The Difference

READY8 “No one is good at everything, but everyone is good at something.” ~ Author Unknown

AIM8 Have you ever realized that something you did, no matter how small, really made a difference in the life of someone else? How did it make you feel? Making a difference is so simple and, remarkably, super easy. Many times we place such a high emphasis on what we feel really makes a difference in a situation or in a person’s life, that we miss the simple blessings along the way.
Take a moment to watch this short video. It was originally sent by the president of my husband’s company to his managers. What a powerful message to share with his trusted employees. The video truly inspired me to look for simple ways to make a difference in my everyday life. I hope it inspires you too!

www.stservicemovie.com

FIRE!8 Make a conscious effort to make a difference today. Smile at someone who needs a smile. Return a grocery cart for an elderly person in the parking lot. Offer to babysit for a friend to give her a much-needed break. Whatever you choose to do today, do it with a sincere heart and you will know you are making a difference.

Be Excellent!
Lori

Titles or Testimonies

READY8 “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~ Pericles

AIM8 There was a time in my life that my friends and I would tease each other that “The one who dies with the most titles wins!” We were constantly surrounded by people who were earning college degrees, becoming important professionals in society, winning awards within their organizations or serving on various committees at their churches. Some people were actually seeking titles to make themselves feel and appear more important…even though they would never admit it.
We all acquire titles as we journey through life. We can get titles from work, school, organizations, church and everyday life. Eventually each one of us will pass away. When your time arrives, what do you want the message on your tombstone to say? Do you want all those important titles listed because they defined who you were? Or would you rather have people simply remember you for what you did and how you personally affected them?
Life is short; too short for placing unnecessary value in the simple letters we list behind our names. What matters most is what you do while you are “the title.” If you are a professional, how do you treat your customers and clients? If you are a volunteer, how do you interact with the people you are helping? Even if you don’t have special letters behind your name…how will people remember you? What is your testimony?

FIRE!8 Take a personal inventory of your life. Do your titles really define who you want to be? Make a commitment today to live your life so that the conversations about you (even at your funeral) are positive and uplifting because you made a difference.

Be Excellent!
Lori

Seasons Change

READY8 “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

AIM8 It is autumn! The leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow, but they will soon be replaced with lifeless brown leaves and empty branches. Each new season brings changes in nature, changes in the weather and changes in the activities we plan.

Just as in nature, our life seasons change, too. Unfortunately, there isn’t a calendar to let us know when those seasons change, but we can sure feel it when they do! Are you feeling joy and excitement as the result of a positive experience? Are you feeling sad and depressed because you are dealing with a difficult situation? Are friends, work situations or living arrangements changing, or even shifting slightly? Or maybe you’re basking happily in the middle of a season - enjoy!

Like nature, our life seasons will change too. Whatever you are struggling with or rejoicing about, God is right there, ready to lift you up and give you strength or celebrate with you! At the right time, you will enter a new season a stronger, better person. Just as April showers bring May flowers, you, too, will see the rewards from enduring your season… in due time.

FIRE!8 Do you know someone who is experiencing a change in season right now? Stop! Pick up the phone and call them just to say you are thinking about them and you want to know how they are doing. Your phone call may be exactly what they need to keep pressing on. (And the few minutes’ sacrifice in your schedule will make a huge difference in their day.)

Be Excellent!
Lori

Appreciating Life

READY8 “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~ John F. Kennedy

AIM8 Being a parent is a rewarding job. However, it definitely comes with its daily challenges. It seems that everybody needs something, needs someone or needs to go somewhere. It is so easy to get lost or caught up in the craziness of keeping the family on track that it’s hard to find quiet time to spend alone in an attempt to retain your sanity.
The good news is that while your children are young and life is zooming by – you can truly find joy in every hectic moment. Pause for a second while you are taking your turn driving the car full of football players to practice in order to appreciate healthy kids who can run and jump and enjoy team sports. While you are dusting the furniture or sweeping up crumbs from under the kitchen table, again, be grateful for the blessing of a safe, warm home for your family and food for your nourishment. Your family responds to your words and actions. We need to show them that we recognize those moments of joy in our everyday, ordinary routines and activities.
So as you prepare to go to bed tonight, and every night, be thankful for the energy and strength to have survived one more crazy, joy-filled day!

FIRE8 Take 30 seconds to write down people or things you appreciate. During dinner (or breakfast), talk with your family about who or what they appreciate and share your list with them.

Be Excellent!
Lori

Just Say No

READY8 “Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” ~ Josh Billings

AIM8 There you are once again, stewing in the familiar territory of deciding whether or not to volunteer for another committee. Is it for one of the many activities of your children, your church or your place of employment? You realize you can't possibly take on one more thing in your busy schedule. And yet, the people on this committee really NEED you. You desperately want to say yes, but that small quiet voice in your head is nudging you to say no. You take time to think it through, you may have even prayed for wisdom about making the right decision, yet your brain tries to convince you that you could really be an asset to the people who want your time commitment. Still, the twinge in your stomach raises another red flag that perhaps you really aren't meant to take on this additional responsibility. So, what do you do?
You just say no.

Truthfully, it's as simple as that. You've weighed all the options or prayed for God's leading and as much as we'd like the trumpets to blow and a billboard to be displayed with the correct answer, God doesn't often work that way. God is there in those quiet voices, those gentle nudges and those instinctual feelings of what's right or wrong. He uses those subtle nuances to see if you are truly paying attention to His direction. The good news is that when you learn to recognize those promptings and follow His leading, just saying no is absolutely liberating.
Oh, by the way, the people who needed you on their committee will most likely be understanding about your decision. Later they will discover that they actually needed a different person who was divinely appointed to help them. Guess what? It wasn’t supposed to be you this time around. Whew!

FIRE8 Stop and re-evaluate your priorities and commitments. If you are stretched too thin or have too many obligations, do yourself a favor and bow out gracefully before your lack of involvement creates stress and imbalance in your life and the lives of those who are counting on you.

Be Excellent!
Lori

Enjoying Life

READY8 "People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.” ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

AIM8 Thank you to my dear friend Melissa Z. for sending me this inspiring story a few years ago. It had an impact on me which is why I kept it. Today, I’m hoping it has an impact on you too.

GOD'S COFFEE

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds NO quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups..... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups . They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee.

"God brews the coffee, not the cups........... Enjoy your coffee!"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. ~ Author Unknown

FIRE8 Send an email or a personal note to a person who has made a difference in the way you look at life. Tell them “Thank You.”

Be Excellent!
Lori

Building Confidence In Others

READY8 "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.” ~ Author Unknown

AIM8 As we go through our lives, day after day, it is difficult to be your own personal cheerleader. In fact, some people might actually think you are a little strange if they were to witness you patting yourself on the back or giving yourself a little pep talk in public. However, it is not difficult to be a cheerleader for other people. There are so many ways you can help encourage your friends and family members or boost the confidence of students, employees and other folks with whom you are associated.

A friend of mine is a high school teacher. She has many students who walk through her doors year after year. What makes her special is that she looks for ways to make a difference in the lives of her students. She takes the time to ask them about their lives, their interests and their aspirations. She makes it a priority to remember when her students have important sports or extra-curricular activities and voices her support to each one individually and collectively. There have been times when she has actually gone out of her way to show up at their events just so they know that someone out there really cares and truly wants them to succeed in life.

Down the road, when those students are grown and have families of their own, who do you think they will remember as someone who had an impact on their life? You see, it’s the little things that count. Kind words, compliments and supportive actions do not take much effort on your part. You just have to decide that you want to help encourage someone else and make a difference in his or her life.

FIRE8 Give someone a sincere compliment today. Tell someone you are excited about what she is accomplishing. Take the time to be present to show support at a special event or activity for someone who needs her own personal cheerleader.

Be Excellent!
Lori