The Wisdom in Flying...

In America, the month of September usually brings a bit cooler temperatures with the approach of autumn and children return to school after a long summer break. Many hearts begin to reflect and remember with the onset of the 11^th day of September.  As a nation we each remember that day back in 2001 in a different way – each person knows where they were and what they were doing when the tragedy occurred.

Today I spoke with a dear friend who is an airplane pilot. We talked of many changes in the airline industry. Of course not all these changes are the result of September 11^th ; the economy has played its role.  The fact remains that when we enter an airport, the scene has changed.

One thing I have decided to always pack when travelling is my patience.  Some very simple things help me be more patient when I need to fly:

• I arrive earlier than needed to the airport.
• I put a on a smile with EVERYONE I speak to.
• I chose not to react when the other people in line small, loud children or too many bags.
• I pick the shortest line in security, place my belongings on the conveyor belt and when the guy in front of me still beeps after walking through the sensor machine 6 times….I count to 10 and think about the beach.
• I try my best to be the MOST outgoing and pleasant person that airport employee has encountered all week.

Now It’s YOUR turn…

We want to hear your Wisdom. What do YOU pack when flying to a new destination to help your travel experience be amazing??

Take Care of the Troops...

Last week the Get Motivated! business seminar rolled through the city in which I live. The attractive line-up of successful speakers drew me to the event and it did not disappoint. It was an opportunity to be coached by some very dynamic achievers who shared their sensational wisdom on both a professional and personal level.

One speaker that took the stage by storm with his leadership message was General Colin Powell – who after years of distinguished military service, served as both the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under United States President Clinton and Secretary of State for United States President George W. Bush. The crowd expected a point-blank message yet General Powell gave so much more. He showed his courageous leadership through military experiences, but also gave insight to his family. With humor and a huge smile, he shared a story about his grandson encouraging grandpa to learn to text and use Facebook.

We learned of how General Powell interacted with famous dignitaries as well as immigrant hot dog vendors all in the same day – showing us that the role of the leader in an organization is to convey the mission with a passion. He reminded everyone that the best leaders get everyone vibrating with the purpose. When the leader can effectively communicate, with each person on the team, their individual purpose, that is when the organization will succeed. People are looking for leaders who will ‘take care of the troops’. The only thing heard in the arena at this point was the sound of pens and pencils hitting note paper.

General Powell solidified his message of leaders ‘taking care of the troops’ with a rather simplistic example. It seems the power of a small, plain white 3X5 note card may be understated. This legendary soldier-statesman believes that people need to know they are appreciated – no matter what their role on the team may be. He shared an impactful story of how he one day removed an inexpensive note card out of his pocket, wrote a brief note of appreciation and ‘glad you are on the team’ sentiment and placed the card where a quiet unassuming team member, whom the General had little contact with, could find it. After much time had passed, General Powell found himself in this young man’s house for whatever reason. There on the wall, was the 3x5 note card exquisitely framed and delicately mounted.

The words of the General Colin Powell resonated through the arena:

10 seconds of my time and 2 cents from my wallet equaled a $150 framed memory for one young man.

Let people know they are appreciated. Let them know you are glad they are a part of the team. People are looking for leaders who will ‘take care of the troops’.

Hope Will Not Be Extinguished...

It was 40 days ago we stood at the cemetery, April wind blowing through our hair, gathered around the casket of a family member. The heels on my sandals sank into the saturated grass, dowsed with a heavy rain the night before. My teenage daughter and I stood with linked arms supporting each other through our grief and tears. A Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army in full military uniform stood to attention ready to address the quiet mourners. He removed from his pocket, a single white sheet of paper. With shaking hands and legs and a quiver in his voice, he delivered a passionate and heartfelt story recounting the numerous times he was impacted by the man we were burying. This soldier was not family by blood but by choice – choosing to honor our heroic family member with the title “dad”. This decorated officer, who committed his life to serve a purpose greater than himself, struggled to speak each word, choking back the tears while he stood alone in front of the crowd. For 20 minutes we listened to a courageous leader share nugget after nugget of extraordinary wisdom – he touched the hearts of everyone in attendance.

Sorrow shows up without invitation...but it cannot extinguish hope.

The sorrow was still with us, but we saw a new hope in this soldier’s words. He was evidence of a life that was changed because one man took the time to mentor and share his wisdom with another. We stood taller and felt proud to be part of such a giving family.

Now just 40 days after that unforgettable event, we are mourning the death of the Lieutenant Colonel who was killed during duty in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber.

Sorrow shows up without invitation…but it cannot extinguish hope.

Today our hearts are filled with even deeper sorrow. It seems to take more courage than before to find hope in this horrific circumstance. Twenty-four hours have passed since this news shook my world. I now have begun to rise up and choose to look for the hope – a choice everyone has to make on their own.

Just a few months ago, I began a new venture called The Wisdom Project. I’ve spent all my time and efforts gathering stories of Wisdom, for a book, from women around the world. The foundation of this project lies in the hope that when one person shares their wisdom – another person is strengthened. This is the hope I wish to give to others to encourage and inspire generations. This is the hope I want to pass on.

All this sorrow came into my life without an invitation, but the hope will not be extinguished. It will live on through The Wisdom Project.



For questions about The Wisdom Project go to:
http://www.thewisdomproject.info/

To submit a story, please send an email to:
yourstory@thewisdomproject.info

It's Planting Time...

Last fall, many people saw the American economy ‘down for the count’. We heard terms like downturn, recession and slump. True, America was sick, but during challenging times, poor discipline and immaturity seem to be revealed. Maybe it’s time to get real and be honest. Try this on for size….the economy is not dwindling – it’s being transformed.

We were sick and now it’s time to fix the root of the problem. Forget the band-aid. Let’s pick up the pieces and put them together in a new way to form a new life. What this situation exposed was simply all the elements that were broken.

What would happen if we embraced the chaos? What if we buried the self doubt, the doom and gloom, the envy and the ‘woe is me’ attitude? Go ahead…pick up a shovel, dig a six foot hole and bury that stuff for good. The truth is, today is a great time for a new generation to rise up and find the strength to start planting – planting confidence, determination and belief.

Think about when the gardener plants a new seed. When that seed begins to sprout, the first thing that comes up is a little dirt - it is then and only then that the shoot begins to appear. Can you hang on long enough to brush away the initial dirt so you can celebrate the new healthy green sprouting growth? That kind of determination will be needed.

The germination period for each seed is different. Some seeds sprout right away but the plant is slow to grow. While others take excessive amounts of time to push through the earth, then their bloom comes quickly. Can you maintain your confidence even when there is no sight of growth?

Think about a farmer. When he plants corn in the spring, he knows without a shadow of a doubt that he will be harvesting corn (not wheat) in the fall. He maintained his belief throughout the entire growing season. Can you sustain your belief throughout growing season?

We’re not ‘down and out’; it’s time to Plant. Planting confidence, determination and belief today has the potential to create an abundant harvest tomorrow.

Success Principles Learned on the Golf Course...

The state of Minnesota is known for its many lakes. But this week all eyes are on Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska, Minnesota. Competitive golfers and fans of the sport are gathering for the 91st Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship. With the highest amount of golfers per capita of any state in the U.S., this prestigious and rather lengthy golf course has been swarming with spectators for the last three days of practice rounds with some of the biggest names in professional sports.

Since our home is less than eight miles from this event and thanks to a very generous brother-in-law, my husband and I were able to experience this rare occurrence first-hand today. After clearing security, we entered the venue with a drove of spectators, each with their own agenda. The hustle and bustle of excited viewers was more stimulating to experience than your average morning cup of coffee. We quickly decided to head to the back nine (that’s hole numbers 10-18 for you none golfers). Hole number 16 is a signature hole for this golf course. Everyone who follows golf in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area has heard of the ‘amazing 16th hole’ at Hazeltine.

After a gorgeous nature hike through tree-lined wooded paths and scurrying over manicured, lush greens we found our destination and took a seat. The grandstands were sparse; the nearest person was more than 10 feet away. I sat speechless in awe of the magnificent view before me. The temperature was still at a comfortable 75 degrees F and rising, the sun rays beat down on my fair Minnesota skin and a warm breeze blew softly across the lake. The majestic oak trees gently swayed and a vast array of wildlife took flight from the prairie grass. This was a perfect time to appreciate all of God’s creation.

By now, you might be asking what in the world does this have to do with success in life. Well, recently I heard this stunning piece of real estate being described by some golf professionals. They used words like intimidating and difficult with a potential for dramatic change. Yes, this 16th hole did look different than the other seventeen holes, but in a good way…to the spectator, not the player.

Seemingly, this peninsula taunts players and appears to play with their minds. Both the professional and the amateur become nervous when facing this test. Yet a headline in today’s newspaper read: PGA championships: ‘Sixteen is one the best holes in America’.

Okay, let’s get this straight…in golf, intimidating and difficult with a potential for dramatic change is desirable? In fact, it is. The golfers agree that these obstacles and stumbling blocks help the best become better. It challenges men of every skill level to dig deep and find the champion within.

For those of us who earn our living outside of professional sports, these same situations arise. Many times we can become intimidated with a challenge before us. We view the task ahead as difficult with a high potential for dramatic change. We become nervous when the obstruction appears. We hear the taunting in our head.

But the good news is that those hurdles and impediments are there to show us how strong we are. When was the last time you broke through a wall in your path? Did you remove the bricks one by one with a logical, systematic approach or did you hit it head on and break through with fire and gusto? Remember how great life was on the other side? You are a stronger, better, faster person today because of a once seemingly impossible barrier in front of you.

The next four days of the PGA Championship tournament are sure to be filled with thrills and upsets and in the end, a new 2009 champion will be crowned. Let’s watch and learn and grow with these golfers, knowing success comes to those who persevere.

Lessons In Uncommon Places...

My husband loves reading and has a passion for history. Just the other night he rattled off a date of some event they were talking about on television…before the reporters gave the date. Although I don’t hold the same level of interest in history, I was still in awe at how quickly the information came to him-nothing short of amazing in my mind. He reads daunting books with 300, 400 and some even 500+ pages in length, all of them about history, ones that I only will glance at on the book shelf and sigh. For me, reading something with that fine print and thickness would be like trying to run a full marathon without training. I would wonder if I would be able to finish.

There has been no book that he has talked more about than “Uncommon Friends” by James Newton. It is a (357 page) book about the lives of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel and Charles Lindbergh. They are five 20th century giants known personally by very few – except for James Newton. Many know the accomplishments of these great men but Newton captures their lives on a personal level.

Since my husband spoke so highly of this book (and so frequently) I decided to open the book randomly and begin reading. I had no idea what would happen next. Not only did this author keep my attention, but he was able to colour a vivid picture of who Henry Ford was as a man. After I flew through just 10 or 12 pages of encouraging printed words, I decided to stop to share some pearls of wisdom from Henry Ford:

“The purpose of money is to provide more opportunity to perform more service. Short-sighted businessmen think first of money, but service is what really makes or breaks a business; without it, customers soon go elsewhere.”

“True happiness comes from the realization of accomplishment.”

“If money is your only hope for independence, you will never have it.”

“It’s our first duty to do the right thing, and this will earn us the right money.”

“We ought to think of our country as a servant of mankind. A trustworthy, righteous nation, whose joy is to help all people toward peace and progress. Except for idealists there would have been no United States."

These quotes contain tremendous power and wisdom. Valuable insights can be gleaned by examining the thought process of historical figures. Reading a large book on history is more of an uncommon place for me, but when I chose to go out of my comfort zone I was blessed with great wisdom to learn, grow and share. How about you? Is there an uncommon place you need to visit from which you could learn?

Declaring Independence...

Independence Day - Fourth of July. Americans love their freedoms. Freedom to travel where they want, choose the home they live in, pick a career and a lifestyle. We even sing about the land of the free and the home of the brave. The Declaration of Independence embodies the values of Americans; the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On this Independence Day 2009, I find myself reflecting on freedoms of all kinds as I lie on the couch recovering from knee surgery just two days prior. With a pillow under my affected leg and bandages covering the stitches, I’m forced to take things slowly. My family is ‘on call’ 24/7 because the ability to run up the steps quickly to get my glasses or scoot into the kitchen for a sandwich is quite difficult for me. Ironic isn’t it? That today, July 4th, is the day that America is celebrating our country’s freedom with family gatherings, cookouts and fireworks and here I sit completely DEpendent on others for help.

By in large, I am a person, who loves freedom. I prefer to be in control, to have the freedom to change my mind and to have a variety of choices for how to live my life. Independence and freedom are comfort zones for me. But today, I’m taking time to appreciate all that I have and the amazing potential that is before me.

This focus on freedom reminded me of something that Robert Kiyosaki’s wife Kim wrote in her book Rich Woman…“With every little victory you accomplish, your confidence increases. Increased confidence leads to higher self-esteem. Higher self-esteem leads to greater success, which ultimately leads to the greatest gift of all – freedom.”

The Declaration of Independence was a victory for America. In turn, this country gained confidence and esteem which ultimately led to our greatest gift of freedom. For you and me, each personal victory elevates certainty and value. The freedom we’ve gained from those events is something to appreciate.

What personal victories have you experienced? Today may be the time for you to reflect on the freedom and independence you have gained and declare your future potential.