Blog
If You Are Ready For Your Life To Change
“If you really are ready for your life to change you have to make space for something new.” ( quote from a Hallmark Christmas movie) That quote from a recent Hallmark Christmas Movie has really got me to thinking these last few weeks about all of the things I’ve been involved in these last few …
Tagged 24 hours in a day, allow for something new, bringing us closer to our goals, cringe, family, hallmark Christmas movie, have you made space for something new, how are you allocating your time, If you are ready for your life to change, life balance, life goals, long-term happiness, mental pie chart, misery, proud, relationships, service, taking us further from accomplishing our goals, we only get one block of time, which things to eliminate from your life
Hard Times Lead Us To Question
When good people pass away it can cause those left behind to start questioning things – Why did this good person with so much to live for have to be taken too soon? Why would a loving God take them from us when they are so needed by so many here? What good purpose does …
Tagged all the hard times we go through, Amy Rees Anderson, belief in god, believe in god, C.S. Lewis, death, despair, discover your strength, draw closer to god, enduring to the end, faith, families can be together forever, funeral, happiness, hard times, how much you trust it, joy, love, pain, purpose of life, reunited, sadness, testimony, the plan of salvation, the why will be made clear, together forever, trial of our faith, trusting in difficult times
The Law Of Giving
The Law of Giving is very simple: If you want joy, give joy If love is what you seek, offer love If you crave material affluence, help others become prosperous.” -Deepak Chopra So my Cyber Monday turned into an early Giving Tuesday as I spent the first part of my day in a board …
Tagged #givingtuesday, affluence, Amy Rees Anderson, Brigham Young University, BYU, cyber monday, Deepak chopra, entrepreneurship lecture series, give back, give of your time talent and treasure, giving tuesday, if you crave material affluence help others become prosperous, if you want joy give joy, if you want love offer love, online shopping, Photos, public speaking, rollins center for entrepreneurship, stella oaks foundation, the best way to succeed is to help others succeed, the law of giving, wealth, you never know the lives your impacting
It’s Gonna Be An ‘Add To Cart’ Workout Kind Of Day!
Welcome back everyone – I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday! I, for one, had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My husband and I didn’t have our kids this Thanksgiving as they were all at their in-laws, so the two of us decided to fly out to Dover, Delaware where we got together with two …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, andy rees, ate too much, back to work, black friday, burning off calories, christmas shopping, countdown clock, countdown to Christmas, cyber monday, dover Delaware, family vacation, great exercise, great food, happiness, my pants are begging for mercy, playing games, post holiday blues, scott rees, shopping is a workout, something to look forward to, thanksgiving weekend
Be The Miracle
Wishing for your own Thanksgiving Miracle or Christmas Miracle this holiday season? After all…this time of year does tend to be a time of miracles… But what if this holiday season you decided that rather than just wishing for your own miracle you were actually going to BE THE MIRACLE for someone else’s life instead? …
Tagged a Christmas miracle, Amy Rees Anderson, be grateful, be the change, be the miracle in someone’s life, do unto others, family, god answers prayers through others, hand written letter, Holiday miracle, homesick, in need, kindness, love, service, taking care of those in need, Thanksgiving, tradition, what awesome looks like, you may be the answer to their prayers
Can A Vending Machine Change The World?
Can a vending machine change the world? If all its dispensing is a Twix candy bar or a bag of chips then perhaps not (although I do love a good Twix 🙂 ). But what if that vending machine was actually a Giving Machine? Then could it change the world? …Watch this 1 minute video …
Tagged #lighttheworld, #lighttheworld giving machine, a movement of millions, act of service, Amy Rees Anderson, be the change you want to see in the world, be the miracle, can a vending machine change the world, christmas miracle, help those in need, holiday spirit, season of service, Thanksgiving, the giving machine, what awesome looks like, www.lighttheworld.org
Transform Your December TODAY!
I’m so excited to share an amazing thing I learned about that will literally transform your entire December! And I wanted to hurry up and let all of you know about it today so you can sign yourself up to join me in it before we all start taking off for the Thanksgiving festivities this …
Tagged #lighttheworld, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, becoming more like Christ, change hearts, change lives, change the world, Christlike, daily act of service, daily service reminder, do unto others, don’t forget to serve, hearts and minds, how much you love them, join the movement, make a difference, month of December, sign up today, text message, touch hearts and change lives, transform your December, what awesome looks ike, worldwide movement
To The Victims Of Trash Talkers
“Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you no one would believe it.” – Zig Ziglar I absolutely love, love, love that quote! Over the years I have learned that you cannot control what things people may say about you – some will say mean or unkind things and even …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, backbiters, better off without them, consider their motivation, disparaging, Dr. Seuss, ignore the trash talkers, karma, let your actions be your evidence, let your life speak for itself, live your life in such a way, personal agenda, show them, show who you are, the truth comes out in the end, those who matter don't mind, those who mind don't matter, trash talkers, what awesome looks like, you don't want them in your life, zig ziglar
The Importance Of Saying Thank You
My two year old grandson came barreling in the door of the house calling out “Grandma…Grandma” as he ran over to me to give me a hug. I’m telling ya….that is seriously just about THE GREATEST thing in the entire world! As I sat with him playing it made me long for the days when …
Tagged alex hill, alexis anderson, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, ashley anderson hill, cracks me up, daily blogs, Dalton Anderson, dancing, do better, everyday people, Flynn, grandbaby, grandchildren, Grandma, grandparent, gratitude, happiness, journals, joy, laughing, laughing out loud, long for the days, magnolia, memories, never miss an opportunity to say thank you, ninja, photo albums, playing, remember to say thank you, remember to thank them, say thank you, thank you, thankful, the greatest thing in the world, the unsung heroes, what awesome looks like, you’re gonna miss this
Passive Aggressive Behavior Will Destroy A Company’s Culture
Back on March 6, 2013 I wrote an article in Forbes Called Passive Aggressive Behavior Will Destroy A Company’ Culture. That article rings as relevant today as it did back then. It reads: Passive-aggressive behavior in any company is one of the most destructive cancers to a culture that ends up killing both a great company, and the self-esteem of …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be the change, CEO, company culuture, destructive behavior, dishonesty, entrepreneurship, fix it, forbes, honesty with respect, integrity, leader, leadership, passive aggressive behavior, president, take responsibility, toxic cultures, undercutting, understand motivations, watch behavior not words, what passive aggressive looks like
Do Not Become Discouraged
“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.” – Unknown It’s fairly normal for us to feel discouraged at times in our lives….times when people disappoint us, times we disappoint ourselves, …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, become discouraged, change your outlook, disappointment, discouragement, don’t get stuck, don’t let circumstances weigh you down, feeling discouraged, focus on the future, focus your time and attention on that which brings joy, hallmark christmas movies, how to excel in business and life, joy to the world, make things better from here, move forward, ships don’t sink because of the water around them, ships sink because water gets in them, what awesome looks like
Who You Are Is Evident In The Way You Treat Others
When I was CEO of my company interviewing people to hire, I never once had an interviewee choose to use their time in the interview to bash the other candidates applying for the job. And if they had, I certainly wouldn’t have been willing to hire them. I would hire the candidate who shared our …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, candidate, character, comparing yourself to others, drawing comparisions, ethics, governor ‘s race, integrity, political campaign, political race, running for office, the experiences you bring to the table, trust, values, vying for a job, what awesome looks like, who you are is evident by the way you treat others. Evident in the way you treat others
Get Past The Feeling Of Never Being Enough
“How do you get past that feeling of never being enough when you are trying to juggle being a mom, working a full-time job, going to school, etc. It just feels like I’ll never be enough” That was the question one of the women asked me today after hearing me talk at an event for …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, bake your own bread, comparing yourself to others, confidence, do something for others, don’t worry about what other people think, finding hope, give back, insecurities, it will all be okay in the end, keep you out of heaven, overcoming fear, public speaker, scholarships for single moms, self-esteem, single parent, stella h. oaks foundation, stop comparing, what awesome looks like, what god thinks, you are enough, you can do this, your inner voice, your own worst critic
You Can Lead A Horse To Water And Sometimes The Horse Will Crap In It
“You can lead a horse to water and sometimes the horse will crap in it.” – Roger Ellerton Yesterday I was dealing with some fallout that was caused by someone who made some really unnecessary mistakes in a professional setting that had some really impactful consequences. What was even more frustrating to me was that …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate what you have or you will lose it, be grateful, consequences, do the right thing, don’t be shortsighted, integrity, lead a horse to water, mistakes, stand up for what's right, stupid mistake, think before you act, you can lead a horse to water and sometimes the horse will crap in it, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink
Support Really Good People Doing Really Good Things
I spent the evening tonight with a group of incredible philanthropic givers with a heart toward the area of education in Utah and dear friends of my husband and I’s so we could talk about how we can expand an incredible program called Youth Entrepreneurs throughout Utah’s High Schools as well as the Universities Entrepreneurship …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciative, capitalism, classroom, confidence builder, economics, entrepreneur, experiential learning, high school, humble, Koch foundation, leadership team, learn entrepreneurship, make it relevant, math, really good people doing really good things, science, self-esteem, self-reliance, simplify it, something they relate to, stand together, students, surrounded by greatness, teaching entrepreneurship, textbook, the way we teach, university, what awesome looks like, youth entrepreneurs
Changing The World For The Better
Today was a really big day – it was the groundbreaking for the new Scott C. Keller Business School Building at Utah Valley University. This is a project our Woodbury School of Business National Advisory Board I’m Chairing has been working on for years so it was fantastic to see it actually happening. And I’m …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, andrea Clarke, appreciation, astrid Tuminez, blessed, blood sweat and tears, celebration, chairman of the board, change the world for the better, friendship, gratitude, hard earned money, james and andrea Clarke, james Clarke, naming a building, national advisory board, president astrid Tuminez, sacrifice, scott and karen keller, scott c keller, those who give back, Utah Valley University, what awesome looks like, Woodbury school of business
Never Work A Day In Your Life?
Last Thursday was quite the whirlwind of a day! I started off my day in the morning heading down to Provo Utah to speak at an event put on by RevRoad. RevRoad is a business accelerator for entrepreneurs that offers coworking space, legal services, marketing, accounting, mentoring services, etc in return for equity. They asked …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, angel investing, business accelerator, do what you love, doing what you love, entrepreneurship, exhausted but happy, happiness, helping entrepreneurs, humility, incubator, integrity, investing, joy, joy in doing, joy in the journey, mentoring, mentoring entrepreneurs, mentoring veterans, never work a day in your life, non-profit, pitch your business, public speaking, revroad, services for equity, Shark Tank, venture capital, veterans, vetrepreneurs, warrior rising, what awesome looks like, work your guts out
Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not …
Tagged abuse, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, attitude, be the light, beautiful people don’t just happen, blind, compassion, compassionate, confidence, courage, death, depression, divorce, empathy, endure it well, endure to the end, hang in there, inspiration, kindness, loss, loving concern, positive attitude, self-esteem, sensitivity, set the example, struggle, struggles, tender-hearted, what awesome looks like, what makes us beautiful
Never Take Anything For Granted
As I was leaving work on a Wednesday night back in October of 2011, I received a phone call that my mother had slipped and fallen down in the rain and she was being taken by ambulance to the hospital. She had broken her femur and her hip and was going to be taken into …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be grateful, be grateful for your blessings, express appreciation openly, gratitude, life can change in a moment, mom, mother, never take anything for granted, never take people for granted, never take things for granted, spend time with the people you love, take things for granted, thankful, things can be taken away at any time, things can be taken away in a moment, treasure each moment
The Magnetic Power Of Gratitude
“What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it–would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.” ~ Ralph Marston It was Henry Ward Beecher …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be appreciative, gift, give thanks, magnetic power of gratitude, receive with gratitude, show appreciation, take things for granted, take things with gratitude, the law of attraction, the power of attraction, unthankful heart, when someone gives you a gift
Stop Defending And Start Listening
In yesterday’s blog I shared points from a Forbes article I’d written years ago on the importance of giving people honest feedback. Today I thought it would be good to share points from a follow-on article I’d written for Forbes on the importance of receiving feedback (The article was titled, If You Want To Improve, …
Tagged acknowledge, Amy Rees Anderson, apologize, attack explain, avoid, blame, challenge, champions, confidence, confident, constructive, criticism, defense, defense mode, defensive, deny, desire, destructive, diversity, example, excuse, feedback, fight or flight, forbes, grow, illustrate, improve, improvement, justify, listen, listening, perspectives, point of view, ponder, rationalize, self-aware, self-confidence, self-esteem, sensitive, specific, superior, tone, truth, understand, weakness, withdraw
Speak The Truth
Years ago I wrote an article for Forbes called Speak The Truth Even If Your Voice Shakes which talked about the importance of giving people honest feedback in a respectful way, even at times it feels uncomfortable or intimidating to do so. In the article I shared seven lessons I’d learned about giving feedback and …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate, appreciation, atmosphere, attitude, avoid, avoidance, behavior, CEO, comfortable, communication, company, confrontation, courage, culture, entrepreneurship, example, fear, feedback, forbes, future, give honest feedback, grow, guilt, help, helping, honest, impact, improve, input, integrity, leader, leadership, livelihood, manager, mistakes, motivate, motivation, nervous, open, recognition, recognize, respectful, safe, self-esteem, self-improvement, speak the truth, success, talk, trust
Have Each Others Back
The other night I was watching a show about a Navy SEAL Team. Seeing the way the team has each others backs, through thick and thin, was so inspiring and it really got me to thinking…perhaps the reason those SEALs are able to be so brave and have such courage to face whatever obstacles lie …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be there for others, bravery, brotherhood, camaraderie, celebrate one another, cheer for each other, confidence building, courage, defend each, family, friendship, have each others back, heal, mama elephant, marriage, ministering, navy seals, protect one another, recover, safety, security, sisterhood, spouses, the power of friendship, the power of knowing someone has your back, under attack, vulnerable
It Was A Dark And Stormy Night When…
It was a dark and stormy night. I was sound asleep in my bed on the main floor while my two little kids were fast asleep upstairs in their beds. As a single mom at the time I was always keenly aware of any sounds I heard in the house late at night. But this …
Tagged a harrowing experience, africa, all hallows eve, Amy Rees Anderson, call 911, chainsaw, don't do it, don’t go down to the basement, elm street, Ghana Africa, halfway around the world, halloween, Halloween costume, hockey mask, horror film, horry movie, it was a dark and stormy night, jumping out of your skin, not the brightest crayon in the box, scared to death, scary movie, Transylvania, unfinished basement
The Power Of Prayer
If there is one thing I wouldn’t know how to get by without in life, its prayer. Prayer is such a critically important part of my life and always have been – I pray for guidance, I pray about the decisions I need to make, I pray for my loved ones, I pray for help …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, church of jesus christ, d. todd christofferson, do the right thing, god the father, Jesus Christ, join the movement to increase prayer, leadership, m. russell ballard, make the best decisions possible, national prayer, offer more prayers, one nation under god, pray daily, pray for guidance, pray for individuals, pray for our country, pray for our leaders, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the most powerful tool at our disposal, the power of prayer, the president of the united states, United States of America, wise, you can make a difference
Is It Messed Up To Already Be Decorating For Christmas?
Is it messed up that I started putting up my Christmas tree last night?!? I just couldn’t help myself…it’s crazy cold outside and it started snowing which made it feel like Christmas…and Christmas happens to be my very favorite holiday of all time…so yeah…I got excited and BAM…the decorations came out….so like it or not, …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, baby its cold outside, candy, celebrate christmas, celebrate halloween, celebrating the holidays, childhood memories, christmas decorating, costumes, decorating for christmas early, dressing up in costumes, excited for christmas, favorite holiday, favorite holiday traditions, halloween, happier, happy childhood, ho ho ho, holiday decor, merry christmas, nostalgia, research study, tis the season, trick-or-treat, what awesome looks like
Happily Ever After Doesn’t Happen By Chance
“Happily ever after doesn’t happen by chance, but rather by choice.” Dr. John Gottman Over the weekend my husband and I went to a marriage workshop that covered material from The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work, written by Dr. John Gottman. Drs John and Julie Gottman are renowned experts on marriage and have done …
Tagged a love that endures, a more accurate perspective, Amy Rees Anderson, building a solid foundation, change with them, change your perspective, communication in marriage, conflict resolution, divorce, dr john gottman, dr julie gottman, google maps, happily ever after doesn’t happen by chance, happily ever after is a choice, how to resolve conflict, know your partner, know your partners dreams, love, make your marriage last forever, mapquest, marriage counseling, people change, rose colored glasses, see the good, spouse, strengthen your marriage, the Gottman Institute, what awesome looks like
Make The Effort
“The grass is always greener” …it’s a syndrome that plagues a lot of people. They constantly believe something else would be better than what they currently have. Most commonly we hear of people catching that syndrome in their dating or marriage relationships, but the truth is it can exist in any area of life, from …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, anything worthwhile takes effort, build your relationship, business, career, counseling, coveting, dating, discipline, entrepreneurship, envy, fertilize it, good health, luscious, make the effort, marriage, marriage workshop, never satisfied, put effort into your relationship, the grass is always greener, wanting what other people have, water your lawn, water your own lawn
The Price We Pay For Love
“When you love people very much, isn’t it grand to be able to join in their happiness? Like everything else in the world, however, there is a price to pay for love, for the more happiness we derive from the existence and companionship of other human beings, the more vulnerable we are when there is …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, apprehension, betrayal, children, disappointment, don’t hold back, fear, fear of being hurt, grandchildren, heart multiplies, holding back, loss, love doesn't divide, love heals, love hurts, love multiplies, love with your whole heart, marriage, return on investment, risk, romantic love, take a chance, the more you love, the price of loving, the price we pay for love, what awesome looks like, worth the risk
8 Reasons We Can’t Lighten Up
In one of Loretta Laroche’s talks (comedian, public speaker, author) she shares eight big reasons why people aren’t able to lighten up: Eight Reasons We Can’t Lighten Up 1. We’re too busy. (Let’s face it? Will we ever not be busy?) 2. We’re afraid of what they may say. (I don’t know who they are, but they sure stop the laughter …
Tagged 8 reasons we can't lighten up, Amy Rees Anderson, be grateful, be less judgmental, check your ego at the door, don't judge yourself so harshly, don't take yourself so seriously, don't take yourself too seriously, happiness is a choice, joy, laugh it off, laugh more, let it go, let your ego go, life's short, lighten up, Loretta Laroche, make time for fun, play more, see the good in others, sense of humor, so serious, stop caring what other people think, wear your party pants
