Tag Archives: serve others

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 […]

A Day Of Service And Remembrance

I love that September 11th has been deemed a National Day of Service and Remembrance to transform 9/11 from a day of tragedy to a day of doing good. On this day we are all asked to volunteer and serve in our local communities in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, […]

Feeling Better Inward Takes Turning More Outward

Last week I spent a few days doing both speaking and mentoring session via video conferencing on Zoom with groups of students from multiple Universities across the country.   During that time I was serving those students I wasn’t worrying about the pandemic we are facing, or the riots still going on, or the wildfires, or […]

Never, Ever, Stop Dreaming

Last Friday we held a College Graduation Commencement Ceremony in our home for my daughter Ashley Anderson Hill to present her with her Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Brigham Young University. Being that she was the only student graduating she gave the valedictorian speech. Her speech was so inspiring I asked her if I […]

One College Graduate’s Thoughts About Their College Experience

My daughter Ashley is graduating this Friday from Brigham Young University (go BYU Cougars!) with her Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Management. I’m so proud of her!  Not just for graduating but for the incredible person she is.  A few days ago on social media Ashley shared the following thoughts about her college experience – after […]

A Committed Life

I was lying in bed last night when the phone beeped to alert me of an incoming text message. It was my kids wanting to know what the plan was for the family to get together on our day off the next day. “Day off?”, I thought to myself, “what do they mean day off?” […]

You’ve Got To Check Conditions Daily To Make The Needed Adjustments

Today we were discussing holding firm to our values in life. At one point in the discussion the leader of the discussion drew a picture of a boat and talked about the need for an anchor to hold the boat in place.  Some may picture a single anchor dropped in the water, but having been […]

Sometimes The Unselfish Thing Is To Be Selfish

My parents did an amazing job of instilling the desire in me to serve others, to focus outward, to be unselfish.  But what I’m beginning to recognize recently is that sometimes the most unselfish thing we can do is be a little bit selfish…Let me explain: You see, it’s easy for me to take care […]

Examine Your Life

“I urge you to examine your life. Determine where you are and what you need to do to be the kind of person you want to be. Create inspiring, noble, and righteous goals that fire your imagination and create excitement in your heart. And then keep your eye on them. Work consistently towards achieving them.” […]

From A Cloud Of Depression Into The Sunshine

“To press on in noble endeavors, even while surrounded by a cloud of depression, will eventually bring you out on top into the sunshine. – Ezra Taft Benson Ezra Taft Benson also suggests several things we can do to help pull us out of a cloud of depression and help bring us out into the sunshine: […]

You Have Been Assigned This Mountain To Show Others It Can Be Moved

“You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.” – unknown Lately troubles seem to travel into my life in packs. No sooner do I start working to solve one problem when another two or three have already reared their ugly head, and before I can take a breath there’s this […]

Overcoming Challenges Changes Us

“And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what […]

Be The One To Provide Encouragement

To illustrate the message of today’s blog I have to first share a story someone sent to me years ago that goes like this: “Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from […]

God Doesn’t Care If You Serve In Marble Halls Or Stable Stalls

Today I had meetings with a non-profit organization called Bridle Up Hope that helps to build self-esteem and self-confidence in young women through teaching them to work with horses in combination with learning Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens principles. This organization s making a huge impact in the lives of many young […]

Trials Are Empowering

“Have you ever gone through something difficult and that experience allowed you to empathize with friends or even strangers who were facing a similar challenge? Or have you seen others experience sorrow from difficult circumstances and turn their pain into a moving, empowering cause? The trials we face allow us to develop compassion for others […]

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 […]

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 […]

The Torch Bearer

Each of us have been born with special talents that God gave us so we might use them to benefit the lives of others. As we do, our own lives will be blessed as well. I love the following poem because its a great reminder to stay humble and recognize that our gifts are just […]

What We See On The Surface And What Lies Beneath. Everyone Needs Compassion.

It’s so easy for us to assume that because someone looks fine or appears to have a good life that they aren’t going through hard things. It’s also easy for us to assume that our own struggles are more difficult than someone else is since we are only capable of fully understanding the depths of […]

Keep On Keepin’ On

The weekend is just around the corner, which in and of itself is something to get excited about.  Some days things go fantastic and other days can be a struggle just to make it through. When times are tough the best thing to do is remind yourself to just keep on keepin’ on: Keep on Keepin’ […]

If You Want To Be Happy, You Have To Be Happy On Purpose

“If you want to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. When you wake up, you can’t just wait to see what kind of day you’ll have. You have to decide what kind of day you will have.” –Joel Osteen I’ve learned a lot about this concept of being happy on purpose over […]

STEP AWAY FROM THE DIGITAL DEVICES!

5.9 hours a day.  5.9 HOURS A DAY!  That’s how much time the average adult spent each day with digital media in 2017.  And you know that average has only gone up up up in 2018. (source:  Kleiner Perkins Annual Internet Trends Report)  And the latest stats show that people are now watching over 1 […]

Do It For The Others Whose Feet May Someday Pass This Way

I’m sure I’ve shared this poem at some point before but it was on my mind today so I had to share it again. When I’ve had a long day and I’m tired and find myself still awake and still needing to write a daily blog and it’s already 3am in the morning and I […]

If We Want To Bring Our Country Together Invite Someone Home For Dinner

Monday evening my husband and I were privileged to get to hear former Dallas Chief of Police, David Brown speak. He spoke to us about a specific event that took place during his tenure as Police Chief back on July 7, 2016, when 5 of his police officers were shot and killed by a sniper […]

How To Be Perfectly Miserable vs How To Be Perfectly Happy

How To Be Perfectly Miserable Think about yourself, talk about yourself, Use “I” as often as possible, Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others, Listen greedily to what people say about you, Expect to be appreciated, Be suspicious, Be jealous and envious, be sensitive to slights, Never forgive a criticism, trust nobody but yourself, […]

What’s in it for me?

“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are asking, “What’s in it for me?” ” – Brian Tracy I have always been a big fan of Brian Tracy’s books and trainings and I had come across that quote when I was still fairly young in business and it really helped […]

Summer is almost over so make the most of the next few weeks!

“Time flies whether you’re having fun or not. The choice is yours.” – unknown This summer is flying by!  It’s hard to believe we are about to start the month of August already and school will be starting again in a few short weeks.  It definitely feels like this summer is going by way too […]

You Were Born To Stand Out

“Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.” – unknown I believe that every person born on this earth is born with special God-given talents and that it is our job to then discover those talents by trying all kinds of different things and as we discover our gifts we should […]

The Kindness of Strangers

Late Friday night my husband and I began our drive home from Idaho where we had attended our Aunt’s funeral, back home in Utah. We had intended to get an earlier start home but we had spent the day scanning in all of our Aunt’s photos and papers so the family members could have digital […]

It’s What We Do For Others That Makes Us A Success

There is a fabulous quote by Calvin Coolidge that states: “No person was ever honored for what he received, but what he gave.” That is so true!  What impresses me most about people isn’t what they have received in their life, but for the fact that they use what they have to reach out and […]