Leave it to Kids

When was the last time you talked to a young person? I am talking about a youngster 5 or younger. If ever you need a pick me up coupled with imagination….this is your ticket.

I was honored to have one such conversation this evening. I don’t know what it is about a conversation with a little person but they have such a fresh spirit. You can’t help but smile and be inspired with their enthusiasm for life.  They will tell you colorful and wild stories fueled by everyday situations.

During church we have a children’s time and I look forward to it with great anticipation. Some kids sit and fidget while others hang on every word. The kids always make me smile and they are so unpredictable. That is another part of working with kids that is magical. Kids come up with random acts that surprise and delight us.
I am so grateful for the spirit of children. They bring joy and sunshine to any setting. While many of us are battling winter if you need a lift consider finding a couple of children to hang out with. They can add a little sunshine to your day and help melt some of this frost.
I can hear their cheerful screams as they sled down the hill…..wheee!

Thank You Love!

It is Valentines Day.  The perfect day to reflect on a grateful heart. 

Who do you love?  Who loves you?  What do you love?  Love is a lifelong lesson.  Love starts with each of us.  This statement can be a little misleading.  For us to love others we must first love ourselves.  Now there is a difference between self-love and vanity.  Self-love means that we take care of ourselves, appreciate the person that we are.  In 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”  If you truly believe that your body is a temple how is your structure holding up? 

Taking care of yourself goes beyond what you consume.  Do you battle negative self-talk?  How many times a day to you berate yourself?  Over the course of time these negative messages become woven in to the fabric of your temple.  The layers grow like that of an onion.  Wouldn’t you rather encase your temple with messages of Joy and Celebration? 

This takes practice and diligent focus. 

I recommend starting with a grateful heart.  What are you grateful for today?  The feelings of love, belonging?  The gift of a warm smile?  How about the gift of sunshine to warm the winter horizon?  I am continually amazed at the power of laughter.  Have you heard the giggle of young children?  I can’t help but smile when I hear children laughing.  I can feel my heart lighten and brighten.

Today is Valentines Day.  A day designated to share and shower those closest to you with love and affection.  Is your heart grateful and filled with love?  Start new traditions of gratitude and appreciation. 

Love blossoms from a content heart.  Be happy with you.  Share your gifts with others.  There is only one unique you.  We all have the root of love planted deep within our soul.  Nourish and feed this amazing blessing. 

Wishing you an ABUNDANCE of love on this Valentines Day!

Unlocking Gratitude and More!

I have a special announcement to share with you.

As many of you know, I have done more and more speaking engagements related  to the topic of  my book Gratitude At Work.   I have collaborated  with Tom Becka and Jeff Beals to combine the synergies of some of the best talent in Omaha on relevant and meaningful messages. Tom is always working hard on KFAB and Jeff too with the Grow Omaha segment, but we are all very involved in bringing our messages to companies.   Long story short, but we thought it would be great if we could all do a seminar together.  Our various books really fit together well in that the help everyone increase how they manage their career, job and life!

We are hosting our inaugural event and you are part of our pre-launch friends and family group.  Our event: UNLOCKED!:  A 4-hour Career Jumpstart will be held  the morning of March 10^th at the new Midtown Crossing Marcus Theater.  The focus of the 4 hours provides fresh and proven perspectives in the areas of  sales, social media, marketing and more. 

As part of our pre-launch campaign you are invited to reserve your seat for this dynamic event.  There are only 100 seats available and the cost is $199 for the session which also includes a copy of our books and the 4 hour power session.

The website and event formally launch  this week.  Our launch includes major advertising and promotion.  Reserve your seat(s) early.

For further information, check out www.unlockedomaha.com .  If you have any questions, please let me know, I hope to see you there!

A Fabulous Fabric

I flew out of Omaha yesterday, early in the morning.  It was cold and we were getting snow showers.  We had received 6 inches of fresh snow over the weekend.  I was heading for San Jose via Phoenix.  My flight departed at 6am and the sky was heavy and dark sprinkling the ground with snow.  We spend 45 minutes going through de-icing and finally we were ready for departure.  De-icing is an interesting phenomenon.  While it adds time to your travel and you would like to grow impatient you fight that urge because safety is far more important.  So we de-ice.   20 minutes in to the flight the light on one side of the airplane started to change it was the sunrise as 20,000 feet finally above the cloud cover.  It was one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen.  The clouds rippled like a fine carpet in front of me.  The sun rose and the reflection of color off of the clouds was amazing.  The hues of pink, purples and peach welcomed us to the sky. 

I was so happy to see the sunshine.  It was magnificent.   I was grateful for that moment.  The view.  It was breathtaking!

I hope you have a moment like this – drink it in and enjoy!

Please Read – I have an IDEA 4 YOU

Happy Hearts Day is just around the corner and I have an inexpensive, easy and fun idea for you.
How about going to the store and buying a box (or more) of the child Valentines. You can sign these “from someone who cares” OR “thinking of you.”

In the “TO:” field you can just add the word YOU.
There are many options for the TO and FROM fields – be creative. Place the Valentine in the envelope and on the the front of the envelope you can address it with something like:
To Someone Special
You Are Loved
Thoughts Of You……again be creative and use something generic.

Once you have completed the Valentines how about taking them to a nearby retirement community? Or you can drop them off at a Nursing Home. The residents will LOVE them. This is a fast and efficient way to bring much JOY to the lives of some of our most blessed souls. If you really want to get in to the spirit you can also make valentines. Pull out the paper, glue, rhinestones, glitter and have fun!

What a fabulous way to extend thanks, encourage a heart and give yourself the warmth of giving.  Perhaps this will become a Valentines tradition?
If you decide to do this, I would love to hear from you. Now get busy cupid.

A Ray of Sunshine

This week has been a very interesting week.  The snow is falling again and the gray skies seem commonplace.  I realized how much I enjoy the sunshine.  The warm rays caressing my face means a smile will follow.  Sunshine makes a big difference in my day.  I have noticed that it also makes a difference in everyone around me.  We all seem grumpier when it’s gray.  Our challenge is to find the sunshine in other things.

I found a different sunshine while helping others this week.  I made a quick decision to help someone get better (healthier) and it opened my eyes and my mind to how much need is right in front of me.  Actually it is in front of all of us if we just look.  However if you look you will be required to take action.  Even to ignore the need is taking action so the alternative of not looking becomes very attractive. 

I have SUNSHINE for you…..take a look at what and who is in front of you.  What do they need?  Can you provide part or all of what they are looking for?  Trust the abundance that life holds and give a little.  That’s where the sunshine takes over.  You will be beaming from all corners of your soul and the best part…..it’s contagious.  Can you start a little wave of sunshine?