

You don’t have to go on a glamorous safari or a Disney tour to get a perspective – Get involved in your neighborhood, see the way others live, work alongside them, understand their education system, their healthcare, and their hearts.  It’s never too late to get a perspective. Do it now.  It will change you.
blog_682064_2730032_1435426443I assure you that you will be blessed and that your life will be interrupted. My hope is that you will be as seriously interrupted as I have been and downright troubled at times.  I hope that you will be forced to truly consider how your life is meant to support others and that you are challenged with what God’s plan is for your life. My hope is that you will take action.