Tag Archives: respect

Only love drives out hate

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 […]

What To Do and What NOT To Do

Throughout my life I have been blessed with some incredible mentors and role models. They have taught me the “what to do” things in life, and the “how to be” qualities, that if we embrace will turn us into someone others will want hope to emulate someday as well. The more in life I would […]

If you stand in the light you don’t have to worry about other people’s shade

I am a person who appreciates honesty more than anything, and I believe that one can always deliver that honesty in a respectful way.  I also believe that honesty is more than just being willing to speak words that are true, it is also recognizing that hidden truths are unspoken lies. If a person speaks […]

Diversity Is Required To Make A Company Strong, But Unity Is Required To Make A Company Successful. (Forbes Article)

Diversity seems to be a goal that every company is out to achieve these days. Yet as companies begin to broaden their hiring practices in order to achieve diversity, they often find that in solving one problem they have also opened up an entirely new one – creating unity amongst diversity. As diversity enters into […]

What Will They Say About Us?

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 […]

My Lunch with the Dalai Lama

Today I had the experience of attending lunch with the Dalai Lama at the invitation of my dear friends Governor Gary Herbert and his wife Jeanette. (Quick reminder to my fellow Utahns that we all need to vote on June 28th in Utah’s primary election so we can ensure Governor Herbert can continue with the amazing job he does as […]

Dads. Our First Love and our Forever Heroes.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers out there! How do we even begin to pay tribute to all the men out there who grew up to be amazing Dads?! I have come to learn that any man can make a baby, but it takes a true man to raise a child. A Dad isn’t defined […]

Integrity Isn’t Situational

I recently have been dealing with a situation where I became aware that someone has been doing things under false pretenses in an attempt to get personal gain. When I brought these activities to light to those in authority to rectify the situation the person in charge seemed resistant to confront it. He agreed that […]

What It Takes To Be A Great Employee: The Parable Of The Oranges (Forbes Article)

Being a great employee pays off with better positions, higher pay, and more frequent promotions. But some workers struggle to know exactly what it takes to become a truly great employee. As an Entrepreneur and CEO one of the most important elements of having a successful company is having a workforce of great employees. That […]

There Is Only Black and White, Not Any Shades Of Grey

When I was young I used to get frustrated that my Father always saw everything as black and white – there was never any grey as far as he was concerned. As a little kid I would always try to explain to him why the grey sometimes existed and without fail I would end up […]

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself. Avoiding Self-Sabotage At Work (Forbes Article)

I was standing in the security line at an airport when a TSA worker came walking alongside the line yelling out in an animated way, “No liquids, no aerosols, no gels or creams on the airplane…You better check yourself before you wreck yourself!” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud. As the CEO of […]

Living A Life Of Honor

Winning. It’s something that everyone wants because let’s face it, it is far more fun to win than it is to lose. But there is something that should mean more to all of us than winning does, and that is living a life of honor. In the world today it too often feels that people […]

If You Really Want Feedback Then Make It Comfortable For Others To Give It (Forbes Article)

The only way any of us can know all of the areas we can improve on is if we are open to feedback from others. As Bill Gates said, “We all need people who will give us feedback. That is how we improve.” But the only way we will get the valuable feedback available from […]

The Traits I Admire Most

Today I have been thinking a lot about the character traits that I admire most in people. I sat down to make a list of traits I see in a person I very much look up to in my life and here was the list that came to mind: Integrity – does the right thing, […]

Only Three Words

Years ago someone sent me an article called “Only 3 Words“.  It was such a great article that I saved it. When I was going through some old papers I came across it again this week and as I read it I knew I had to share it with all of you. I have no […]

A Child Who Treats Their Parents With Respect Is An Employee Any Boss Would Be Thrilled To Hire (Forbes Article)

As a child I was taught the importance of respect – we were taught showing respect for other people, showing respect for other’s cultures, showing respect for people’s position of authority, showing respect for a venue, showing respect for an event, etc. This principle was emphasized greatly in my home and it is something I […]

Service Your Way? Say WHAT?!!!

Great Customer Service – we’ve all heard of it, but nowadays actually getting it is as rare as spotting a Yeti laying out on a beach getting a tan! #realtalk Today I was drowning in wedding planning and I had called ahead to some rental companies that rent wedding chairs and dance floors to see […]

Curiosity, Courage, and Courtesy

Today I was fortunate enough to be invited by President Holland to attend a lunch and sit at the table with Sir Christopher John Greenwood, a Judge for the International Court of Justice and his lovely wife Susan at UVU’s Constitutional Conference for Constitutional Studies. Both of them went up from our table to speak at the lunch event […]

One Year Older, But Hopefully Wiser Too!

Happy Birthday to me! Okay, let’s get real…at my age birthdays are no longer quite the same feeling of happy that they were when you were a kid trying to grow up too fast. The older we get the more they tend to turn into a reminder that your sexy is a little less sexier […]

Don’t Do Something Permanently Stupid Just Because You Are Temporarily Upset

There are always things that are going to happen that will cause us to be temporarily upset. That’s just part of life. But when those things happen we have to find a way to keep our wits about us so we don’t do something permanently stupid that we will regret later. Instead we should focus […]

Learn To Be Comfortable Saying ‘No’ Or You Won’t Be Available To Say ‘Yes’ When It Really Matters (Forbes Article)

“It’s only by saying “no” that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” – Steve Jobs Saying “No” can be awkward, uncomfortable, and downright difficult. After all, it is human nature to want to be liked, and what better way to be liked then to make people happy by saying “Yes” when […]

“If words don’t add up, it’s usually because the truth wasn’t included in the equation.”

“If words don’t add up, it’s usually because the truth wasn’t included in the equation.” -unknown Today I was asked to sit in and observe a situation where a person (whose very job is to be an advocate for truth) stood up and told lie after lie without the slightest indication of regret or shame […]

Living a Virtuous Life

When Benjamin Franklin was a young man of 20 years old he decided he wanted to better himself. He wrote down 13 virtues and determined to practice one virtue each week. He created a notebook to track his progress, writing one virtue at the top of on each page along with a short description of […]

A Pen and Paper Can Actually Be More Valuable Than Money

What I am about to say will seem completely foreign or even downright crazy to many people, but just hear me out before you throw up on this suggestion: The next time you sit down to send an email to thank someone, consider getting a pen and paper and writing a handwritten note instead. “Handwrite […]

The Toughest CEO Position In The World (Forbes Article)

I was a CEO of a high-growth technology company for many years and so believe me when I say that I don’t make this next statement lightly: There is no tougher CEO position in the world than that of the CEO of a home. As CEO of a home you are not just the Chief […]

Set Boundaries: You can’t respect yourself if you don’t know or stand for what is good for you

Setting boundaries is an important skill to learn in life. Boundaries are all about respect. The best way to think about boundaries is to use the example of having a fence that goes around your yard. There is a gate to the fence and you decide who gets to enter your gate to come into […]

Be A Force For Good

“We can all be a force for good if we have the desire.” – Gail Miller Tonight I attended the Giant in Our City Awards dinner where the award was giving to an amazing woman, Gail Miller. Gail is someone who has spent her life doing good things for others. She has truly made a […]

Remember Who You Are And What You Stand For (Forbes Article)

“All through my growing up years as I would run out the door of our home, my mother would yell the phrase “Remember who you are and what you stand for”.  I would guess I have heard that phrase literally thousands of times as a child.  Most days she said it I would roll my […]

The Characteristics Of A True Leader (Forbes Article)

Every one of us is a leader in our own right. Whether we lead an entire company, or a team of people, or a group of friends, or our families, or just ourselves…we are all leaders in some form or fashion. Whatever size our circle of influence may be today, if we work to improve […]

“If we aren´t laughing and having fun everyday…we´re doing it wrong!”

As those of you who follow my blog know, once a week I get an email from my daughter who is serving her mission.  This week she shared that her group set a goal this week to see if they could follow all the mission rules with “exact obedience”.   Now I don’t know about all […]