Eye of the beholder: Captivated, Enthralled, Awed

April 19, 2020 By

When I think about Sundays, what I value is communion, reflection, music, words, and community. These values have developed over a lifetime of Sundays. But in reality, those are my values every day.  Sunday is just the day I set aside to celebrate those values. The day we choose is not important.  What matters is that we take the time.

Taking time to commune and reflect, alone and within a community, is how new perspectives can be born.  We all need those moments that form the genesis of creating a new lens – a new portal for seeing ourselves, our loved ones, our work, our lives, our world.  We all need this now more than ever. A year ago, I posted a music video selection that focuses on the idea of perspective and how things shift depending on what we allow ourselves to see, or even not to see.  It’s an incredible work and worthy of sharing again.

I would encourage you to expand your screen (mind) and let the images and words soak in. Borrowing from the title, make this a moment for beholding the world anew.

What a wonderful moment to take us into the week. As we return to our routines, old and new, let’s once again see that world of our childhood and as the speaker exhorts us: be captivated, enthralled, awed.

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , ,

Take your radio to work day!

June 16, 2018 By

Old beige vintage retro style radio receiver isolated on white bWe make assumptions about how and to whom we matter in the world. Those will stem from our own beliefs and perspective of the contributions we make.

And yet, sometimes what is most impacting about our life isn’t readily visible to us. We will not always know where we are making the most profound difference.

You see each of us is a miracle. Each of us comes into this life with our own soul print and we make a difference everyday. Even when we aren’t really conscious of it.

Let me tell you a story that brings this vividly to life. In the 1950’s, there were two men that worked in a factory in northern Ohio. One of them worked the afternoon shift and the other the night shift. They did not know each other. Yet their lives would intersect and create profound change.

The young man working second shift had just finished his tour of duty as a Marine during the Korean War. He and his bride had moved from West Virginia to Ohio in search of better opportunities. He often worked the night shift in addition to his regular hours for extra income. One night he was doing just that when he was assigned to a machine next to the other man in our story. Bear in mind that this was not mentally taxing work. In fact boredom was something they continuously contended with, each in their own way.

That night, over the humming of the machines our young Marine heard a very distinctive voice talking about all of his possibilities and how to reach all of those goals he had set for himself simply by changing his thoughts. It was as if this man was speaking directly to him. And so he went in search of the source and found the other man listening to a portable radio. The man speaking on the radio was Earl Nightingale. It was a life changing moment.

Immediately our young Marine was determined! He decided to take on an extra job instead of just extra shifts in order to earn enough money to buy his own portable radio. He had discovered his mentor even before he knew what a mentor was and did not want to miss a single opportunity to hear more! That encounter changed his life. That extra job? It was working as an attendant and mechanic at a local gas station. What happened? Ultimately, he didn’t just show up because he worked there as a mechanic. In time, he showed up because he owned the business.

I doubt that the other man in the story if asked would tell us that the most important thing he did that day was take his radio to work. He wouldn’t say that he changed lives just listening to his radio. But for that young Marine, undoubtedly that was the case. It set his life on a different course. And as a result, it did the same for mine. That young Marine was my Dad.

Throughout my life what I learned most from him beyond the values of faith and family was the miracle of personal leadership and development. He defied all of the odds. He surpassed every expectation. A deeply spiritual man, he did it all with a quiet grace and humility that remains a part of his legacy. There was never a time that he was not reading or later listening to recordings and tapes. In fact, I still have his books and some of those early recordings! From that late night shift in the factory until his death, my Dad continued to live a life that celebrated learning and growth each and every day.

My Dad. He never lost sight of who he was. He never lost his vision of who he could become. And he never stopped growing into that man. He lived that legacy every day of his life. As a result, other lives were changed. And his legacy lives on in those lives. Including mine.

Thank you, Dad for always showing us not only who you were but who we could be. Thank you for being a living example of how to become that person more every day. And thank you to the gentleman that was part of God’s plan for our lives and brought his radio to work so all of this would begin!

In memory and honor of my Dad, Happy Father’s Day to all my readers! Always remember, as Earl Nightingale taught my Dad and he ultimately taught me:

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”

Live today like you want tomorrow to be.

Live well.

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Legacy of John Chapman

January 30, 2017 By

Legacy has come up as a topic in several conversations of late. It’s a subject that I think about quite a bit, especially as I’m aging and looking at how our values evolve and grow over the years. Legacy to me used to be about what I left behind and how I would be remembered in terms of accomplishment and contribution. I see it differently now. Now I see it as being about what I live more than what I leave – what I begin more than what I finish.

The impact of our lives is most valuable when we see it from the perspective of how we influence the lives of others. As a life coach, I recognize that my role is being a catalyst. It isn’t my role to create personal change. That is up to the client. I can plant the seeds but they must be the ones to take on the job of gardener and bring them to life.

This thought brought me to the idea of a tree. I still believe that trees are the best example possible of what legacy really means. When a tree is planted, we know that it’s fullness will only be realized over time, in fact over many years. My brother and I planted trees in our first backyard with my Dad. We lived there 15 years and they were still not at their peak. We visited another 10 years later, 25 years after they were planted and we were in awe of them. But our connection to them came from the fact that we had been there when they were just a seedling. It was such a privilege to go back and see them after all that time and appreciate what had come from our effort.

That’s the thing about legacies, it’s not common for us to be able to witness their full value and impact because what we plant with our lives continues to grow long after we’ve moved on. We want to KNOW what we’re leaving. But in truth, what we leave is so much more than we can ever imagine.

One legendary figure that’s specific to trees that bears mention is John Chapman. You know him best as Johnny Appleseed.

The most popular stories about him have him spreading apple seeds randomly everywhere he traveled. That’s not really what happened. The true story is that he traveled, extensively. And he did plant apple trees. But with absolute intention. He planted nurseries. He even built fences around them to protect them.

Once they were established, he would leave them in the care of someone local and they would care for them and sell shares of their produce for their mutual benefit.

Each year or two, John would return to check the health of his nurseries and quite often expand them. He was without question a dedicated conservationist but he was also a sound businessman and even then, knew the value of passive income and wealth building from the earth. When he died, he left over 1200 acres of orchards to his sister.

He was considered somewhat eccentric, hence the folklore, but his real legacy was in those trees and what they represented.

It’s not enough to just plant the seed. We must take care for the growing of it and then entrust it to others so that we can move on to plant again. As the Greek proverb teaches:

We must be willing to plant trees

whose shade we will never sit in.

It’s such a powerful metaphor for how to live a meaningful life. Those powerful words from Albert Einstein come to mind again: “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Isn’t that the ultimate legacy? The creation of value that continues to grow beyond us?

Live today like you want tomorrow to be. Live well.

 

 

Filed Under: Learning & Growth, Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Why I save this magazine….

January 8, 2017 By

What do you save? I’m not typically a saver of magazines outside of Success Magazine. But there is one magazine that is different. I have now saved it for almost ten years.

A lot has happened in my life since the fall of 2007. Some of those events brought changes that were significant, in fact life changing.

I’ve settled into my empty nest and welcomed two more grand-girls into my life; faced a daunting personal health scare and won; lost a job I loved and started my own company; contributed to 5 best-selling books and helped launch numerous others for other authors; gone back to college and earned a degree; completed a life coach training program and received certification from the International Coaching Federation; met some life mentors such as Darren Hardy, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, Mark Victor Hanson and Kyle Wilson to name a few; joined an insanely talented group of people in Kyle’s inaugural Inner Circle Master Mind; was a featured writer in two women’s magazines; launched this blog; got my first pet (Bre!); joined some life mentors and helped successfully launch another supply chain company; and, helped hundreds of folks in their own journeys decide what they wanted and create effective plans to achieve it – as just a few of the things that are on the highlight reel for the decade between 50 and 60 for me.

Yes- I’ve been busy. But nothing on that list is anything that I would have predicted in 2007. At times it felt like I was on the scariest or most thrilling of roller coasters and at others the experience was more akin to a bumper car ride. This way – no that way – hey where did you come from?!

Why share all of this? And what does it have to do with my magazine treasure? It’ is that recently I’ve been reminded anew that things that are seemingly small can and do have a larger impact.

Here’s an example. Through all of this has been this particular magazine from the fall of 2007 (yes! almost 10 years ago!) that has been guarded as a treasured possession.

What magazine? This one comes from Better Homes and Gardens. It is their Fall 2007 edition of Beautiful Homes – Architecture That Endures. There are pictures and images of blueprints in this edition of what has come to be my dream home. A lot has changed since then but that vision has held steady. Over the years I have gone through the pages and even after almost ten years, there isn’t anything about this home that doesn’t appeal to me. That tells me that this is more than just a few photographs. It means something. I saw something in this home that spoke to me.

Like you, given what a new year brings, I’ve been giving thought to my current vision for the future.  I went back this week to those treasured pages but this time I asked myself what it was in each image that spoke to me and why. I began to realize that although I don’t own that specific property, a number of things I love about it I have created in my life right here in my current spot on planet earth. What we hold in our mind we really do begin to create. I have no doubt that my future holds everything that my vision holds. It may not look exactly the same, but the idea, concept and emotion will align. This magazine from 2007 has proven that for me yet again. That’s why our vision for our life is so crucial.

I cannot remember the last time I looked forward to a new year more. My life is blessed beyond measure. The possibilities are endless. I am surrounded with people that I love and admire and are working to make our world better one day and one person at a time.  I am not just living toward my future, I am living it now each day and it is good. And a few more things about that house will get created.

Live today like you want tomorrow to be. Live well.

 

 

Filed Under: Adjusted Sails, Personal thoughts & insights, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Do you spend or invest? A declaration for 2017

January 1, 2017 By

How does a word guide us? Can it clarify intention? Create influence and focus? Yes, yes and yes!

The beginning of the miracle happens when we choose a symbolic word around the over-arching and current intention we have for our life.

Its fundamental purpose is to influence our choices and sharpen our focus.

Do we need one? In short, no we don’t. It’s just a tool. But think about it. The right tool for anything we do makes it possible to execute with greater ease and efficiency. And once you’ve found such a tool, you keep coming back to it.

The selection of an annual guidance word is a practice I started a number of years ago. Their influence in shaping my choices and outcomes is easily identified. I can also see where the intention of the word became part of my personal belief system and part of my life’s fabric.

During one of my most challenging years my chosen word was gratitude. It was a difficult time. There was a significant amount of fear and pain, for myself and those dear to me. The antidote? Gratitude. I’m sure you’ve heard it said and I can attest that you cannot be fearful and grateful at the same time. If we were to compare the two contrasting emotions to a rock, paper, scissors contest – gratitude is the one that would always win. Even though it was some time ago that it was in my word rotation, gratitude remains a core value in my life. The habits I installed that year are now well embedded life practices and continue to serve me every day.

Admittedly, there have also been years where I chose a word as an exercise but never fully adopted it into my daily routines. It wasn’t long before I did not even think about that word. A practice recently discovered that helps counter that risk is expanding the idea of a guidance word to a guidance statement or proclamation. The word is the language symbol of the overall thought. This seems to me to have the potential of being even more effective. We don’t just choose and declare the word – we choose and declare its meaning to us.

As I am reflecting back on 2016 and looking forward to 2017, I recognize that an expanded bridge is definitely in order. This past year I focused on creating space; on letting go. It was a year centered on challenging the choices in my life in every area. I gave myself permission to question everything and let go of anything that no longer served my best life and work. It was daunting in some moments but in the end, it generated the result I needed.

That result? Space. The ability to see past life’s clutter and discover what truly matters to me and why. Finding room to breathe and allow myself to expand my perspective and possibilities.

What then is next? How to invest that space in a more meaningful way.

Invest.

Think about this with me for a moment. This is the pivot point for me. Do you invest or do you spend? I’m not just talking about money. I’m talking about all of your resources. Your energy, time, emotion and yes, your money. Everything. The idea that how we do anything is how we do everything comes to mind. If we are predominantly spenders in one area, chances are pretty high that’s our level of discipline in other areas as well.

My conclusion? I’ve definitely been on the spender side of the spectrum. Even though I work as a strategist, all too often I’m making choices in my life that are based on expediency or convenience. This shows up in my health, my calendar and yes, those pesky finances!

Once I cleared enough space to see the reality, the next question was this: Will I continue to just spend or will I balance that with investment?

We all know that spending is a natural course of getting through life. But when that’s all we do, we limit ourselves and what we can achieve. Nothing can compound until we invest. And without compounding, we will soon lack momentum.

It’s time to invest.

Here then is my declaration for 2017:

  • I am invested in my spiritual well being and communion with my Maker.
  • I am invested in my physical well being and daily practices that produce optimal health.
  • I am invested in my financial well being and take full responsibility for my future.
  • I am invested in my relationships and nurture the people in my life.
  • I am invested in my work and achieve continued mastery in my craft.
  • I am invested in my community and make a difference every day.
  • I am invested in my environment and honor what is entrusted to me.
  • I am invested.

Even as I was writing this the thought deepened. I recognized that the idea of investment brings complete clarity to what I have been talking about for some time. To have the tomorrow we want, we must act on those desires today. That is investment in its highest form. We invest in the tomorrow we want today. We make that investment with every thought and action.

Live (invest) today like you want tomorrow to be. Live (invest) well.

Invest.

Filed Under: Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Re-gifting revisited. . .

December 27, 2016 By

If you were a fan of the Seinfeld television sitcom you will remember the iconic episode where the term re-gifting was born. If you haven’t ever seen it – you should do some due diligence and find it. A classic!

Since then re-gifting has taken on a life-form of its own. Search the word and you will find an unlimited number of articles teaching us the rules of re-gifting.

Yes- there are rules! Even the articles have a comedic flair.  One of my favorites and most practical comes from Dave Ramsey’s blog post 10 Rules of Regifting.

I’ve been giving thought to this of late in terms of what it is we would choose to re-gift. Throughout this past year an area of focus for me has been letting go. In some cases, beliefs that were not serving my best life and work, in others habits that were comfort zones but not driving excellence. But it was also about things. Including things that had special meaning for me. Why let them go? Because letting them go to the right person at the right time allowed me to create a stronger bond and continue a legacy.

One particular item was a small statue I gifted to my Dad many years ago depicting the safety of a father’s arms. When he died, my Mom re-gifted back to each of us the things we had given him. It was a lovely thing for her to do as we could now have those as remembrances of special times with him. The thought occurred to me that those items could now be an incredible re-gifting opportunity. The statue went to one of my brothers who has borne a special mantle of protection for my nephew through cancer to the miracle of healing. I don’t know that I could have given him anything more meaningful.

There have been other opportunities as well and through all this the spirit of what gifting is all about was made fresh and new for me and, I believe, for the recipients.

My library has been another great source of gifts now in the libraries of others with my sincere hope that they learn from them and continue them on their way. Lives don’t change because of what sits on our shelves. They change because of what we allow into our hearts and minds and then share with others.

After a year of focus around this idea of finding new homes and owners for treasured gifts it has become more natural. What is most remarkable is the shift from it being about giving anything up to the joy of investing into others. When we do that, the dividends are endless. It is absolutely true that as we invest in others through our gifts, we find we in fact have more to give.

The idea of re-gifting revisited. Instead of it being about things we don’t need or want, let it be about things that have meaning and allow them to contribute to the lives of others. As we go into the new year, let’s focus on what we can contribute, what we can share with others and find significance there.

In the words of the incomparable Albert Einstein: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man of value.”

Live (gift) today like you want tomorrow to be. Live (gift) well.

Filed Under: Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , ,
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