Blog
#BelieveInPeople
Today my friend and mentor, Charles Koch (Chairman and CEO of one of the largest privately held companies in the country, Koch Industries), released his brand new book titled “Believe in People” which he co-authored with Brian Hooks, CEO of philanthropic group Stand Together (which my husband and I are a part of). Charles and …
Tagged @standtogether, a better way, Amy Rees Anderson, be the change you want to see in the world, believe in people, bottom up solutions, Brian Hooks, change the world, charles and liz koch, charles koch, help others learn how to excel, hero, how to excel in business and life, inspiring, join the #believeinpeople movement, liz koch, mentor, new york times bestselling author, rollin and amy rees anderson, stand together, talents and abilities, top down world, what awesome looks like
Get Your Game Face On!
In yesterday’s blog I shared how much me and my family love music and shared a playlist of happy songs Today I thought in the spirit of preparing for Thanksgiving celebrations with family next week I would share our family’s love of GAMES!!! Finding new board games and card games is something I am always …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, anomia, code names, cover your assets, family game night, favorite board games, favorite card games, game night, games you'll love to play, list of favorite games, reverse charades, slapzi, thanksgiving gatherings, the bears and the bees, the chameleon, what awesome looks like, what's your favorite game
Happy Feel Good Playlist
I love love love music…the power and influence of good music can be life changing. My family also loves music and anytime we come together you can pretty much guarantee there will be at least one impromptu dance party in our kitchen. A few days ago my daughter Ashley Hill posted a list of songs …
Tagged american authors, Amy Rees Anderson, andy grammer, Ariana grande, Ashley hill, ben rector, best day of my life, coldplay, core qualitees, dance party, ed sheeran, george ezra, i make my own sunshine, meghan trainor, music, one republic, onerepublic, rachel platten, shake it off, taylor swift, the power of music
Two Options To Discover Your Limits
“You will never know your limits until you push yourself to them.” Those are really just two options for discovering your limits of how capable and strong you are. You can either wait until life pushes you into having no choice but to discover it, or you can willingly push yourselves to attempt things that …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be a victor, discover, discover your limits, discover your strengths, don't be a victim of your circumstances, don't wait for life to happen, how strong and capable you are, make things happen, take chances, you are stronger than you know
“You need to get thick skin bud”
“You need to get thick skin bud” (Guest Blog written by my son Dalton Anderson): When I was a kid, I was bullied quite a bit. Just typical schoolyard bullying, so nothing out of the ordinary, but I remember once complaining to an adult about it. Instead of receiving sympathy, I was given a piece …
Tagged advice, Amy Rees Anderson, bullying, confidence, Dalton Anderson, Dalton Rollin Anderson, develop confidence, don't be easily offended, get a thick skin, opinions, roll off your back, self-esteem, stand up for others
Happiness Is A Warm Blanket
I woke up this morning to the beautiful scene of fluffy white snowflakes falling outside my window. As I sat looking across the living room at our lit up Christmas tree with the snow falling outside the windows it felt as though the heavens were wrapping my home in a big, fluffy, warm blanket…and with …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, believe, believe Him, birth of the savior, blanket of snow, comfort of Holy Ghost, happiness is a warm blanket, have faith, in the darkest hour, Jesus Christ, light shines, peace, savior of the world, testimony, where can i turn for peace
An Opportunity To Re-evaluate
Life can seem really complex any particular moment and when we are in the thick of things its easy to get overwhelmed. It’s also easy to get so busy that you don’t even realize how much time you are spending on one thing or another and before you know it you are so busy going …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, an opportunity to re-evaluate, circumstances change, don’t take anything or anyone for granted, finding fulfillment, goal, happiness, how we spend our time, life is complex, review your progress, so busy moving, what awesome looks like, what to change
Use Them To Bless The Life Of Another
Over the past seven days I’ve given keynote speeches twice at Brigham Young University, once at Utah Valley University, I’ve spoken at a Women in Business Conference, I spoke at Southern Utah University, did a mentoring session, and I judged a High School business competition. As I was making the four hour drive back home …
Tagged #goalposter, be vulnerable, Brigham Young University, BYU, entrepreneur lecture series, entrepreneurship, goal poster, gratitude, keynote speech, life lessons, public speaking, share your story, share your struggles, southern Utah university, suu, use your trials to bless others, Utah Valley University, UVU, women in business conference
Voting Is A Small Price To Pay For Freedom
Despite this being a year where the last thing I want to hear about, read about, or talk about is politics, I felt it important to bring something up. Don’t worry – I’m not going to try and tell anyone which candidates to vote for Tuesday as I feel that is a deeply personal decision …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote, blessed to have the right to vote, cast your vote, elected leaders, founding fathers, freedom, great nation, non-participation, president of the united states, protect our freedom, protect the constitution, the price of freedom, united states, vote, vote the dictates of your own conscious, what awesome looks like
What Will You Do With Your Extra Hour
“YIPPEEE an extra hour of 2020”, said no one ever. But like it or not, an extra hour is exactly what each of us received this weekend as daylight savings time came to an end and we all set our clocks back on Sunday. So now the question we each have to ask ourselves is …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, an extra hour in 2020, an hour a day, christmas shopping, Christmas tree, daylight savings time, decorating for Christmas, earl nightingale, early to bed early to rise, fallback, good night's sleep, healthy wealthy and wise, night owl, shipping delays, spend an extra hour each day and you will be an expert in five years or less, the best use of your time, what will you do with your extra hour
It Might Sound Like A Curse But It’s Been A Blessing
August 13th of this year marked the ten year anniversary of me writing a daily blog and hitting that ten year mark was the goal I had set for myself. For ten long years I have literally written a blog five days a week, every single week, without missing a single day (other than National …
Tagged abilities, Amy Rees Anderson, be the change, daily blog, forbes, giving back, goal poster, help others learn how to excel, hoping to make a difference, IPOP Foundation, its been such a blessing, legacy, life goal accomplished, life lessons, mediconnect global, pay it forward, REES Capital, sound like a curse, talents, ten years of blog writing, what awesome looks like, writing a daily blog, www.amyreesanderson.com/blog
There Are No Mistakes, Only Discoveries
Back in 2016 I took my family on a Disney Cruise to the Mediterranean. While on the cruise my son and daughter decided to go to a workshop they were holding on how to draw different Disney characters. At the start of the class the crew passed out pencils. These particular pencils had no erasers …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, ashley, create, Dalton, Disney cruise, don't be afraid to try, don’t fear failure, dream, dreams do come true, focus on your efforts and trust the outcome, have courage, imagine, take the first step, there are no mistakes only discoveries, walk disney, you are stronger than you think you are, you’ve got this
Stronger Than You Know
The Oak Tree A mighty wind blew night and day.It stole the Oak Tree’s leaves away.Then snapped its boughsand pulled its barkuntil the Oak was tired and stark. But still the Oak Tree held its groundwhile other trees fell all around.The weary wind gave up and spoke,“How can you still be standing Oak?” The Oak …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, don't be swayed, don't give up, if it’s not okay it’s not the end, it will all be okay in the end, the oak tree, the winds may blow but they won't break you, we are stronger than we know, you are stronger than we know, you can do it
It’s Been A Scary Halloween All Year So I Decided I’m Jumping To Christmas!
This entire year has already felt like one big scary Halloween movie so I decided I’m jumping to Christmas! Yesterday I put on Mariah Carey’s Christmas album and sang my lungs out in the shower and my spirits immediately began lifting…. By afternoon I had my husband hauling in boxes of Christmas decorations from the …
Tagged all I want for Christmas is you, Amy Rees Anderson, christmas movie, christmas wish list, disney, favorite tradition, hallmark Christmas movie, halloween, hot cocoa with whipped cream, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, joy to the world, mariah carey christmas album, santa claus, scary movie, the spirit of christmas, we need more joy
The Miracle Of Hope
It’s only a three minute video clip, but it’s three minutes spoken by a man who is incredibly special to me (I’ll explain why below) that reminds us that what we need right now is RELENTLESS HOPE…it reminds us that WE CAN HOPE…that WE SHOULD HOPE…that WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO HOPE:
Tagged acts of service, Amy Rees Anderson, apostle of Jesus Christ, believe, charity, faith, faith + hope = miracles, gratitude, hope, i believe, in quiet moments, jeffrey r. holland, Jesus Christ, love, miracles, our character, The Church of Jesus Christ, the future is brighter, we can hope, we have every reason to hope, we need to exercise faith, we should hope, we will get through this, what awesome looks like
The Legacy We Leave Behind
Last weekend marked the ten year anniversary of the unexpected passing of on of my best friends, Steve Gasser. Ten years…I can hardly believe that its been ten years since I last got to see his smile and last heard his voice on the other end of the phone saying “Wazzzzzuuuuuppppp!” I’d first met Steve …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, best friend, best friend forever, death, funeral, God, heartbreak, heaven, Heavenly Father, how you live, Jesus Christ, live love leave a legacy, losing a loved one, serve others, Steve Gasser, Steven Dale Gasser, sudden passing, the legacy we leave behind, what will your legacy be
How We Avoid Becoming Pawns In Someone Else’s Game
An Ambassador in another country shared the following sentiment with me: People who wish to do evil for their own selfish purposes (whether it be fame, power, position, or fortune) have figured out they no longer need to wage a war to conquer society – they only need to feign they are two people with …
Tagged a country divided, ambassador, Amy Rees Anderson, causing contention, contention, dignity, don't get used, evil purpose, fighting, honor, kindness, love, manipulation, negativity on social media, politics, pride, religion, stirring hearts, stirring people to contend one with another, tearing people apart, to what end, truth, ugliness, we don't have to be pawns in someone else's game, who is right and who is wrong
An Experiment In Opening Your Heart
Virginia Hinckley Pearce wrote a book called “A Heart Like His: Making Space for God`s Love in Your Life”. I first learned about her book a few years back when I was invited to hear her speak and in her talk she issued a challenge for all of us to try an experiment that turned …
Tagged a heart like his, Amy Rees Anderson, avoid contention, bitterness, change your attitude, confidence, create energy, critical, don’t snap your heart closed, don’t stir up contention, forgive freely, look for the good in others, making space for god’s love in your life, motivation, open your heart, Open your heart experiment, simple acts of kindness, stop judging others, validate, virginia hinckley pearce
Don’t Lose Hope. You Never Know What Tomorrow May Bring.
I laid down to take a nap after 9am church this morning and stayed asleep until just a few minutes ago (nearly 9pm!). Clearly my body needs sleep so rather than writing a blog tonight I’m going to repost an article I wrote for Forbes back in 2015 titled “Don’t Lose Hope. You Never Know …
Tagged accomplish, actress, Amy Rees Anderson, bad days, Belief, best days, best is yet to come, bill gates, creativity, difficult times, disney, failure, fight, forbes, Ford Motor Company, future, give up, hard times, Henry Ford, Honda, hope, I Love Lucy, imagination, lesson, life, lose hope, Lucille Ball, Martin Luther King Jr., microsoft, move forward, park city, reality, resolve, Silver Mine, Soichiro Honda, Solon Spiro, success, tomorrow, Toyota, Traf-O-Data, Utah, victoria secret, walt disney, work
Don’t Allow Others To Define Your Success
I’ve spent the day at a Family Office Summit in Arizona. Knowing I’d be tied up all day I asked my son Dalton if he’d write tonight’s blog post to cover for me. Here’s Dalton’s post Don’t allow others to define your success (by Dalton Anderson) Being the son of a successful entrepreneur comes with …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be your own person, content creation, Dalton Anderson, define success, don't allow others to define your success, don't compare yourself, don't compare yourself to others, entrepreneur, individuality, internal expectations, legos, motivation, podcaster, star wars, successful, unique gifts, what drives you, writer
“None of us is as smart as all of us.”
“None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard Yesterday one of the long standing non-profit organizations I serve on the board of received word that a new set of covid restrictions coming into effect will cause this amazing performing arts theater which boasts Broadway caliber shows and musicals that are …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, gather differing opinion and allow the voices to help you determine the right voice to follow, ken Blanchard, leadership, listen to the voices of those with experience, none of us is as smart as all of us, the wisdom of the crowd
Four Ways To Reduce Fear
In the article “Love Is Medicine for Fear: Life, especially pandemic life, is full of threats and uncertainty. When we feel afraid, bringing more love into our lives can help.” written by Arthur Brooks in The Atlantic, he explains: “More isolation plus more hostility equals less love; less love equals more fear. To reduce fear, …
Tagged Arthur brooks, express appreciation, fight or flight, four ways to reduce fear, go against your natural instincts, how to bring more live into your life, how to excel, isolation plus hostility equals less love, love courageously, love is medicine for fear, love your enemies, reduce fear, say I love you, take a risk, The atlantic, to reduce fear, what awesome looks like
Family Traditions – KEEP DOING THEM!
It’s always on a Saturday morning in October. Our family meets down at a place called the Red Barn. We get their homemade apple cider and freshly made apple donuts for breakfast and then we climb aboard a tractor trailer to ride on hail bails out to the pumpkin patch where we explore a corn …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, apple cider, bond family together, certainty, donuts, family traditions, halloween, have fun as a family, hay ride, October, set aside worries and enjoy, stability during instability, the joy of family, the pumpkin patch, the red barn, tradition, uncertainty, what awesome looks like, whatever it takes
An Irish Blessing
Sometimes the simplest thing can touch your heart. Today reading this Irish blessing someone shared touched mine: May God give you…☘️ For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, …
Tagged #irishblessing, Amy Rees Anderson, an irish blessing, blessed, blessing, irish, may god give you, prayer, trials
Believe In People
Believe in People: Bottom-up Solutions for a Top Down World is an awesome new book that I was blessed to receive an advance copy of from authors Charles Koch & Brian Hooks. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know both Charles and Brian personally over the last several years through Stand Together, a philanthropic …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, believe in people, bottom up solutions, Brian Hooks, change the world, charles and liz koch, charles koch, do good, give back, good profit, integrity, intelligent, kind, koch industries, overcoming poverty, social entrepreneurs, stand together, stand together foundation, what awesome looks like
Lessons On Branding From Expert Gordon Bowen
Three years ago this week I was sitting in the home of world renowned branding genius, Gordon Bowen, founder and Global Chairman of McGarryBowen and Chief Creative Officer of Dentsu Aegis Network. The very next day I wrote the following article for Forbes.com: Lessons On Branding Shared By Advertising Expert Gordon Bowen of McGarryBowen Last …
Tagged ad agency, ad campaign, advertising expert, American express, Amy Rees Anderson, branding, branding magic, chairman, crayola, cynosure group, disney, Disney princess, emotional blockbuster, entertain angels, forbes, genius, good people, gordon bowen, great work, Hebrews 13:2, I am a princess, if you can't fix it feature it, if you take a brand out of the world how does the world change, influence, mayonnaise, mcgarrybowen, miracle whip, take a side, the power of belief, time, understand your audience, Verizon
You Might Only Have One Match But You Can Make An Explosion
I was on a conference call today in which the people on the call were each asked to share a time they’d seen the transformative power of the belief in people. As I listened to each person share their differing stories I kept thinking about these words from one of my very favorite songs: Like …
Tagged amazing grace, Amy Rees Anderson, belief in people, believe, believe in people, fight song, fight song amazing grace, inspire change, it only takes one person believing in you, motivate change, one person can change the world, one persons impact, rachel platten, stand together, the piano guys, the power of believing in someone, the power of one, the ripple effect, what awesome looks like, you can make an explosion
DROP THE MIC! Seriously, It Couldn’t Have Been Said Any Better
There has been much said by many on the topic of politics, racism, hatred, anger, and all that divides so many people today. Much of what is said on the topics is done in anger or in inflammatory ways that only serves to make divides even larger. When I heard Dallin H. Oaks’ talk this …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be the change you want to see in the world, civility, dallin h. oaks, do good to them that use you, drop the mic, God's way, hatred, injustice, it couldn't have been said any better, love, love your enemies, mic drop, peace, politics, president dallin h. oaks, racism, rioting, that which divides us, the right way to bring about change, what awesome looks like
We’ve Got This!
I cannot even put into words how amazing this weekend was for me. I spent Saturday and Sunday watching the Semi-Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ and it was two days filled with the most inspirational talks imaginable. In a year where we’ve all been dealing with pandemics, earthquakes, fires, isolation, and …
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, be strong, confidence, courage, direction, general conference, in any circumstance, inspiration, latter day saint, look inward, look upward, move forward, power of god, prophet, self-improvement, The Church of Jesus Christ, we've got this, with god all things are possible
I Invite You To Watch General Conference With Me This Weekend! I’M SO EXCITED!!!
This conference is free for everyone. It is available to watch or listen to in about every language you can think of. You can see it via television broadcast, live stream, or listen via radio. And it is going to be filled with inspiring talks and messages of hope that will exceed your expectations beyond …
