Blog
A Day In One Another’s Shoes
Last night my I went and saw the musical Freaky Friday with my daughter. I would guess all of you are familiar with the storyline from the Disney movie Freaky Friday already, but just in case your not, it’s about a mother and her teenage daughter who have been struggling to get along (as many …
Tagged a day in one another's shoes, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, ashley, disney, disney's freaky friday, empathy, freaky friday, mother daughter relationships, parent child relationships, parenting, put yourself in their shoes, see it from the other person's point of view, switch places, understanding, walk in one another's shoes, walt disney
We Are Connected – What You Do Affects The Whole World
“One day, a western anthropologist went to Africa to study the social behavior of an indigenous tribe. He proposed a game to the children and they willingly agreed to be part of it. He put a basket filled with fruits underneath a tree and told the children that whoever would reach the basket first would …
Tagged affirm, affirming, africa, attitude, children, connected, culture, desmond tutu, family, generosity, God, group, human, impact, linked, network, networked, self-assurance, self-confidence, teamwork, tribe, trust, ubuntu, whole
The Rule Against Why Or When
I moved every few years as a kid. My father’s work took us from Oregon, to Washington, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, California and then Utah. Every time we moved and I had to say goodbye to my friends it was hard. That gave me a special appreciation for the fact that from the time my …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, california, choose to be happy, despite difficult circumstances, difficult times, faddis, friends, friendship, friendship isn’t constrained by proximity, it’s hard to see people go, life, life lesson, love, michigan, moving around as a kid, moving away, negativity, neighborhood, oregon, positive thinking, sadness, tennessee, texas, the value of friendship, the way we face our problems, Utah, virginia, washington, why or when
Paying It Forward With A Reminder That Today is #FreeSlurpeeDay!
I decided to post tonight’s blog early today because I want to make sure everyone is aware that because today 7/11 it is FREE SLURPEE DAY at 7-Eleven. But to get your free Slurpee but you’ve got to get in there by 7pm today so I wanted to post today’s blog in plenty of time …
Tagged #freeslurpeeday, 7-Eleven, 7-ss, 7/11, a little pick-me up, act of kindness, act of service, Amy Rees Anderson, baskin robbins ice cream, best husband ever, bucket of ice cream, cheesy grin, daiquiri ice ice cream, do something kind for others, free slurpee day, had a long day, happiness, manager, pay it forward, refreshing, Rollin, service, slurpee, smile on your face, sunshine and summertime, you had a bad day
The Greatest Forces In The World Are Babies
“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. And then God puts …
Tagged alexis anderson, Amy Rees Anderson, baby blessing, Barbara bush, Dalton Anderson, e.t. Sullivan, eternities beginning, family, fatherhood, fulfilling, generations, God, gordon b. hinckley, grandparents, hug your children, Jerry Rees, legacy, leslie rees, love, magnolia rees anderson, motherhood, name and blessing, parenthood, parents, raising children, rhe white house, tender experience, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the greatest forces in the world are babies, the greatest work, the importance of parents, Wellesley college
Stand Together To Greater Your Good
Last weekend my husband and I were with our friends Charles and Liz Koch along with 700 other truly amazing philanthropists, business leaders, and leading advocates who all share a common desire to help others to excel. As a philanthropic community, this group known as Stand Together works collectively to: 1. Empower everyone to find …
Tagged advocate, alleviate poverty, Amy Rees Anderson, amy rees anderson academic entrepreneurs, business leaders, center for growth and opportunity, charles koch, do good, give back, give of your talents, give of your time, give of your treasure, have i done any good, liz koch, philanthropy, seminar network, social entrepreneur, stand together, stand together to greater your good, usu, utah state university, Utah Valley University, UVU
Commitment Is The Stuff Character Is Made Of
“Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions, and the actions that speak louder than words. It is making time when there is none; coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of—the …
Tagged absolute integrity, actions speak louder than words, Amy Rees Anderson, character, commitment is the stuff character is made of, do what you say, family, integrity, intentions are reflected in words, keep your promises, marriage, respect, spouses, trustworthy, your word is your bond
Get Back Into The Swing Of Things – Tip Toe If You Must
It’s never easy getting back into the swing of things after being away for a period of time. These last several weeks I traveled down to St. George to speak at a business conference, then I went immediately down to Lake Powell to host a group on our houseboat for over a week, and then …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, back to work, getting back into the swing of things, going back to work, holiday weekend, overwhelmed, take the first step, tip-toe if you must, vacation time, what awesome looks like
Let The Celebration Begin!
As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday this week may we remember to “pledge ourselves to each other, and to the cause of human freedom, the cause that has given light to this land and hope to the world” as described by President Ronald Reagan in his speech given July 4, 1986: …
Tagged adams, america, Amy Rees Anderson, brotherhood, declaration of independence, faith, founding fathers, fourth of july, freedom, happiness, jefferson, john adams, July 4, one nation under god, peace, pledge of allegiance, politics, president, ronald reagan, Thomas Jefferson, tolerance, truth, unity
Give Your Mental Health A Fighting Chance
Tonight I’m flying back from two back to back trips I’ve been on the last few weeks. I had some awesome experiences on my trip that I’m super excited to share with all of you, but given that my plane won’t get me back home until long after midnight tonight I think I’ll postpone sharing …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, ashley anderson hill, eat healthy, exercise, get sleep, give yourself a fighting chance, happiness, mental health, nutrition, take care of yourself
Do More Than…
“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.” -William Arthur Ward That quote highlights the difference between good and GREAT! Great takes being proactive and getting involved. It takes …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, do good, do great, do more than, donate resources, donate time, get involved, give it your all, inspire, make a difference, positive change, sacrifice, stand together, worth it
Some Words Of Advice Are Timeless
Some words of advice are timeless…the words in this poem qualify as such… Wear Sunscreen -by Mary Schmich Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than …
Tagged advice, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate what you have, appreciation, be happy now, be silly, beauty, dance, dance like no one is watching, don’t worry about the future, enjoy it while you can, failure, family, floss your teeth, friends, get to know your parents, gratitude, happiness, have children, laugh out loud, life is a gift, love, nostalgia, read the directions, smile, some advice is timeless, success, sunshine, take chances, the older you get, the power of youth, the secret to happiness, travel, wear sunscreen, what awesome looks like, what will you do with your life
The Fastest Way To Turn A Bad Day Around
Have you ever noticed that no matter how tired you are or how worn out you feel, the instant someone puts on great dance music you can’t help yourself from starting to bop your head and tap your feet to the beat. Nothing can lift your spirits faster than an impromptu dance party. For those …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be that person, carefree, dance for joy, dance like no one is watching, dance par-tay, dance party, dance to have joy, dancing, don’t stand on the sidelines, don’t worry about what other people think, footloose, good dancer, happiness, happy people, impromptu dance party, joy, joyful, judgement, judging, leave your shyness at the door, let yourself go, life is too short, lift your spirits, miserable, nervous, scared, shy, the fastest way to turn a bad day around, what awesome looks like
Forgiveness Day
June 26th is Forgiveness Day – a day to forgive others who have wronged you and a day for seeking forgiveness from those you have wronged…finally, it’s a day to forgive yourself. Forgiving others is hard to do when you are hurting, but it is also the most therapeutic. When you forgive someone you are …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, brave, burden off your shoulders, do it as a favor to you, don’t harbor anger, don’t harbor resentment, don’t think about it, expectations, forgive, forgive and forget, forgive others because one day you will need God to do the same for you, forgive yourself, forgiveness, forgiveness day, humility, intimidating, justice isn’t a prerequisite for forgiveess, keep the past in the past, let go, perfection, put the past in the past, scary, seek forgiveness, the first to apologize, the first to forget is the happiest, the first to forgive is the strongest, the pursuit of perfection
Question Your Way Of Thinking To Broaden Your Perspective
I was reading unopened emails in my inbox when I came across one from my daughter-in-law Alexis where she had written a guest blog post for me to be able to use on a day I was busy and needed help. Given that she’d sent the unopened email to me clear back on June 6th …
Tagged a seemingly thankless job, alexis, Amy Rees Anderson, anger, become more of a person, being a parent, broaden your perspective, change your outlook, change your way of thinking, Dalton, don’t have children, Flynn, grandbaby, grandchild, guest post, have children, life’s biggest blessing, little monster, motherhood, perspective, question your way of thinking, sacrifice, selfish, selfless, the joy of children, the joy of parenthood, what children teach us, worth the sacrifice
Bring On Those Two Virgin Pina Coladas!
It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for summer to arrive this year. The weather has been cold and rainy, the flowers were late coming in, and life just seemed to get nutso every since 2019 began. I think I’ve officially spent more time in hospitals in 2019 than any other year in my life. …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, boating, check your local events, don’t let it pass you by, flowers blooming, garth brooks, it will be gone before you know it, lake powell, little paper umbrellas, make a plan, movies in the park, outdoor concerts, plan your vacation, playtime, schedule it out, summer concert series, summer vacation, summer vacay, summertime, sunshine, take full advantage, time management, two pina coladas, warm weather, water fights, what awesome looks like, whipped cream
We All Scream For Ice Cream As We Begin Summer 2019!
Guess what?? Today is National Vanilla Milkshake Day! YEEE HAWWW 🙂 Why am I so excited about that, you ask? Because I LOVE ice cream! That’s why. So when I heard that today was National Milkshake Day I thought, “What could be better than that?!” You see, I growing up in the Rees Family, ice …
Tagged a bowl of ice cream, Amy Rees Anderson, baskin-robbins, childhood memories, daiquiri ice ice cream, does it get better than this?, father, first day of summer, grandfather, growing up, happy times, I think not, ice cream, ice cream cone, Jerry Rees, national vanilla milkshake day, rees family tradition, stan rees, summer 2019, sunshine, sunshine and summertime, the joy of summer, the start of summer, we all scream for ice cream, what could be better
If You Have Purpose You Don’t Have To Be Pushed, Your Passion Will Drive You There
“If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.” – Roy Bennett I’d only been asleep for three hours when my alarm went off at 4am this morning. I had an early morning flight I needed to get up and ready for so I …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, business, don’t give up, energy, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, forbes, full purpose of heart, get up, goal poster, goals, help others to excel, how to excel in business & Life, how to excel in business and life, if you have a pulse you have a purpose, if you have a purpose you don’t have to be pushed, inspired, keep going, keynote speech, leadership, life purpose, man's search for happiness, motivation, move forward, passion, what awesome looks like, your passion will drive you
Work hard at your job you can make a living. Work hard on yourself and you can make a fortune.
“Work hard at your job and you can make a living. Work hard on yourself and you can make a fortune.” — Jim Rohn As a CEO, whenever I saw a hard worker I instantly noticed them. They always stood out from the rest. And knowing they were a hard worker made me comfortable to assign them …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be your best, best version of yourself, buisness, CEO, confidence, develop your talents, earn a fortune, earn a promotion, entrepreneurship, get a raise, get noticed, getting ahead, give 100%, god given gifts, hard work, how to excel, make a living, monetary reward, promotion, raise, reputation of trust, return on investment, stand out from the crowd, what awesome looks like, work ethic, working hard at your job, working hard on yourself
You Have Been Assigned This Mountain To Show Others It Can Be Moved
“You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.” – unknown Lately troubles seem to travel into my life in packs. No sooner do I start working to solve one problem when another two or three have already reared their ugly head, and before I can take a breath there’s this …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, cut me some slack, do the best you can, don't give up, faith, giving up, hope, how to excel, it can be done, it will get better, just keep moving, mistakes, move forward, move mountains, other people's problems, serve others, service, set the example for others, stack of trouble, strength, troubles, troubleshooting, weakness, what awesome looks like, you have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved
Begin With The End In Mind
“Begin with the end in mind.” That was the advice my father gave to my nephew and his bride when he officiated their wedding ceremony this weekend. Their marriage sealing took place in the Draper Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where their marriage could be sealed for time and all …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, begin with the end in mind, cody and emily, dad, eternal marriage, families are forever, family, family forever, fidelity, friendship, goal poster, goal setting, goals, grateful, how to excel, if you know where you are going, make it happen, marriage, powerpoint, respect, sealed for time and eternity, til death do us part, vision board, visualize, visualize your goal, wedding, what awesome looks like, write down goals
To Fathers, Grandfathers, And All Those Men Who’ve Influenced Our Lives For The Better
This Sunday is Father’s Day and the subject of fathers is one that is incredibly near and dear to my heart today for several reasons. One of those reasons is that my father-in-law is struggling still. He had his surgery last week but the nerve and muscle pain down his leg still hasn’t let up …
Tagged adoption, Amy Rees Anderson, are fathers important, best friend, boyd anderson, celebrate fathers, chapel, children, earthly father, example, family, father, father's, father-in-law, fathers matter, gerald rees, God, good men, grandfathers, happy father's day, Heavenly Father, husband, influential, lds temple, love, meditation, memory, pain, prayer, recenter, Rollin, Rollin Anderson, step father, temple, the house of the lord, the importance of fathers, the influence of a good father, the men who influenced our lives for good, treasure, upbringing, what awesome looks like
To Change How You Feel Change What You Think
Imagine for a moment that you walk into a completely dark room, and the only light that exists in the room is coming from a flashlight you hold in your hand. You point the flashlight to the corner of the room and it lights up a very large, hairy spider sitting on the floor. How …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, change how you feel, change how you think, change of thought, change your focus, cognitive therapy, excited, focus, focus on the good, happy, how to excel, negative, optimistic, perspective, positive, scared, the cash in the corner, think about the positive, thoughts drive feelings
You Can Keep Going Long After You Think You Can’t
“You can keep going long after you think you can’t.” – Roger Knapp If I’ve learned anything the last few weeks it’s that this quote is true – you really can keep going long after you think you can’t. There have been several times the last few weeks when I’ve been so tired from the …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, angels will prop you up, challenges, confidence, courage, don't give up, girls camp, how to excel in business & Life, keep going, keeping commitments, move forward, overcoming challenges, self-doubt, strength, warrior, what awesome looks like, you are a warrior, you are stronger than you think you are, you can handle it, you can keep going long after you think you can't, young women's conference
There Can Be Miracles When You Believe
Some days we really need to hear this particular song…today would be one of those days… Its worth your time to have a listen: Or at a minimum read the lyrics: Many nights we prayedWith no proof anyone could hearIn our hearts a hope for a songWe barely understood Now we are not afraidAlthough …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, blinded by pain, don't give up, faith, fear, get through the rain, hang in there, hope, keep trying, Mariah carey, miracle, move mountains, pain, there can be miracles, when you believe, whitney houston
How My Life Got Flipped Turned Upside Down
Memorial weekend we were moving my son and his wife and child out of their condo and into their new home, and moving my daughter and her husband out of their apartment and into a new one when, in the midst of moving both of them, we got a call letting us know that my …
Tagged alexis, Amy Rees Anderson, Dalton, emergency room, flipped turned upside down, grandbaby, healthcare, hospital, maggie, no sleep, no time to sleep, not sleeping, overwhelmed, surgery, when it rains it pours, when life gets crazy
Disrupt your Routine to Jumpstart Creativity
(Today’s blog is a guest post from my daughter Ashley because I’ve been at the hospital all day with my father-in-law who we finally got home and settled tonight just in time to get a call that our daughter-in-law is in labor with my second grandbaby! No sleep for me tonight!!) DISRUPT YOUR ROUTINE TO …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, ashley anderson hll, be different, change your routine, coldplay, contradictory, daily routine, disrupt your routine, do something different, jumpstart creativity, london, never go back, opportunities, rock n' roll, same old thing, TED Talk, try new things
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing…
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Victor Frankel Sitting in a hospital all day today while my father-in-law was getting surgery I watched as families would bring a …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, anxiety, attitude, blessed, Boyd, circumstances, Everything can be taken but one thing, focus on the positive, gratitude, hospital, human freedom, lose a business deal, lose a car, lose a house, lose a job, lose a loved one, lose our health, mental health, no sleep, overwhelmed, stressed out, surgery, thankful, victor frankel, waiting room, we can always choose our attitude, worry
Overcoming Challenges Changes Us
“And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what …
Tagged a better version of yourself, Amy Rees Anderson, boyd surgery, control your time, counselor, don't look back, don’t dwell on your hurt, embrace change, focus on helping others, focus on the future, forbes, forbes books, get your mojo back, how to excel in business & Life, it can get worse before it gets better, it takes time, move forward, overcome your challenges, overwhelming sense of sadness, parents, rainbow, rainstorms bring rainbows, seek out help, serve others, step into the dark and trust the light will appear, sunrises each day, the consistent healer, the storms will pass, this too shall pass, time is a healer, trust, weathering life’s storms, weathering the storm, what awesome looks like
I’m Not Givin Up So Don’t Give Up On Me
They’ve been together for nearly 58 years, Boyd and Loa. They’ve had eleven children together. They’ve run their 1,100 acre dairy farm together. They’ve lived in Kenya Africa together where they taught people to farm in order to help them become self-reliant. They’ve had to bury two of their eleven children together. They’ve been through …
Tagged #lifegoals, #lovegoals, africa, Amy Rees Anderson, andy grammer, believe, Boyd, don't give up, don’t give up on me, eternal marriage, family, farmer, grandchildren, grow old with me, how to excel, hurting, I will fight for you, Idaho farmer, I’m not given up, legacy, life together, loa, love, marriage, not going down without a fight, relationships, stuck together, survive, taken a toll, true love, two halves of a whole, weathering life’s storms, what awesome looks like, worry
