Blog
In Pursuit Of Perfection
Around the time I sold my company I started a foundation called the IPOP Foundation, which stands for In Pursuit Of Perfection. I was recently asked why I chose that name. Here’s my answer: Perfection. It is an intimidating word for sure. One which can be the cause of discouragement and anxiety for many who […]
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I Double Dog Dare You
If you’ve ever watched the movie A Christmas Story then you know exactly what the term ‘double dog dare you’ means. If you haven’t watched the movie A Christmas Story then what in the heck is wrong with you?!?! I mean, you gotta watch it! It’s a holiday classic that needs to be watched every […]
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Faith Will See You Through
In 1861, the same year the Civil War began, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lost his wife when she was melting wax to preserve a few locks of her daughter’s hair in an envelope and her dress caught on fire. Henry tried to extinguish the flames with a rug and when that didn’t work he used his […]
Tagged american poet, Amy Rees Anderson, christmas, christmas bells, christmas carol, cling to faith, death of a loved one, depression, don't lose faith, faith, faith will see you through, God is not dead nor doth he sleep, god lives, grief, he loves you, henry wadsworth longfellow, holiday, i head the bells on christmas day, keep the faith, mourning a loved one at christmas, overwhelming grief, peace on earth good will to men, poem, the right prevail, the story behind the song, the wrong shall fail, you aren't alone
Life Advice From The Amazing George H. W. Bush
It was a week ago that Former President George H. W. Bush passed away. I have always had tremendous respect and admiration for George H. W. Bush and that only grew when I read this letter that was discovered by news anchor Bret Baier when he was combing through emails received during the coverage of […]
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The Difference One Very Determined Person Can Make
Today I had a luncheon and board meeting for the Stella H. Oaks Foundation board that I serve on. The mission of the foundation is bringing hope to single moms through education. Let me explain why the foundation bears Stella’s name. Stella H. Oaks was a single mother of three after her husband died of […]
Tagged #gofundmom, @stellahoaks, all you need to know about life you can learn from a leprechaun, Amy Rees Anderson, anxiety, attitude, businesswoman, change the world, child guidance clinic, Columbia university, dallin h. oaks, depression, determination, evelyn moody, finish your degree, get your education, government leader, masters degree, mental health, merrill oaks, one person can make a difference, one very determined person, single mom, single mothers, stella h. oaks, the difference one very determined person can make, the importance of education
Baby It’s SO SO Cold Outside!
It is SO COLD outside! I couldn’t wait to get home to my warm house tonight after a long day of work. See, here’s what you have to know about me – I cannot stand being cold!! As much as I love December, I do not love the cold weather that comes with it. Of […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, baby its cold outside, chilipad, compromise, don't argue, fighting over the temperature, footies, freezing cold, hot cocoa, how to save a marriage, husbands and wives, jumpinjammerz, negotiate, negotiation, onsie, perfect Christmas gift, perfect gift, snowy weather, stay warm, the best way to settle things, winter, winter weather, zipper blankie
There Is No Shame In Admitting You Need Help
There is no shame in admitting you need help. In fact, your life will get so much better when you do. Between 9am and 10am this morning I got a phone call from my daughter who was calling from her college campus where she had arrived to her class building to find emergency responders and […]
Tagged abuse, admiration, Amy Rees Anderson, atrium, be strong, BYU, child abuse, counseling, courage, critical condition, depression, divorce, don't give up, emergency responder, fell from balcony, fortitude, it takes courage to admit you are struggling, jumped to her death, just need a hug, low self-esteem, mental anguish, mental illness, need to talk to someone, no shame, pray for them, prayer, ptsd, show of strength, struggling, suicide, tanner building, the value of counseling, traumatic, witnesses
Look Up And Enjoy The Lights
December is here and it just happens to be my favorite month of the entire year! I love Christmastime SO MUCH! I love singing along to Christmas music on the radio. I love watching Hallmark Christmas movies with my hot cocoa and whipped cream. I love the spirit of Christmas in the air. I love […]
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Join the #LightTheWorld Day of Service
December 1st is #LightTheWorld Day of Service! That day kicks off week 1 of the #LightTheWorld campaign. Over 300,000 people worldwide have already opted in to join the campaign this year and the number is going up in droves each day! The campaign goes throughout the month of December and its purpose is to encourage […]
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It Must Mean There Is Something Better
For the past several months we have been house hunting to help my son and his wife find a home that can accommodate their growing little family…and I am all about helping them find a place because the faster we find it the faster they can start filling it up with more adorable grandbabies! And […]
Tagged alexis, Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, bummer, buying a house, Dalton, discouraged, don't give up, family is forever, finding the perfect house, grandbabies, grandchildren, growing family, large family, look for the positive, negativity, Optimism, optimistic, perspective, see the good, see the positive, the perfect house, uplift
Give The Gift Of Nostalgia
Last Sunday I had to give a talk and in part of my talk I mentioned my memories of the day I left home at 17 to fly from Tennessee to Utah where I would be attending college at BYU. I shared how I remembered sitting on the airplane listening to music off a cassette […]
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Be #UNselfie Today
Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us we can turn our attention to #GivingTuesday . Giving Tuesday is a day when we are encouraged to give of our time, give of our money, give of a gift, or give of the power of your voice – it’s a day we should find […]
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Children are great imitators so give them something great to imitate
Welcome back! I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday! If you ate even a portion of the food I consumed over the weekend then you too are wondering how in the world you will ever fit into your normal pants again to go back to work tomorrow! It’s been so nice to wear elastic waist […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, be more aware, children are great imitators, culture, family time, Flynn, future, give them something great to imitate, goals, leadership, magic, memories, mimicking, motivation, our example to children, put down the cell phone, self-confidence, self-improvement, set an example, soaks everything up like a sponge, spend quality time together, take it all in, we are teaching them
For Everything Thy Goodness Sends
For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson As we celebrate Thanksgiving remember to give thanks for every blessing in your lives. Remember to express gratitude to those you love. Remember to set […]
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The True Measure Of Our Thanksgiving #LightTheWorld
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” -W.T. Purkiser Have you heard about the #LightTheWorld Worldwide Day of Service? I want to give you a heads up now so you can get in on the fun! December 1st is going to be the […]
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What I’m Most Thankful For
As we head into this week of Thanksgiving I felt it might be an appropriate time for me to share what I’m most thankful for: My Faith. I am thankful for my faith in God. My faith and love for my Heavenly Father is at the very core of who I am and it helps […]
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Kindness Is Free. Sprinkle That Stuff Everywhere
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” -Oscar Wilde I was in the airport when I saw her – a young mother with her small baby strapped to her chest in a carrier and her little two year old boy by her side with a car seat in one hand […]
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There’s No Place Like home For The Holidays
As I’m sitting on my flight back from the Dominican Republic (where I was speaking at a Business Ethics & Integrity Conference), I can’t help but think about how excited I am to just be headed home for the holidays. This past year I’ve traveled to Palm Springs California, Chicago, Simi Valley California, London, Washington […]
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I Wish I Spoke Spanish And So Did The People Trying To Translate My Speech
Today was an amazing experience for me. I was in the Dominican Republic to speak at the Convergencias Business Ethics & Integrity conference which brought together leaders from Government, Business, Media and Academia sectors from multiple countries in the region. The opening talk of the day was given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson on his time serving as […]
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Success will come and go, but integrity is forever
If I could teach only one value to live by, it would be this: Success will come and go, but integrity is forever. Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, whether or not anyone is watching. It takes having the courage to do the right thing no matter what […]
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Thank You For Your Service
November 11th is US holiday dedicated to honoring military veterans and celebrating their service. And I believe its also a day we should honor and celebrate the families of the veterans who are as much the heroes as those who serve. I am so grateful to veterans and their families for affording me a great nation of freedom […]
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You Can Control Your Effort Even If You Can’t Control The Outcome
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs […]
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Psychology Tricks That Really Work
In the book How To Win Friends And Influence People, Dale Carnegie shares how important it is to use a person’s name when you are talking with them. And did you also that Mirroring someone’s body language (which means subtly mimicking them) actually helps to create a good rapport with people? There are so many […]
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Trials Are Empowering
“Have you ever gone through something difficult and that experience allowed you to empathize with friends or even strangers who were facing a similar challenge? Or have you seen others experience sorrow from difficult circumstances and turn their pain into a moving, empowering cause? The trials we face allow us to develop compassion for others […]
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Prioritizing Your Life
It’s an object lesson most everyone has heard of, but I was reminded of it today and having the visual image that this object lesson provides was something I really needed right now in my life. It’s the object lesson of the rocks, pebbles and sand: “A professor of philosophy stood before his class with […]
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When We Are Prepared We Need Not Fear
Once a month my extended family that live in this area all comes together and we do a family night where we do a quick lesson on a relevant topic, then we play a game, and we then we have dessert together. Each month we rotate from one of our houses to the next. Today […]
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Give Up Your Shoulds Day
Did you know that November 1st is “Give Up Your Shoulds Day”? Me neither! I actually just found out about it myself, but I’m thinking, “How did I not know about this day sooner?!” Here’s what I learned: According to checkiday.com, “Give Up Your Shoulds Day is a day to give up thinking about something […]
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Opportunities Are Like Sunrises, If You Wait Too Long You Miss Them
“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long you miss them.” – William Arthur Ward I’ve observed many situations where an opportunity was placed before someone, and then they hesitated, and fretted, and deliberated, and flip-flopped, until eventually their hesitation lost them the opportunity all-together. Opportunities…especially golden ones…don’t present themselves all that often. Golden […]
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Want To Know What’s Scary?
Want to know what’s scary? For me, it’s the thought of having the doorbell ring over and over again all night on Halloween and having to get up and done and up and down to answer it over and over to give out candy to kids that often seem way too old to still be […]
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An Evening With Josh Groban and Idina Menzel
Tonight I was able to attend Josh Groban’s AMAZING concert which had Idina Menzel as his opening performer. Talk about two amazing performers. It was seriously an amazing concert! If you get the chance to see it in your local areas I would highly recommend going…unbelievable show! What I was most impressed with was that […]
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