Serve!

Greetings everyone! Today's word is brought to you courtesy of one of my new workshops ;-)... "Servant Leadership."

Today's picture is brought to you by a good friend who kindly helped me celebrate my graduation by hosting a dinner for me. Yes, that is a "cupcake tower" and yes, those cupcakes were as good as they look (and really cute, too, in UF's orange and blue colors!). Sandy is the epitome of a great hostess - she has such a willingness to serve others and seems to thoroughly enjoy creating an "experience" for everyone - and as you can see, she is quite successful!

As I thought about today's word, I thought about how many different ways there are to serve - and how all of us can find our "serving" niche if we look around us. Perhaps you heard about the server at a Steak 'n' Shake this week who received a $446 tip. One of her regular customers witnessed other customers giving her a hard time, so the regular customer decided to make her day by leaving a huge (make that enormous!) tip. So...who was doing the real "serving" here? I think the customer actually served in a more memorable and meaningful way - not because of the amount she left, but because of the thought behind it. The server made the statement to an interviewer that "I didn't think I was worth $400, but apparently she does."  WOW.

Just think how each of US can serve others through our words and deeds - and it doesn't have to cost a cent. Yet we can make them feel so much better about their own worth. The next time you eat out - or go to a retail store - or a bank - or just about anywhere where someone is serving YOU, take notice of their name badge, look them in the eye, use their name, and comment on the good service (or pleasant smile or...). You will see a visible difference in the way they respond to you after that brief interaction.

Please don't take this to mean we are to be manipulative to get people to respond differently. That's not my intent at all. My intent is to help YOU see how you can serve in lots of different ways.

So...how can you serve this week?

• Look at a "server" as a human being?
• Pick up someone's mail while they're out of town?
• Take someone the extra serving of lasagna you prepared?
• Stop and wait while someone crosses in front of you?
• Let someone go ahead of you in the grocery line?
• Pick up something that has fallen onto the floor at the department store?
• Drop someone an email to let them know you are thinking of them?
• Pick up that old-fashioned phone and actually CALL them?  ;-)
• Do a family member's chore for them today?
• Offer to help a co-worker finish up a project?
• Blow the leaves off of your neighbor's front porch?
• Bring the newspaper from their driveway to their front door?

I know you'll find lots of ways to serve others this week - and I know you'll find that it brings a bit of sunshine into your day, too! Drop me a note and let me know what you come up with!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Knowledge

Hi everyone! You might think the title of this post relates to the picture (graduation day, April 14, 2013 - YIPPEEEE!!!) and I guess it could certainly pertain to that. I hope I gained some knowledge over these many months of school work, team meetings, and class time!

But the reason the word "knowledge" came to mind is that I spent some time with a friend yesterday who is a wealth of knowledge (actually, he has a lot of knowledge about wealth, too - he's a wealth management consultant! Alas, I have no need for his services, lol). Whenever I speak with him, we always get into some really interesting discussions and I walk away having learned something new - or at least affirming something I already have strong feelings about. Don't you love it when that happens??

Yesterday we talked about leadership. Since Bryan studies words, he mentioned that leader comes from "lea" = path and "der" = finder. So a leader is a pathfinder. How cool to know that what I've been telling people for years as my own opinion is also traceable back to the roots of the word "leader!"

Something I think people can miss, though, is that you don't have to have a corner office, a gaggle of employees, or a fancy-schmancy title to be a leader. You don't even have to have a job. People in all walks of life, at every level, and those who are not technically employed, can still be leaders.

You can lead people to have a good attitude - by exhibiting one yourself.

You can lead people to take a good look at their negativity by being the person who keeps a positive outlook on things.

You can lead people to act with integrity - because you set the example.

You can lead people to feel good about themselves by being an encourager.

You can lead others to be accountable for their own actions by not allowing them to make excuses for bad behavior.

So...you now have new knowledge of yourself as a leader. What will you do with this knowledge? How can you show your leadership in the next 30 days? Let me know!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Ah....bliss!



True Bliss for Murphy

 Yeah, I know Christmas was awhile ago :-), but when I thought of the word I wanted to write about this week, this picture is what came to mind!

Bliss...we know it when we feel it, but most of us would be hard-pressed to actually describe it.The first definition listed at www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster dictionary online) is "complete happiness." Yes, that'll do!


And I think Murphy is a pretty good representation of that in this picture, don't you? Actually, I felt bliss when I saw him so comfortable in front of the fireplace with the twinkling lights of the tree beside him - our favorite violin "soaking" music playing in the background (www.ruthfazal.com) and a fragrant cup of Keurig coffee beside me.  Ahhhhh...

You might wonder why I picked a word not used in our everyday language - at least not in mine. A client requested a mini-workshop titled "Find Your Bliss at Work" and I thought that was a great topic - and a challenging one to boot. So I added a word to the title and it's now called "Find Your Bliss at Work ~ Really!" It's full of thought-provoking tips and questions encouraging the participants to ponder what really makes them happy. I love helping people ponder those kinds of things!

I am fortunate to find bliss in my work - most days. I am privileged to help other people "sort things out" - whether that has to do with leadership, personalities, emotional intelligence, balance in their lives, or any one of many other topics. When I see the proverbial light bulb go on for them, I can honestly say I feel bliss.

So...what brings you bliss? What makes you happy? Often it's not about money, things, status, power, or jobs. It may be a feeling you get when you spend time with a good friend. It may be the fleeting moment when you take a sip of your favorite coffee - or when you watch the kids playing or the dog galloping across the yard. It may even be when you're learning and growing - or helping something else grow by digging in your garden.

Whatever brings you bliss, take time this week to consciously remember it. Think how it makes you feel. Reflect on how you might bring more of it into your life. And drop me a note to let me know what came to mind!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Be aware, be very aware! :-)

Hi everyone,

How did you do with your "wisdom" last week? I think I did a teensy bit better...maybe this week will move me a little closer to "wise" :-)

This week's word is AWARE. As in, are you aware of how what you say and do affects others?

I was reading an article yesterday about different kinds of leadership. One theory of leadership is that, whether your "title" is leader or not, you are born having certain kinds of leadership qualities and you really can't change that. For instance, I once worked for a fellow who ruled by intimidation - and yes, he "ruled" and yes, he intimidated. I respectfully disagree with the theory that he couldn't change that style. I sincerely believe that what it takes is constant awareness (which sounds pretty easy, but isn't, of course). That awareness could have led him to see how his actions and words DE-motivated his employees, but he chose NOT to be aware. I have to conclude that he didn't CARE how that style affected others.

So what does this have to do with you - and me? Well, I have been on a quest (over the past couple of years, especially) to be aware of my own words and actions and the affect they will have on others. My tongue seems to be in a constant state of "injury" from being bitten so often!! The wounds are a little less frequent as my state of awareness increases, though.

Just think...if you become more aware before you "snap" at a friend - or a child - or a spouse - or the telemarketer - or the clerk at the store - or a boss...won't that make life a bit less stressful? It will if you then consider what you were going to say and deal with the feelings behind those words, rather than just spit them out onto someone without considering how you will make them feel. And here's where maybe that wisdom does come in a bit...I have found that when I let loose with words to make someone else feel bad, I may accomplish that goal momentarily, but the sad part is, I don't usually feel all that much better after having shared my negativity. I still have the negativity, and now they do, too. And it usually doesn't improve my relationship with that person in any way. And I don't know the affect those feelings will have on them in the future. And the feelings that caused me to say those things are still there! And now I'm irritated with myself!

And just think...an ounce of AWARENESS could have prevented all of that! Yes, I would still have the feelings ~ but I have found that dealing with my feelings myself rather than letting them control me and how I interact with others is really paying benefits these days.

See...wisdom does come with age :-) (Of course, sometimes age comes alone...tee hee!)

My challenge to you this week is to become more aware - aware of what you are about to say and to whom you are going to say it...aware of WHY you want to say that...aware of the affect it will have (short-term and long-term) on that person and on your relationship with them...aware of the affect it will have on your feelings about yourself... Just be aware, be very aware!

Blessings,

Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com