Amazing Generosity!

As the Board Chair for DePelchin Children's Center, I got to participate today in the closing celebration for their incredibly creative United Way campaign.  The generosity, enthusiasm and commitment for helping others was contagious! And the dollars raised will benefit 1 in 2 Houstonians.

This amazing team of non-profit employees invests its time and talent, daily, to turn lives around for children and families.  And they also share their treasures to complete a United Way campaign far more generous than many for profit company campaigns.

It takes incredible time, talent and treasure to consistently address community needs.  The DePelchin Children's Center staff's passion, professionalism and monetary contributions are amazing multi-faceted commitments to the children and families of Texas.

Just Do Something

Today was a wide-awake at 2:00 a.m. after falling asleep at 11:00 p.m. day.  I'd become overwhelmed with everything on my plate and couldn't quiet my mind to get some much needed sleep.  I finally quit fighting sleeplessness and got up to start taking action on some of the many things on my to do list.  After tackling aspects of several projects, I felt enormously better. Though I don't take naps, I'm aware of the restorative value many receive from napping, and decided at 5:30 that a 30 minute nap might change the day's dynamics. 

Just doing two somethings made a tremendous difference in my day's stress and success:

• Getting up and addressing issues when conventional wisdom would prescribe sleeping
• Taking a 30 minute early morning nap after using sleeping hours to work

It would be foolish to health damaging for me to advocate this as a schedule.  However, recognizing our stresses and just doing something, even unconventional, about them can reduce our stress and increase our success.

For Better and Everything Else

I'm wonderfully blessed that my marvelous parents celebrated their 57th anniversary yesterday!  They have been role models for countless others and me.  Their love, inspiration, perseverance, counsel, advice, humor, empathy, tenacity, grit, determination and loyalty have made their journey memorable and inspirational.

Looking Forward

At a Comerica Economic Forecast luncheon today, we paused to remember the bravery, sacrifice and resilience of so many on this 11th anniversary of 9/11.  And we also expressed gratitude for the incredible freedoms we enjoy in the United States of America.  Though it would have been easy to avoid this date, it was appropriate to glance back, yet honor the ultimate sacrifice of so many by hosting a forward looking event. 

Our Seemingly Inconsequential Paths

I was once again reminded how wonderfully connected everything is on Friday as I arrived at an event with 1200 attendees.  Though most arriving guests were being directed to the right, hand signals with a distant greeter assured me that entering on the left was perfectly acceptable. 

It quickly became very clear to me why I chose the less promoted path, when a friend who had just extended an invitation the previous day,was the first person to greet me.  My luck continued as I entered an attractive theatre row and was greeted by friends in the row behind and several seats over from my favorite nonprofit.  Moving my seat allowed meaningful, unexpected dialogue.

The only other person I needed to see at the event, was at the door as I exited.

Generally, I visit with numerous people at large events.  However, my only three significant engagements on this occasion were with people with whom I had current business. The chances for me to randomly only encounter these 3 people in a crowd of 1200 gives me one more assurance that everything is connected. 

Getting What We Want

When we have experienced seemingly unnecessary delays or inadequate responses caused by strangers, it is important to realize that the customer service individual is often doing the best that she/he can.

Our anger/frustration/impatience is sometimes directed at those least able to provide the solution/answer/outcome that we desire.

Often, "thank you or okay or I see" delivered with a smile, even through clenched teeth, is the best response.   Then, we aren't further burdened by guilt for our outbursts.

However, if the issue is important enough, we need to address it with someone other than the person on the front line.

Whenever we are angry or dissatisfied, it is prudent to pause to determine the action or response we are actually seeking to make things better.  Then, we need to consciously act or react appropriately to achieve our desired outcome.

Change

If you want to make changes, it doesn’t matter:

• Who you are
• Where you were born
• Who your parents are
• What obstacles you have faced or are currently facing

However it does matter:

• How committed you are
• Why you want to do things differently
• What positive steps you will make
• When you are going to start
• How you are going to measure progress

Small steps coupled with commitment lead the way to success.

 

Thank You!

Thank You! These two simple words when offered graciously and sincerely can make a day! 
When we take time to conscientiously add the reason for our gratitude, the impact increases.

Observe Carefully and Think Creatively

Can you create 6 by adding one line to IX?

What would you do if you encountered the following sign in a reading comprension test, with the word GO in the middle?




We can become so programmed to think of a line as straight, that we fail to think that adding a curving line (S)  in front of IX makes 6.

And we can become so fixated on equating the red octagonal image with a stop sign that we fail to read the unexpected word placed on the familiar image.

These examples are used to illustrate how easy it is to see or hear what we expect rather than what is actually being presented or said.

When we care about relationships, opportunities or projects, it behooves us to observe carefully what is actually being conveyed and think creatively about alternative meanings.



Ask before Telling

We can get so caught up in sharing our knowledge and experience that we lose the chance to establish a real connection.  It is incredibly important to be prepared for a meeting.  However, we sometimes forget that appropriate preparation includes planning the questions to ask as well as the tell (information we will convey).

Add an E for Excellence

Create and react have 5 of the same letters.  However, when you move the "c" to the beginning and add an "e" to the end of the shorter word, we find that we are in control.  When we are reacting, others have the advantage.  But when we are creating ideas, plans and actions we have an excellent possibility of crafting the life we choose, rather than having one chosen for us by reactive default.