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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 […]
Tagged achieving balance, Amy Rees Anderson, an extra hour of sleep, appreciate, attitude, balance, ease your mind, end of daylight savings time, exercise, extra time, get more sleep, give up your shoulds day, let go of what you should do, let go of your burdens, overstressed, self-improvement, stress, take a deep breath, work, worry free, yay for more sleep
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 […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, an impact for good, attitude, be amazing, be trustworthy, bigger than you, confidence, courage, deliberated, do good, do something good, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, donations of time and money, don’t think small, economics of trust, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, fault finding, flip-flop, fret, fulfilling, golden opportunities, hesitation, influential, inspiring offering of trust, its about the people you serve, leadership, motivation, opportunity, person of influence, picked at it, positive impact, profitable, relationship of trust, reputation of trust, slip through your fingers, speed of trust, stephen covey, success, the cost of inaction, trust, what are you afraid of, william arthur ward
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 […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, attitude, be safe, best and worst candy, candy, candy corn, candy store, children, circus peanuts, dance party, dj, doorbell, empty nesters, fair trade, fair trading guide, fun size candy bars, giving out candy, halloween, halloween candy trading guide, know your worth, most popular candy, pretend no one is home, reese's peanut butter cup, smile, sugar rush, trick-or-treat, usa today, you could die from eating candy
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 […]
Tagged a bridge over troubled waters, Amy Rees Anderson, anxiety, ask for help, be brave, be brave enough to put your hand out, be kind, best concert, come together, defying gravity, depression, don't suffer alone, god given gifts, idina menzel, josh groban, let it go, mental illness, musical talent, platform, promote unity and kindess, respect one another, Rollin Anderson, share your talent with the world, spread a positive message, the river, to those who are struggling, use your platform for good, you raise me up
Being Uncool Is The Coolest Thing You Can Do
I love people who are willing to be uncool –people who get out on the dance floor even when they know they are terrible dancers, people who rock the karaoke mic even when they can’t sing a lick, people who don’t just put on costume but who go all out when they do…I love people […]
Tagged 50s party, Amy Rees Anderson, balance, be fun, be silly, casserole, costume party, dancing, dave and melinda simmons, don't be too cool, don't just show up participate, friends, fun to be around, go all out, halloween, halloween party, it's cool to be uncool, jim and krista Sorenson, karaoke, laughter, letterman jackets, life is serious enough, make everything fun, martin and kym frey, participate wholeheartedly, poodle skirts, rock the mic, Rollin Anderson, Sorenson, steve and chanin peterson, tuna casserole, we need a little less seriousness
Leave Your Troubles On The Trouble Tree
I hadn’t thought about the story of The Trouble Tree for along time. But I was reminded of tonight as I came home from a long day of work. I was worn out and feeling overwhelmed by how much I still needed to get done and when I pulled in the garage and walked through […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, are you giving the most, attitude, be happy, best way to come home ever, blessings, children, don't take it home with you, family focus, family time, Flynn, grandchildren, gratitude, greet them at the door, home is where the heart is, home sweet home, joy, leave your stress at the door, leave your troubles on the trouble tree, self-improvement, smile, stress, stress tree, troubles at the door, warm greeting, we all need a big hug
How Not To Feel Lonely As A CEO
Today I spoke at an executive luncheon for CEOs and executives from different companies. It was a Q&A format so there was a lot of questions asked about the different things that CEOs deal with. Talking with them I was reminded of the stresses they were carrying on their shoulders and I could remember feeling […]
Tagged admit your weakness, adversity, afraid of letting them down, Amy Rees Anderson, authentic, Authenticity, be authentic, be genuine, be honest, be real, boss, boxx, CEO, ceo luncheon, courage, dirty secret, do the right thing, Employees, employees rallied, executive, exhale, genuine, get behind you, get real, help you, how not to feel lonely as a ceo, humbling, i'm not the only one, inspire loyalty, integrity, is it lonely at the top, isolation, it's lonely at the top, its okay not to know it all, ivory tower, just be real, leadership, lessons learned, let people in, loneliness, loyalty, making the best decision, no one is perfect, scared, success, support, supporters, the best leader, vulnerable, why its lonely at the top, you are trying, you don't have all the answers, you need their help, you're not alone
Some Advice On Raising Capital
Today I gave a keynote speech at the WeRoc conference (Women Entrepreneurs Realizing Opportunities for Capital). In my talk I shared several pieces of advice on raising capital: This first bit of advice probably seems counter-intuitive to be saying at raising venture conference but it’s what I honestly believe is the best advice I could […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, angel investor, attitude, be disciplined, be frugal, chaos doesn't breed credibility, christian louboutin, confidence, contract matrix, courage, create good habits, culture, don't be a know it all, don't overspend, don't raise money too early in a business, ducksoupsystems.com, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurs, female investors, get organized, how to get funded, how to get funding, impactful things, integrity, needs grow with money, raising capital, raising money, shoe obesssion, stop apologizing, success, time, venture funding, venturecapital.org, weroc, women in venture capital
Nothing Lifts Your Spirit Like Doing Service For Others
As those who read my blog know, I got really sick over the weekend with a sinus cold. It seems like every year at this time I get them and they are seriously miserable. And frankly I would have laid in bed all day today being miserable if I hadn’t already committed several months ago […]
Tagged act of kindness, act of service, Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, be kind, best mom ever, Brigham Young University, BYU, chicken soup, chicken soup for the soul, combat depression, culture, do good, happier, healthier, it’s impossible not to feel good while serving others, nothing lifts your spirit like doing service for others, nothing lifts your spirits like service, public speaking, reduce stress, self worth, self-confidence, self-esteem, serve others, sinus cold
Sick? Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!
Welcome to cold and flu season **sigh** In all my excitement for winter holiday season I somehow failed to remember that its also cold and flu season…that was until Saturday night when a sinus cold hit both me and my husband like a ten ton truck and the two of us had to get Nyquil’d […]
Tagged ain't got time to be sick, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate, appreciate your health, appreciation, attitude, be grateful for what you have, blessings, chicken soup, cold and flu season, culture, dial tone, digress to childhood, feel better, feeling sick, get well soon, getting sleep, happiness, just want your mom, nobody got time for that, not feeling well, nyquil, preparation, self-improvement, sick, sick day, sinus cold, soup and crackers, stuck in bed, success
Proof That A New Pair Of Shoes Can Change Your Life
I’m lovin’ doing Flashback Friday posts where I repost something I’ve written from years back because its forcing me to read past posts which bring back so many great memories- like the day a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes changed my life and inspired me to build my amazing closet, which I will show pics […]
Tagged a new pair of shoes, a new pair of shoes can change your life, always sparkle, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, attitude, bling, christian louboutin, cinderella, diamonds, diamonds are a girls best friend, disney, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, fairy tale, feel like a princess, flashback friday, happiness, i am woman hear me roar, i love shoes, my shoe fetish, princess, repost, research, shoe closet, shoe obsession, shoes, shoes can change your life, sparkle, stilettos, swarovski, swarovski crystals, tips for men, want to be cinderella, what a pair of shoes says about your mood, zappos, zappos.com
Silly Arguments Between Couples
What makes this stand up comedy video clip so funny is that every married man who watches this video will totally relate to it and laugh in that “man I totally feel his pain” kind of way…and every married woman who watches it will relate to it in that “yeah, we know we do that, […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, another way to say it, appreciation, attitude, carve the chicken, change tact, choose a team, choose to love, comedy, comedy clip, communication in marriage, direct communication, fighting in marriage, gratitude, happiness, husband, husbands and wives, if your wife says you said it you said it, jeff allen, love, marriage, naps, recall, relationships, say what you mean, self-improvement, silly arguments between couples, stand up comedy, success, video, you are wrong
There Are No Rules Of Architecture For A Castle In The Clouds
“There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton Holding back. We all do it. We have this dream in our heads that is so big and so audacious that we start to trim it back in our minds into something that seems more realistic…something we could share […]
Tagged #lifegoals, a god in embryo, Amy Rees Anderson, anything is possible, audacious, believe, bhag, big dream, bucket list, building the impossible, castle in the clouds, divine nature, goal poster, goal setting, goals, hold us back, if you can dream it, imagination, imagine, individual worth, its your dream for a reason, just do it, make your dream come true, no limits to imagination, reasons you can, rules don't apply, take on the impossible, the seemingly impossible, too large to attempt, trimming a castle into a hut, try, why not?, you were meant to be amazing, you were meant to excel, “There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.”
Challenges Change Us
“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again… So why bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above… One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, attitude, challenges change us, change, dietere f. uchtdorf, discouragement, empathize, endure, endure to the end, experience, faith, God, grateful, gratitude, grown in wisdom, hard times, hope, less judgmental, loneliness, pain, perspective, refine character, rene daumal, sadness, self-improvement, service, shoulder to cry on, soften hearts, sorrow, struggles, success, we are never the same again, why bother, you cannot stay on the summit forever
The Only Way To Take Sorrow Out Of Death Is To Take Love Out Of Life
“The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.” -Russell M. Nelson Eight years ago this week I received a phone call telling me that one of my very best friends in life, Steve Gasser, had passed away unexpectedly. I remember the pain in my chest and that […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be gentle with yourself, best friend, christlike love, christlike service, death, death is not final, deep sadness, doing the best you can, don't give up, empathy, encouragement, funeral, grief, grieving, hang in there, heartbreaking sorrow, heaven, life after death, losing a loved one, loss, love, meaning of life, missing someone, missing steve, mourning, overwhelming grief, Russell m. nelson, sadness, see our loved ones again, Steve Gasser, sympathy, tenderness, tested to the limit, the only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life, the other side, the plan of salvation, Thomas S. Monson
Don’t Stop Until You’re Proud
“Don’t stop until you’re proud.” -unknown This past week I rode a bicycle from Vermont up to Montreal Canada. Now I know that might sound like no big deal to many of you, but for me it was a HUGE deal! For starters I hadn’t ridden a bicycle since I was twelve years old. In […]
Tagged #worthit, Amy Rees Anderson, are you proud of yourself, attitude, bike trip to vermont, conditioning, confidence, courage, cute outfit, don't give up, don't miss out, don't stop until you're proud, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, feel the fear and do it anyway, friends, get in shape, goals, happy, hindsight is 20/20, it's like riding bike, keep going, make God proud, make yourself proud, memories, montreal canada, overcome your fear, physical exercise, proud, ready to give up, sensible, sore, success, the best is yet to come, tired, Vermont, we are capable of more than we know
Hard Things You’ll Have To Do To Be Successful
I came across an article written by Dan Weldschmidt on CNBC called 22 Hard Things You’ll Have To Do To Be Successful. In it he shares some really good examples of hard things you have to be able to do – here are a few of them: * You have to make the call you’re […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be accountable, believe the best, cnbc, confidence, culture, dan weldschmidt, deliver results, entpre, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, make the call you're afraid to make, meet deadlines, move forward, self-improvement, success, things you'll have to do to be successful, try and fail, you can do hard things, you can do this
We Will Be Known Forever By The Tracks We Leave Behind
“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave behind.” -Dakota tribe Riding a bike along a path I found my eyes drawn to a track that someone riding in front of me had left in their wake. I could see exactly where they had ridden before me. Perhaps it was the beauty of […]
Tagged a life to be proud of, Amy Rees Anderson, be a good person, beauty of nature, bike path, character, choose the right, do the right thing, example you set, help others, honesty, integrity, kindness, legacy, love, make good choices, make the right choice, riding, serve others, set an example, the legacy we leave, tire tracks, values, wax philosophical, we will be known by what we leave behind, we will be known forever for the tracks we leave behind, what manner of men ought ye to be, who are we going to be, will we be proud
Don’t Let Your Fear Stop You – TRY!
I’ve been known to be the first girl out on the dance floor, the girl who can’t sit still if she’s bored, a leader, an entrepreneur, a public speaker, a writer, and a philanthropist. What I am not known to be is a girl who does anything that requires walking long distances, running even short […]
Tagged accident prone, afraid, Amy Rees Anderson, Ashley hill, author, backroads, bike trip, birthday trip, confidence, courage, culture, Dalton Anderson, don’t let fear stop you, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, exercise, experience, feel the fear and do it anyway, happiness, injured, integrity, it’s just like riding a bike, laugh out loud, leader, leadership, lol, Montreal, not very coordinated, overcome fear, philanthropist, physical activity, public speaker, ride a bike, rolln anderson, self-confidence, self-improvement, step on a nail, try something new, Vermont, writer, you have to be kidding
Taking A Moment Away From The Chaos Will Make You More Productive
What a great weekend it’s been. I was able to hear some amazing speakers share messages of faith, hope and love that inspired me. I was also able to spend a few hours walking outside and enjoying nature and all of its beauty. I have to say, there is something so spiritually balancing about being […]
Tagged a walk in the woods, all things were created spiritually before physically, Amy Rees Anderson, away from the chaos, away from the noise, bond with nature, changing of the leaves, endless possibility, enjoy autumn, enjoy nature, free your mind, go for a walk, make it a priority, moment to think, nature brings balance to our lives, open your mind, peaceful, perfect weather, ralph waldo emerson, reflection, rushing here and there, schedule down time, schedule it or it won’t happen, spiritual balance, take time to breathe, the spirit of nature, time management
Why This Weekend Is One Of My Favorite Weekends Of The Year!
Twice a year, every year, over the course of a weekend, there is a conference held in which around 35 amazingly inspiring speakers give talks on everything from integrity, to attitude, to finding balance, enduring trials, education, forgiving, service, gratitude, family, hope, happiness, and a myriad of other important and inspiring topics. I get so […]
Tagged amazing speakers, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, attitude, conference weekend, enduring trials, fabulous talks, families, family, finding balance, forgiveness, forgiving, future, goals, God, goosbumps, gratitude, happiness, honesty, hope, inspiring, intgrity, join me, joy, lds general conference, love, mormon channel, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, motivation, motivational, re-prioritize, rebalance, refocus, refresh, rejuvinate, self-improvement, service, streaming video, success, talks, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, tradition, watch conference, worldwide broadcast
For A Seed To Achieve Greatness It Must Come Completely Undone
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” ―Cynthia Occelli When I look back at the last few years it is amazing to me to see some of […]
Tagged attitude, better things ahead, complete destruction, culture, don't give up, drastic changes, empty nester, everything changes, finding out who you are, for a seed to achieve greatness it must become completely undone, gaining maturity, gaining wisdom, grandparent, growth, happiness, happiness is a choice, husband and wife, joy, love, marriage, peace, raising children, rearing children, rebuilding relationships, rediscovering yourself, shell cracks, taking a backseat to the kids, the future is bright, though it feels like complete destruction, you can do hard things, you can do this
Being An Adult Is Like Folding A Fitted Sheet
“Being an adult is like folding a fitted sheet. No one really knows how.” -unknown That is SO TRUE! I still remember being a little kid and looking at the adults thinking “They are so lucky to be a grown up.” Then I became and adult and I was like, “Wait…what the?!?!…Well, this isn’t at […]
Tagged adulthood, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate it while you can, appreciate the moment, appreciate the place you are in, band-aid, being an adult is like folding a fitted sheet, childhood, childhood is awesome, do your best, face life as it is, falling down, getting back up, happiness, here comes parenthood, how to fold a fitted sheet, joy, live in the moment, no one really knows how, parenthood, sing you a lullaby before bedtime, there isn't any recess at work, to be a kid again, you'll figure it out
Only 90 Days Left In 2018! LET’S DO THIS!
WHAT??!! Only 90 days are left in this year?? How is that even possible?! It’s October 1st people – that’s how! I can hardly believe it’s October already. But the good news is it’s October! And October starts off all the fall and winter holidays! First comes Halloween…then Thanksgiving…and then Christmas…Oh how I love all […]
Tagged 90 days left, accomplish goals, Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, autumn, blessings, candy corn, caroling, carving pumpkins, christmas, culture, fall, family, finish your golas, gift, goal poster, goals for the year, hallmark christmas movies, halloween, hayride, holiday season, its about time, leaves changing colors, make family a priority, make time for family, october 1 2018, schedule time on your calendar, self-improvement, service, spend time with family, success, sugar cookies, Thanksgiving
Happiness Is Living In The Moment RIGHT NOW! A message from a man with ALS
Earlier this year one of my dear friends, Warren Osborn who is also a very successful entrepreneur, was diagnosed with the fatal disease ALS. The news rocked my husband and I because Warren is one of the most active, healthy people we know. He has a work ethic that is unmatched and he’s never afraid […]
Tagged achieving, als, Amy Rees Anderson, battling als, create happiness, depressed, depression, every person has a death sentence, fatal disease, finding a cure for als, grateful, gratitude, happiness is a choice, happiness is about living in the moment right now, happy as ever, homeless, improve, in passionate pursuit, joy is in the journey, life is great, live in the now, living the pain of the future, loss, loving, mortality, mourning, never afraid to take on a challenge, passion, self-improvement, serving, solve problems, successful entrepreneur, terminal illness, tricia osborn, victory, warren osborn, we all die, winning, work ethic, working, worrying, you can be happy
Each New Sign Along The Highway Of Life Reads, “It Only Gets Better From Here”
“Fear is an idea crippling, experience-crushing, success-stalling inhibitor inflicted only by yourself.” – Stephanie Melish We are the ones who create our own fears. We decide what we are afraid of by the thoughts we allow into our minds. We think our fears into existence and then we allow them to exist and grow in […]
Tagged advice for entrepreneurs, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, attitude, change, control your thoughts, courage, don't be afraid of change, don't fear change, entrepreneurship, experience, explore, faith, fear is experience-crushing, fear is idea crippling, fear is self inflicted, fear is success-stalling, future, it only gets better from here, its not the end, learn, life gets better, life's little detours, lost opportunity, opportunity, self-confidence, self-improvement, thoughts equal emotions, we create our own fear, wisdom
Great Advice Is Actionable Advice
Tonight I spoke at Brigham Young University’s student Women in Business’s Opening Social. Knowing I would have a late night visiting with students, I asked my son Dalton if he would be able to do a guest blog for me tonight so I could stay late with the students after my presentation and visit with […]
Tagged action, actionable, advice, Amy Rees Anderson, applicable, appreciate, attitude, Brigham Young University, BYU, BYU Women in business, Dalton, Dalton Rollin Anderson, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship lecture series, good advice, lecture, lecture series, lesson, Marriott school of business, mentor, self-improvement, skill, skills, women in business
Don’t Just Have A Brand Identity, Create A Total Brand Experience
Successful companies don’t just have a brand identity, they create a total brand experience. A total brand experience causes people to FEEL their brand, and I can’t think of a finer example of a Company who has mastered creating a total brand experience then Disney. Years ago I was asked to come out to Disney […]
Tagged a culture is made up of people, a culture of awesome, a total brand expereince, a wow experience, Amy Rees Anderson, attention to detail, attention to details, attitude, brand experience, build, burbank california, castle, CEO, company culture, create, creating a company culture, creating the wow, culture, customer service, decor, design, design elements, disney, disney fan, disney fashion, Disney Studios, Disney World, disneyland, doing it the disney way, dream, feel the brand, feel the disney magic, forbes, great customer service, in disney fashion, involve employees, leading the disney way, magical brand experience, mickey, Mickey Mouse, people, princess, successful branding, successful companies, the little things, the power of disney, walt disney, welcoming, when ideas are valued
To Win Someone Over Your Reasoning’s Gonna Have To Trump Theirs
When my husband and I were building our home years ago we got into a debate (some may even think of it as an argument, but debate sounds less negative 🙂 ) while picking out which doorknobs to have on all the doors – he wanted the heavy duty expensive ones and I was thinking […]
Tagged a legitimate reason, agree or disagree, Amy Rees Anderson, argument, attitude, building a house, convince someone, debate, debate or argument, decisions, difference of opinion, dig deep, don't just disagree, don't put them on the defensive, doorknobs, get your way, how to get your way, leadership, picking out doorknobs, self-confidence, self-improvement, success, to win someone over, what is your reason, why do you feel so strongly, win an argument, your reasons, your way is the better way
Those Who See the Need And Respond Are Heroes
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” – Fred Rogers Last weekend was the Fall Conference for […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, anxiously engaged in a good cause, be the change you want to see in the world, chairman of the board, do good, donating time talents and resources, fall conference, fred rogers, give back, giving back, m. russell ballard, mr roers, mr rogers, national advisory board, national advisory board of uvu, not my child, not my community, not my problem, not my world, share responsibility, spend time serving others, the heroes, those who see the need and respond, Utah Valley University, UVU, uvu wsb nab, Woodbury school of business, wsb
