Every night as I drive home the weeks before Christmas I look up on the hill above my house to see a big star that is lit up on the mountainside. It’s a star a neighbor has lit up for years during the holiday and I look forward to seeing it every night. There is […]
“Ordinary happiness depends on happenstance. Joy is that extraordinary happiness that is independent of what happens to us. Good luck can make us happy, but it cannot give us lasting joy. The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and […]
Today you guys are in for a treat because the post you are about to read was written by my 24 year old son Dalton Anderson about an amazing interaction he had with McDonald’s that was so awesome it just had to be shared: “A month ago I received some of the greatest news the […]
“Don’t wait until your life is almost over to realize how great it has been!” Today I had to pull a bunch of old photos from years past together for a project and as I was sorting through years and years worth of photos I couldn’t help but be pulled into a walk down memory […]
“There isn’t a person you wouldn’t love if you could read their whole story.” – Marjorie Hinckley I love that quote. When someone reminded me of this quote the other day I couldn’t help but stop and think how true it is. We see people through a certain lens…we make snap judgments…we make assumptions about […]
I have spent the last several days in meetings with a group of the nicest people you could imagine. They are people who are kind, genuine, down to earth, and generous beyond measure and it was refreshing and invigorating to be surrounded by people who have a mutual passion for helping others. There is something […]
I often have people tell me how impressed they are with the character of my son and daughter, and that compliment is often followed with the question – how did you do it? How did you raise those kids to be such great people? Well as much as I would love to take credit for […]
“You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You […]
Last night I went with my husband and my kids to go and see Disney’s new movie, Beauty and the Beast. If you haven’t yet gone to see this movie GO SEE IT! I don’t just say that because I happen to be obsessed with all things Disney, which I totally admit to being…I say […]
“A funeral is not a day in a lifetime, it’s a lifetime in a day.” One thing in life is certain, and that is that each of us will eventually pass on from this life. When that day comes for each of us, the best we can hope for is to have words spoken about […]
If you were to take a poll of what it takes to become a genuinely powerful person you would likely get answers such as: holding a high level position, or having a lot of money, or having a large social media following, etc. But all of those answers would be wrong… Sure, a person can […]
I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend! Welcome back!! This is a monumental week for the world as the United States undergoes the transition to new leadership. I believe this week can down in history in one of two ways – it can either go down in history as having been a week to […]
This coming Monday we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. day. What an amazing man he was and what strength of character he had. I love that he didn’t let others dictate his own behavior. He decided what his values were and he decided the kind of man he wanted to be and then he lived […]
The week of Christmas is upon us and my heart can’t help but think about the true essence of Christmas – to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he willingly made out of his infinite love for each one of us. It reminds me of a story I try to read each […]
Throughout this month I will try to share some of my favorite Christmas stories and poems that inspire me. This story below is one I heard when I was growing up and I still remember the way it struck me as I heard it. It has a great message that inspires you to want to […]
Today I learned about an awesome challenge for all of us to “light the world” in 25 ways over 25 days as we lead up to Christmas. It’s a challenge meant to help us focus on incorporating more Christ-like attitudes and behaviors in honor of this Christmas season and over 800,000 people have already joined […]
As an Angel Investor and a Mentor I spend much of my day helping entrepreneurs in their pursuit of wealth by helping them to grow their companies. But today I was reminded of exactly what true wealth looks like. For more than 25 years he has been buying Christmas presents for children he may never […]
I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving Holiday weekend filled with good food and great moments with your loved ones. And hopefully all of you are finding it easier to fit into your jeans today a little easier than I am…truth be told, I may have taken eating leftover pie a bit too far this […]
The best way I know how to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving is for me to express my thanks to all of you. I am so grateful to all of you make time in your lives for me and the words I share in my blog. And I am grateful for the comments and the […]
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” ~William A. Ward There are many ways to say “thank you” to others. One of those ways is to give people compliments. Someone once told me that holding in a compliment that someone else deserves is like buying […]
“If you’ve forgotten the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness.” Over the years there have been numerous studies conducted which have shown that the expression of gratitude has profound positive effects on our health and our moods. One study performed by Robert Emmons, PhD and Mike McCullough randomly assigned participants […]
I love the holiday season – I love the decorations and the holiday goodies and that extra feeling of love in the air. And I especially love Hallmark Christmas Movies!!! For those who don’t know what I am talking about, the Hallmark channel on TV puts out a bunch of original Christmas movies every year […]
I love hugs and I have always been a hugger. I hug everyone. It is just something I have always done because it makes me happy! But it doesn’t just make me happier – hugs make everyone happier! Did you know that every time you hug someone or someone hugs you that oxytocin gets released […]
Here is an interesting story I came across: A letter was found in a baking powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water in a very long, seldom-used trail across the Armagosa Desert. The letter read: “This pump was all right as of June 1932. […]
I think most all of us have either been guilty of either saying something we shouldn’t have, or listening to something we ought not to, and likely we’ve made the mistake of doing both. It’s likely we have all made those mistakes more times than we wish we had, and I can’t think of a […]
The world is full of all kinds of problems that we can’t solve in a day, but what we can do is find a way to give a little bit of service here and there…whether it’s just a few hours a week or only once a month, every small effort up over time. And when […]
Today I attended my Aunt’s funeral and I have to say it was a marvelous and inspiring day. I know funerals are usually sad occasions but today was a little different because Aunt Iris lived an amazingly full life during her 98 years on this earth and hearing the stories and memories people shared about […]
Given the recent passing of a loved one my thoughts have been turned toward each of our own lives and what will matter to each of us as we face our time to pass from this life. I’ve thought about what we take with us, what we leave behind, and what will truly matter. I came […]
First, I want to take the quick opportunity to say “Thank You!” to all those who sent birthday wishes my way. I can’t think of a better birthday gift then words of kindness from others and I received that today in spades 🙂 I also want to share with you an amazing birthday gift I received today […]
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