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

9 Seconds...That's All We Have...

9 seconds…that’s all we have. Just 9 seconds. I just finished reading a blog from Sally Hogshead ...the average attention span of people today is 9 seconds. That certainly explains a few things!

That explains why the little 4 year old girl in front of me in church was on the chair, off the chair, on the chair and off the chair again – her 9 seconds was over. It explains why my 12 year old daughter was frustrated because she could not focus on her homework anymore at 10 p.m. – her 9 seconds was over. And it explains why I have started and stopped writing this blog post three times – my 9 seconds expired.

Okay, all kidding aside, does that statistic startle anyone? Truthfully, if we think about all the technology that we have at our fingertips today, this statistic makes quite a bit of sense! We live in a microwave society. We want everything now…well…there ARE times when I actually would like somethings done so fast I wish it was done yesterday. (But that is another story) Admit it, we hate to wait. I have said many times, we no longer go find the news and happenings from around the world; they find us. With the internet, that can happen. You know what is really annoying, is when you are holding your laptop on your lap while eating a cracker and the crumbs fall on the mouse pad. That is really annoying…oh wait…where was I? I think my 9 seconds just expired.

See how quickly that can happen? Yes, that was a shameless example to make my point, but it actually did happen, so that is worth something, right?

So now you are asking, how can we change this statistic of a 9 second attention span? Might I suggest that we ask a different question? Since the task of increasing our attention span seems quite daunting, how about if we:

• understand that we live in the Information Age
• realize that technology keeps changing, growing and making us better
• recognize that the speed and efficiency of our media continually increases
• accept the fact that we have an attention span of 9 seconds
• stop fighting it and start working with the statistic

Some ways to work with our reality:

• Realize I may need to prep my kid before church to help her understand that she needs to ‘chill out’ for bit while in church and THEN get to release her energy by playing outside AFTER (or if all else fails, just suck it up as the parent for the time being because they will grow out of this stage)
• Know that my kid may need to do a little homework, take a break and play and then go back and do more homework later
• Accept that I may not finish writing my blog post all in one sitting – life sometimes intervenes and that is okay – especially if it is my family, because I know that I will eventually finish the post

As I leave you to ponder on these thoughts, I want to share a terrific quote I read on Michael Hyatt’s blog (the CEO to Thomas Nelson Publishing) from P. J. O’Rourke on how easy it is to get distracted when you are writing:

“Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o’clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word “paisley” in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on The New York Times Atlas of the World map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting—by width—all the interesting articles I’ve cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write.”

9 seconds…that’s all we have. Just 9 seconds.

Happy Mother's Day moms...

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up....

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
And get their answer when a little voice says, 'Because I love you best..'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
Is not measured by height or years or grade...

It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother........
 

Nine Tenths of Education...

"Nine tenths of education is encouragement." ~Anatole France


Dictionary.com states ENCOURAGE is “to inspire with hope or confidence; cheer; brighten”

How good does it feel when someone encourages you? Do you enjoy receiving a compliment? Have you ever gotten that warm fuzzy feeling inside when a friend sent you a cheery note via snail mail instead of a text or email? What about when someone did something nice that you did not expect?

Encouragement has the ability to breathe new life into ones soul. It can sustain hope. It can be a catalyst that pushes a person one step further. It seems that encouraging others can be as simple as lighting a candle and watching how powerfully a single flame can light a dark room.

This week my youngest daughter met her deadline and completed her school Science Fair project – something she had been working on for the last eight weeks. In preparation for the judging, she made some note cards to help her stay on track. The stresses of this event coupled with many nights of homework, sporting activities, singing performances and just an overall busy schedule, left my child over-tired…and it showed. The ‘melt down’ happened during the note card process…at the end of the day. A mental block occurred and it was quite evident.

From my perspective, the emotional outburst seemed to be over something rather trivial. It was at that moment that my own words of wisdom popped into my head:

You never know what someone is going through until you walk a mile in their shoes.

I’ve said this to my kids many times. Now the tables were turned. I do not have the same behavior patterns as my daughter, nor do I remember what it is like to be 12 years old, presenting a science project for three adult judges. The reality is I’m not walking in her shoes right now, so I really don’t know what is going through her head and heart. However, there is one thing that I CAN do:

ENCOURAGE

For this particular scenario, encouragement could be a smile, a hug, a cheery word or even a little note in her lunch box. How simple is that? And how powerful! Remember:

You never know what someone is going through until you walk a mile in their shoes.

Make today the day you chose to encourage. What kind of powerful results did you see?

Relationships First Business Second...

Two or three days a week my morning begins with a workout after the car pool duties have been completed. Many days, as most moms’ can relate to, there are a series of errands that need to be completed, such as bank deposit, stamps from the post office, groceries, etc. Today was nothing unusual. A package with a prepaid label had to be delivered to The UPS Store (I refer to them as ‘Brown’). Behind the counter, the energetic young man with great eyeglass frames and adorable balding head asked how he could help me. I smiled politely and greeted him with a hearty hello. The box that held my fragile item was a bit unassuming and needed some attention. We had used all the packaging tape we owned and came up a bit short in completing the task.

Here is the part of the story I really want you to catch….

Rather than approaching the ‘Brown’ employee swiftly with a rapid-fire list of tasks that he should do for me, I chose a different path. I engaged him in conversation.

I began with a line, something like, “Looks like you must be in charge here.” His eyes lit up and we were immediately off to a good start. A few more sentences were exchanged and then he offered to help me with my humble little mailing. That point was the first I mentioned needing to mail this package AND that additional tape was needed to secure the package. (I was fully prepared to purchase a roll of packing tape and finish off the job on my own)

Here’s what happened next…

The ‘Brown’ employee said, “Since you are so genuine and pleasant I would love to finish taping that box for you and get it on its way.”

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard the word genuine much lately - made me feel good because I was merely just being “me”. I had no ulterior motive – I believe that it is a whole lot easier to be happy and pleasant than sad and disgruntled. In reply I blurted out…”Relationships First Business Second.” It seems more important than ever in today’s high-tech world, that we remember the relationship. The ‘Brown’ employee and I continued our conversation and I was introduced to the other ‘Brown’ employee as well. We laughed and joked around for at least another 5 minutes.

My wisdom for you today…

Whatever we are doing in life…building a business, raising a family, working our job, mailing a package…it is important to remember:

Relationships First Business Second

It seems that most solid businesses are successful because they made relationships a priority over everything else. Now it’s your turn. Go out and give away a smile, offer a hearty hello, and notice the person on the other side of the counter. That is a true win-win in life.

What's Your Story?

It was Monday afternoon, the day after Easter. A call to customer service to deal with a cell phone challenge, kept me on the line longer than anticipated – I miss two calls from my husband. Later when we did connect, he relayed some startling news – his uncle had just been killed in a car accident. That icy chill traveled quickly from the base of my neck, down my back and through the back of my legs. I found my way to the floor to sit in attempt to absorb the shock.


This was the uncle who was an entrepreneur, who preferred to call his own shots, who took pride in going after what he wanted and built a financially secure future for himself, his children and his grandchildren. He and his wife were never content sitting at home – they traveled the world and experienced many cultures and people. When he shook your hand, it was always a firm handshake and he looked you straight in the eye. An outsider would say, he “led the good life”. I would say, he was determined, decisive, hard working and believed in himself – he led by example.

Over the last 20 years, I saw this man only on occasion, but I looked forward to each encounter. My favorite thing to do, when in his presence, was to just sit quietly and listen to him tell stories. Boy, did he have some tales. Sometimes it was a funny story of some people they encountered on a cruise ship or a quirky question he was asked by a business client. Sometimes it was one of those pride-filled stories of time spent with a granddaughter. Yet other times, he spoke of the scenic wonders he experienced with his eyes while touring an exotic land. With a grin on my face, I wondered, if time permitted, could he continue entertaining forever?

Today the family is faced with the reality that there will be no more stories. Those precious stories were filled with golden nuggets of wisdom which the listener could gain an education. Those precious stories not only entertained me but opened my eyes to a new perspective – a bigger world. I cherish the moments I was afforded to spend with this man. Today, the thought that crushes my spirit is realizing that the opportunity to glean the golden nuggets of wisdom from the experiences of this man…are gone. Now I must face the fact that his wisdom will go to the grave with him.

This tragedy has given me a new perspective for the project I am working on. The Wisdom Project (http://www.thewisdomproject.info/) was birthed with the belief that each time one person shares their wisdom – another person is strengthened. One of the best ways to share that wisdom is to put our thoughts/ideas/experiences to paper and share them in book form to reach people across the world. That is just what The Wisdom Project has committed to do – collect your stories of wisdom and pass them on.

No one knows how many days they have left to live. Yet while we are here, we have the opportunity, if we choose, to take a few moments and write down some words of wisdom. How many days do you have left to share your wisdom – to pass it onto the next generation? I encourage you to take the time to write what wisdom means to you and submit it to yourstory@thewisdomproject.info so your legacy can carry on.

What's your story? 

Someone out there is waiting to hear it!