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Posts from the ‘Relationships’ Category

Nov 27

Happy New Year Today

“All experiences of life seems to prove that the impediments thrown in the way of the human advancement may for the most part be overcome by steady good conduct, honest zeal, activity, perseverance and above all, by a determined resolution to surmount.” – Samuel Smiles

“I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question.” – Yogi Berra

“I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question.” – Yogi Berra

As we approach the end of the year, we put together our list of “resolutions,” many are repeats of last year and the year before. We call them resolutions, but unless we have a plan and take steps every day to achieve them, they are merely wishes. Wishes are magic. Resolutions are work. The true reward is found in hard work and discipline, earning your victories.

Don’t delay the journey to your aspirations. Start now, a step at a time and on New Year’s Eve, you’ll have something concrete to celebrate.

“Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.” – Saint Augustine

Nov 22

2 Comments

Thanks and Giving

“Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.” - Garrison Keillor

“Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.” – Garrison Keillor

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” – Ralph Marston

Thanks and Giving – Can’t think of two better ways to live life out loud, well beyond a long holiday weekend. Awaken to and take in the gifts that are in front of you at this very moment. Discover the extraordinary in the ordinary. Happy Thanks and Giving, every day, every single day.

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” – e. e. cummings

Nov 13

4 Comments

Lost and Found Smile

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

THE Sole Sisters rode again for our annual “run a half marathon by the ocean” vacation. This year’s mini-escape – Malibu, California. The subtitle could be the “find your lost smile” excursion. Mission accomplished. Vacation breaks our daily patterns, whacking us in the head to wake up and enjoy this short life. The trick is to carry the vacation calm forward. It’s not about a permanent escape, but living each non-vacation day with that same joy and enthusiasm.

Carve out time each day, week, month to stay fresh and engaged, despite the odds. Laugh about silly things until your stomach hurts, taking yourself much less seriously. Eat food that looks like art with a sunset as your backdrop. Smile from your heart and soul, giving your mind a rest. See the good in all, even when not evident or rational. Go deeper, walk lighter.

Slow down and listen to your internal GPS, which like our GPS in our rental car told us several times to “recalculate.” Take the long cut and enjoy the journey, living to your fullest potential, giving your best. Smile like you mean it.

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” – Mother Teresa

Nov 7

6 Comments

Know the Difference

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” - Abraham Lincoln

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” – Abraham Lincoln

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

What can we effectively affect? What can be impacted by our effort and energy? What we can do to make a difference? a real one – not the busy work of worry, anxiety and distress. True discernment. Clarity.

“The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things – the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit, and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit.” – Charles Grosvenor Osgood

Oct 20

3 Comments

Exhale

“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”
– Bertrand Russell

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

In waiting, hoping and quiet, we rediscover what’s important and what’s merely noise. Pettiness and cynicism get loud temporarily only to be drown out by gratitude and goodness. This past year has been a series of waiting periods with family health, tree limbs falling, cars breaking and most recently Molly having major surgery for an infection in her chest (she’s home and doing well).

As we hold our breath through these days, we need to remember to exhale, releasing the weight of waiting. And then to inhale, taking in the good. In and out, yin and yang, up and down, inhale and exhale.

Oct 15

7 Comments

Out of the Blue

“It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.” – Helen Keller

“It’s wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.” – Helen Keller

“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” – Saint Basil

The right words at the perfect time, a phone call from a friend, an unprompted email from a co-worker with an authentic thank you, a handwritten card for no occasion but one of encouragement.

All simple acts of love “out of the blue” that remind us that there are more blue skies than clouds. We have the power to create “out of the blue” moments for others. This week, write an email, send a card, pick up the phone. A simple act of kindness that can transform the sky.

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” – Dalai Lama

Oct 12

6 Comments

Discover

“The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

As I embark of two days of intense meetings, I’ve decided to not dread them but to open myself to what I can learn, contribute and discover. Be open to people and ideas and the landscape changes. Discover your day, they are passing by quickly. Capture the moments, they are the essense of life.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.” – William James

 

Oct 10

1 Comment

Cues

“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

We all want to be found, heard, seen, without asking. What signals do you send off and pick up on each day? In our rushing (where are we going so fast?), we miss cues, clues and nuances. Often misunderstanding others and sending the message “I don’t have time.”  Slow down, look and listen to what’s in the forefront, not off in the distance.

Take time to go deeper, walk softly and discover the many treasures at our feet. The horizon is the destination but the journey is found in each step we take with people who add meaning to the trip.

Oct 7

4 Comments

First Time Again

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot

“No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” – James A. Baldwin

“No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” – James A. Baldwin

The first weekend of October is the Twin Cities Marathon, a tradition. In 2004, the Twin Cities Marathon was my first marathon, so it’s very special to me. This weekend, I ran the 5k on Saturday and the 10 mile on Sunday. Over the past 10 years, I’ve probably done over 100 5k runs, no big deal. It’s become routine. But this weekend, it became new again.

At the 5k, there were thousands of runners of different ages, sizes and walks of life. For many, this was their first 5k. To them, it was a big deal. All of them with their own stories and daily challenges, simply running, achieving a goal. At the 10 mile and marathon events, the runners had the same excitement and enthusiasm as months of hard work paid off in each step moving them to the finish line, crossing over in the victory of finishing. And as we cheered for the them today, I remembered how important the spectators and my friends and family were to me when I ran my first marathon. They carried me and inspired me. And this weekend, I was inspired by those running all of the events – 5k, 10k, 10 mile and marathon – especially those running for the first time.

Run into each day with a “first time again” perpective and be inspired and renewed as the old becomes new again.

Sep 16

3 Comments

Build

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

On Sunday night, my mind focuses on my schedule for the week – meetings, projects, commitments – the transactional part of life. We feverishly race to get as many items checked off our “to do” lists, mulitasking, juggling, stressing.

Slow down and start dancing on the relational side of life. Lighten up. Choose people over activities. Encourage others. Celebrate each day’s blessings. Discover your gifts. Build a meaningful life by giving your gifts away.

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