Blog
How We’d Like To Be Remembered
In speaking of how he’d like to be remembered in life after he’s gone, Muhammad Ali said: “I’d like for them to say he took a few cups of love, he took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness. He took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern, and then, […]
Tagged accepting low performance, achievement, Amy Rees Anderson, cares for others, concern for others, c’s get degrees, eager to help, eager to serve, faith, faithful, generosity, generous, go the extra mile, goals, grading on the curve, growth, happiness, high score, how we’d like to be remembered, how you can improve, kindness, laughter, loving, patience, patient, personal progress, personal report card, pinch of concern, report card, school report card, self-improvement, sense of humor, straight A’s, valedictorian, what manner of man would you be, who do you want to be, willingness
Be Content…See The Wonders
“Everything has it’s wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” –Helen Keller Feeling content….that’s a concept I struggle with because I have always found that not being content with things as they are has been the great motivator for me to try harder, to […]
Tagged a life of fulfillment, accept what you cannot control, acceptance, accomplish great things, achieving greatness, Amy Rees Anderson, angry, be content, bitter, blessed, blind, choose to be happy, circumstances we cannot control, darkness and silence, deaf, dumb, everything has it’s wonders, find meaning in life, frustration, glorious, happiness, Helen Keller, joy, learn from your struggles, learn to be content, learning curve, life is filled with challenges, make the best of things, motivational, motivator, nothing can hold you back, overcoming adversity, progressing one step at a time, see the good, see the wonders, sense of peace, struggle, things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out, wonder filled
May Your Future Be Worthy Of Your Dreams
Barbara Bush, who passed away recently, was an incredible woman and one who set a wonderful example of class and elegance. She was an amazing lady. Attending commencement ceremonies for my daughter-in-law’s graduation last week reminded me of a fantastic commencement speech that Barbara Bush gave back in 1990 at Wellesley College. It was such […]
Tagged 1990, advice for life, alexis anderson, Amy Rees Anderson, Barbara bush, believe in something larger than yourself, children, choices do come back, class and elegance, college graduate, commencement, commencement ceremony, compassionate, connections, courage, decisions are not irrevocable, dignified and true, do good, do unto others as you would have done to you, ending this chapter, example, ferris bueller, ferris bueller’s day off, George bush, george w. bush, get involved in the big ideas of our time, graduation, graduation ceremony, if you don’t stop and look once in a while you’ll miss it, laugh, life is meant to be enjoyed, life is meant to be fun, life moves pretty fast, literacy, may good fortune be with you, may the good lord be with you, mermaids, nation, parenthood, president bush, relationships, sense of humor, service others, society, spouse, starting a new chapter, stop and smell the roses, truly a lady, university, Wellesley, white house
Imagine Life Is A Game
“Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends, and spirit – and you’re keeping all of them in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But […]
Tagged achieving balance, Amy Rees Anderson, Brian Dyson, ceo of coca-cola, Coca Cola, damaged, don't waste time, dropping the ball, effectiveness requires balance, faith first, family, family second, focus on the things that really matter, friends, friendships, health, imagine life is a game, its about time, juggling balls in the air, life goals, marriage, priorities, relationships, shattered, spirit, Stephen r. covey, success cannot compensate for failure in the home, the things that truly matter, using time wisely, what are you doing with your time, work life balance
What Advice Would A 80 Year Old Person Give About The Way Life Should Be Lived?
Last week I shared that my father celebrated his 80th birthday. As I was reading different bits of advice offered by people who had turned 80 years old and I came across this article titled: What Advice Would A 80 Year Old Person Give About The Way Life Should Be Lived? The article was written […]
Tagged 80 years old, 80th birthday, act consequently, advice, advice from an 80 year old, Amy Rees Anderson, be happy, be prepared, bible, compromise, courage, don't spend your life fearing what might happen, enjoy the here and now, gerald rees, God, have no regrets, honesty, integrity, is this really me, live the moment, love your children, love yourself, mind your own business, my father, pause, read, respect, serenity, speak the truth, surround yourself with family and friends, take care of people, the way life should be lived, think, try not to have expectations, what advice would a 80 year old person give about the way live should be lived, who am i, wisdom
Because Of Your Example
80 years 29,219 days 701,265 hours 42,076,800 minutes 10 amazing children 37 beautiful grandchildren 11 sweet great-grandchildren 1 BLESSED LIFE HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! Today my father, Gerald Rees, turned 80 years old. 80 years old! WOW! That is really, really old 😉 The best way I can think of to honor my Dad today is […]
Tagged 80 years old, a legacy of goodness, a life of integrity, advice, all times all places all circumstances, Amy Rees Anderson, an honorable man, attitude, blessed, choose the right, ctr, daddy’s girl, dedicated to integrity, dependable, exemplary life, father, father and daughter, father's example, gerald rees, gerald s. rees, get it done attitude, happy 80th birthday, happy birthday dad, Heavenly Father, his word is his bond, honor my dad, honorable, lds, living life with intgrity, my daddy, my example, my father, my hero, never drops the ball, no exceptions, no excuses, old, positive impact on the life of a child, stands for what he believes in, successful, talk the talk, the most powerful advice is example, tirelessly, treat everyone with respect, trustworthy, walk the walk, work ethic, world's best listener, years to come
Go Forth And Set The World On Fire
Congratulations are in order for so many high school and University students that are about to be recognized for the amazing accomplishment of finishing their schooling and getting ready to take that next step of their lives. To each of them I would give the following advice: “Go forth and set the world on fire.” […]
Tagged 1989, advice for life, alexis anderson, alexis tebbs, Amy Rees Anderson, big hair, college graduate, commencement, commencement ceremony, daughter-in-law, dignified and true, do unto others as you would have done to you, ending this chapter, forever young, go forth and set the world on fire, golden rule, graduation, graduation ceremony, heaven, high school graduation, in my heart you will remain, may good fortune be with you, may the good lord be with you, may you grow to be proud, my high school graduation, prince, proud mama, rod stewart, set the world on fire, St. Ignatius of Loyola, starting a new chapter, the 80s, university, Utah, Utah Valley University, UVU, vagabond, valedictorian, whatever road you choose, win or lose
Stop Overthinking It and Start Doing It!
We always have the ability to freak ourselves out with those thoughts of “I can’t do it” or “I’m not good enough to handle it” or “this is impossible” or “it can’t be done”….one of the easiest things in the world is to convince ourselves that we shouldn’t even try… Heck, if I had really […]
Tagged accomplish, accomplishment, Amy Rees Anderson, commit, commitment, don’t give yourself an out, don’t talk yourself out of it, entrepreneurship, failure is not an option, go for it, goals, happiness, i can't do it, it can't be done, it’s impossible, make it happen, motivation, plow forward, self-improvement, start doing, stop overthinking and start doing, stop overthinking it and start doing it, success, the places you'll go, try, you can do it, you will do it
Can Our Words Make A Difference?
Can our words make a difference? Consider this little story: The Group of Frogs As a group of frogs were traveling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and when they saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that fell in […]
Tagged a few nice words, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate, appreciation, attitude, be generous, be kind, be loving, confidence, courage, courage to try, culture, encourage others, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, give up, grateful, gratitude, i think i can, life and death, motivation, powerful words, self-improvement, success, the moral of the story, the power of words, think before you speak, two frogs in a pit, watch what we say, words make a difference, words of encouragement, you can, you can do it, you’ll never make it
Traveling 5,000 Miles To Appreciate What’s Less Than 50 Miles Away
Last week my husband and I flew to London with a group of 108 of our friends from Utah who serve on the Hale Centre Theater Board with us. It was a whirlwind of a trip packed with back to back events from the moment our plane took off last Tuesday until we touched back […]
Tagged aladdin, amar foundation, amazing people, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate your friends, appreciation, attitude, backstage tour, baroness emma nicholson, blessings, bonding, British Parliament, build relationships, building friendships, campus tour, chairman, Charles dickens, christ's church, e, hale center theatre, hale theatre board, harry potter, hct board, highlight of the trip, hom, house of lords, house of parliament, it takes time, jet lag, london england, motown the musical, props, pt barnum, royal national theater, sale lake city, school of rock, set design, sleep, stratford-upon-avon, success, time management, tour of theater, travel togeher, Traveling 5000 Miles To Appreciate What’s Less Than 50 Miles Away, trip, university of oxford, William Shakespeare
Life’s Little Instructions
“Life’s Little Instructions -Every so often you push your luck. -Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed. -Never give up on anybody — miracles happen every day. -Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. -Learn to listen. -Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures. -Don’t expect others to listen to […]
Tagged advice, Amy Rees Anderson, and love., appreciate, appreciation, attitude, balance, Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know, culture, Don't expect others to listen to your advice or ignore your example., Don't use time or words carelessly, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, expectations, friends, fulfillment, future, goal, goals, health, inspiration, leadership, Leave everything a little better than you found it, life, Life's little instructions, miracles happen every day, neither can be retrieved. Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying peace, never give up, Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed, Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them., opportunity, peace, person's emotional need is to feel appreciated, relish small pleasures, self-improvement, smile, Smile a lot: it costs nothing and is beyond price., success
Blessed Are The Flexible For They Will Not Be Bent Out Of Shape
Plans change. Things come up. Stuff happens…that’s just life…and when they do we can either get angry or upset or sad and allow it to ruin our day, or we can decide we are going to go with the flow and make the best of the situation even when its not what we had planned. […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, attitude of gratitude, be a good leader, be grateful and have faith, bent out of shape, confidence, decide to go with the flow, don't get bent out of shape, good attitude, have faith, its just life, leadership, make the best of the situation, meticulous planner, pans change, perfectionist, self-improvement, set a good example, share every detail, smile, stuff happens, the best laid plans, things come up, trust god, trust its for your best good, trust the circumstances, we can allow it to ruin our day, we can get angry and upset and sad
Give people the benefit of the doubt
“A lovely little girl was holding two apples with both hands. Her mom came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile: my sweetie, could you give your mom one of your two apples? The girl looked up at her mom for some seconds, then she suddenly took a quick bite on one […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, anxiety, appreciate, appreciation, ask why, assumptions, attitude, courage, culture, don't, don't be arrogant, don't judge, entrepreneur, family, friendship, give people the benefit of the doubt, goals, happiness, Jump to conclusions, leadership, learn their intentions, listen before you assume, motives, passing judgement, positive, relationships, self-improvement, service, success, The benefit of the doubt
It Couldn’t Be Done
It Couldn’t Be Done Somebody said that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He […]
Tagged accomplishing goals, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate, begin, culture, don’t fear failure, doubt, entrepreneurship, goal setting, goals, happiness, how in the world, i can't do it, i think i can, impossible, it couldn't be done, leadership, make a start, motivation, overcoming self-doubt, poem, positive attitude, self-confidence, self-doubt, self-improvement, set your mind to it, sing, stress, success, tackle it, too much to do, whistle as you work, you can do anything, you can do it, you'll never do it
The Person Who Says Something Is Impossible Should Not Interrupt The Person Who Is Doing It
“The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it.” -unknown This weekend I was heads down working my guts out on my daughter Ashley’s upcoming wedding. I’ve been working on planning her wedding for months but it’s getting down to the wire with only a few weeks left […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, amy rees anderson blog, anxiety, appreciate, ashley's wedding, attitude, breaking through barriers, confidence, courage, do it, don't let them discourage you, don't let them stop you, don't tell me what i can do, don't tell me what to do, down to the wire, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, future, impossible, impossible isn't an option, just do it, perserverance, perservere, self-confidence, self-improvement, smile, the person who says something is impossible, the person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it, wedding planner, wedding planning
How A Great Leader Melts The Iceberg Of Ignorance
“Only 4% of an organization’s front-line problems are known by top management, 9% are known by middle management, 74% by supervisors and 100% by employees…” Sidney Yoshida calls this “The Iceberg of Ignorance” in his study that was presented at the International Quality Symposium. Front-line employees that are working in the trenches are always going […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, ask advice, CEO, choosing a great leader, don't have all the answers, employee, employees opinions, formulate their opinion, humble leaders, humility, international quality symposium, it’s ok not to know it all, know everything, know it all, leader, leadership, leading the savior’s way, opinions, president, seek input, Sidney yoshida, the iceberg of ignorance, value the input of others, well-equipped, wisdom, wisdom of the crowd, working in the trenches, working on the front-lines, you aren’t always right
But Seriously Though, What’s Your Excuse?
Tonight I was a judge for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Shark Tank where students from the age of 8 – 18 pitched their business plans in front of a panel of four judges and a room full of their parents and several of their peers. As these young people walked us through their business idea, […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, barbie dolls, barbie swimming pool, be corageous, business idea, business plan competition, business strategy, but seriously though what's your excuse, center for entrepreneurship, confidence, courage, dreams, effort, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, financial model, get noticed, get what you want, go for it, go to market strategy, goal oriented, goals, hard work, have courage, how to get what you want, judge, no excuse not to try, pitch their buisnesses, problem to solve, public speaking, push past your fears, put yourself in the running, sandy chamber of commerce, Shark Tank, strategy, truth, what were you doing at that ageg, what's your excuse, yea, yea shark tank, young entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs academy
History Has It’s Eyes On You…Don’t Throw Away Your Shot
A few weeks ago I had lunch with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer of the Broadway play Hamilton. You can imagine his surprise when I admitted to him I had not yet heard the Soundtrack from his play Hamilton but I shared how big a fan of it my husband is and how excited I was […]
Tagged accountability, alexander Hamilton, america, Amy Rees Anderson, are we paying attention to the example we set, broadway play, broadway play Hamilton, fan, founding fathers, george washington, Hamilton soundtrack, history, itunes, life lessons from Hamilton, lin-manuel Hamilton, making history, social media, soundtrack, success, the choices we make, what are we doing now to create history later, what example are we setting, what legacy will we leave behind
It’s Nothing To Be Ashamed Of
“Don’t be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” –Unknown Every one has physical and/or emotional scars of some kind. Perhaps those scars resulted from an accident you were involved in, or perhaps they resulted from being the victim of some sort of abuse…whatever caused them, […]
Tagged abuse, abusive relationship, accident, acknowledge how you got here, adversity, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciation, ashamed, attitude, counseling, culture, don't be ashamed of a scar, emotional trauma, feeling ashamed, growth, injuries, it simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you, it's nothing to be ashamed of, learning to trust, no shame, nothing to be ashamed of, overcoming abuse, ptsd, seek counseling, sign of strength, sign of weakness, surviving abuse, the effects of abuse, trials have made us who we are today, trusting again, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger
After The Game The King And The Pawn Go Into The Same Box
Last week I had a crazy schedule – My week started with a podcast interview, then I judged a business competition, I flew from Utah out to Burbank California for an investment meeting and then I flew from California out to Chicago for a business conference and then I had to hustle to get back […]
Tagged after the game the king and the pawn go into the same box, Amy Rees Anderson, amy rees anderson events, anxiety, attitude, be humble, be kind, better than no, business competition, BYU, chess game, confidence, courage, crazy schedule, culture, different station in life, different than yes, entrepreneurship, glorious, humility, Italian proverb, Leavitt Partners, lp meeting, never ending to do list, political position, politics, position, position of power, power, quote, royalty, self-importance, self-improvement, stress, successful, time management, title, travel, university, wsu, yea, young entrepreneur, young entrepreneurs academy
The Motivating Power Of A Friendly Competition
I’m a firm believer in competing against our own best selves over trying to compete with other people. That being said, I am all about having fun friendly competitions once in awhile because they are just a great way to motivate yourself. Growing up as a middle child in a family with ten children it […]
Tagged alma mater, always competing, Amy Rees Anderson, BYU, byu football, byu sports, call of duty, challenge, chess, cover your assets, don’t be a sore loser, exciting, friendly, friendly competition, fun, games, glorious moment, grammar, have a blast, incentive, inspired, its better to win, kick the can, losing, make it a game, Michele, Microsoft xbox, motivation of competition, playing games, Rollin, scrabble, Shani Allsop, smack talker, spence, survival of the fittest, the hunger games, the joy of competition, the joy of the win, winning, xbox
Does Your Family Have A Zombie Plan?
Does Your Family Have A Zombie Plan? (The following blog is from my son Dalton who wanted to share this important message with all of you since he felt I had not adequately been addressing this subject in prior blog posts…): News just broke out that the zombie apocalypse has started. What are you going […]
Tagged actual emergency, Amy Rees Anderson, avoid the what if, be prepared, confidence, construct a zombie plan, courage, create a zombie plan, Dalton, Dalton Anderson, dalton r. anderson, Dalton Rollin Anderson, disaster preparedness, disaster recovery, don't get eaten in the first wave, don't panic, earthquake, emergency plan, emergency preparedness, family emergency plan, fire, flood, how to handle an emergency, hurricane, panic, plan for emergencies, prepare for uncertainty, run for your life, self-reliance, survival guide, survive an emergency, survive with confidence, the first wave, tornado, what to do in the event of an emergency, zombie apocalypse
Stuck In A Jam
Traffic jams are so frustrating! It is so painful to be stuck on the freeway when there is a traffic jam of bumper to bumper cars and there is literally no way to get yourself out of it. All you can do is sit there and wait for the traffic to start moving again. You […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, anxiety, appreciation, attitude, attitude of gratitude, blessed, change your perspective, culture, it's how you respond, joy, lucky, motivation, positive, road rage, self-improvement, stress level, stuck in a jam, stuck in traffic, stuck on the freeway, time management, traffic accident, traffic jam, waste of time, you can't control your circumstance but you can control your attitude
We All Have A Talent We Bring To The Table
I can still remember walking into a Deseret Industries thrift store as a newly married girl of 20 years old and spotting an old broken down piece of furniture. As I looked at it, in my mind I could literally picture the gorgeous rocking chair that it could be if I were to put a […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate it, appreciation, be that light on the hill, bless the lives of others, business leader, CEO, deseret industries, discover your strength, don’t hide your light, entreprenerushp, entrepreneur, exercise your talents, figure out your gift, find your purpose, fully decorated, god-given talent special talent and ability, gratitude, inherent gift, it's working, know your strengths, magnify your calling, make it happen, picture what it could be, recognize your gift, see the end from the beginning, service, share your talent with the world, strengths finder, successful executive, talent, the height of potential, the parable of the talents, thrift shop, use your talent, use your talent to make the world a better place, what could be, with a little hard work, work ethic, work hard, your gift
Things Will Straighten Out When You Stand Steady And Face Them
Sundays have always been a special day of the week for me. It’s the one day I set aside work and outside activities and as much technology as I can and I use it as a day to refill my spiritual tank. I always attend church for three hours each Sunday (…yes, you heard me […]
Tagged a day of rest, allowing you the room to grow, Amy Rees Anderson, an eternal perspecive, appreciation, attitude, boyd k. packer, challenges are a normal part of life, church on sunday, confidence, courage, don’t feel despair, family, family time, god hasn’t abandoned you, god is allowing you to grow, happiness, Heavenly Father, inspiration, keep the sabbath day holy, keep things in perspective, lds, leadership, love, motivation, personal study time, perspective, poem, poetry, recharge, rejuvenate your soul, rest from your labors, scriptures, self-confidence, self-improvement, set aside a day for recharging, spiritual gas tank, spiritual tank, state of despair, success, sunday dinner, trials, www.lds.org, you are not alone
“Don’t let someone’s words blind you from their behavior.”
If we want to know who another person is all we need to do is watch what they do. Strip away their words completely and just focus on their actions…observe just their actions over a period of time. As you do this you will begin to know their true character because their actions will be […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, character, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, don't let someone's words blind you from their behavior, entrepreneurship, good intentions, good intentions are not enough, happiness, how someone handles their mistakes, laugh it off, liar, lies, listen to their actions, manipulative, manipulator, miscommunication, mistakes, misunderstanding, no big deal, not what they say, observe actions over a period of time, pay attention to their track record, self-improvement, snake, sociopath, Steve Maraboli, the father or lies, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, true character is that of a liar, watch what they do, we must do, you are what you do
We Have The Meats? A Tale Of Customer Service
Today I drove up to Utah State University to speak on a panel to the MBA students and then to be a judge for USUs annual Shark Tank business competition. This is an event I look forward to every year because I absolutely love the students up at USU! They are awesome students who are […]
Tagged a tale of customer service, Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate, appreciation, arby’s, arby’s drive through, attitude, brigham city, business plan competition, chick-fil-a, culture, customer service, drive through, employee, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship competition, hard working, how could they, humble, kindness goes a long way, logan Utah, McDonalds, pickup window, roast beef sandwich, Shark Tank, starting a business, success, the customer is always right, usu, utah state university, we have the meats
Friendship Is Built In The Present, But We Can Deepen Its Roots By Sharing Stories From Our Pasts
Dalton here, Amy’s one month shy of turning 25 year old son (feel free to mark that in your calendars so you’ll remember to send birthday wishes my way 🙂 ) filling in for my Mom tonight so she can have a little alone time with my Dad…and frankly, I prefer to not know what […]
Tagged alike, Amy Rees Anderson, attitude, best friends, buddies, building the bonds of friendship, C.S. Lewis, collaborate, content, courage, Dalton, Dalton Anderson, Dalton Rollin Anderson, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, friendship, friendship is born, funny, happiness, lds mission, mission companions, missionaries, mississippi, MJM, old friends, past experiences, ridiculously bad, served a mission, shared experiences, shared interests, sharing stories from our past, similar childhoods, stories from childhood, tips for surviving life, tips4survivinglife, video, what you too i thought i was the only one
You Can Do Anything If You Stop Trying To Do Everything
“You Can Do Anything If You Stop Trying To Do Everything.” – Oliver Emberton WOW! Talk about a quote that smacks you right between the eyes with the most obvious “DUH” moment ever! I mean really, it makes perfect sense doesn’t it? After selling my company back in 2012 I thought my life would be […]
Tagged accomplish your goals, accomplishing goals, aha moment, Amy Rees Anderson, be committed, bucketlist, confucius, don't run faster than you have strength, don't waste time, duh moment, entrepreneurship, evaluate your to do list, exiting your business, focus on what really matters, life goals, life is short, limit your focus, makes perfect sense, man who chases two rabbits catches neither, oliver emberton, over committed, overwhelmed, sacrifices we make, selling my company, smack you right in the face, the man who would, time management, where are you spending your time, why didn't i think of that, why didn't i think of that sooner, you can't do everything
What Are Men Really Thinking?
“Women spend more time thinking about what men think than men actually spend thinking.” -unknown There is no question that as a woman when you ask a man what he is thinking and he responds, “Nothing” it seems like an impossible answer. How in the world could he actually be thinking about nothing?? I still […]
Tagged Amy Rees Anderson, appreciate, appreciation, bbc, communication, culture, don't ask a man what he thinkis, family, happiness, happy, hilarious, men and women, men are from mars, sitting in silence, smile, so funny, success, the difference between men and women, video, what do men really think, what have you been thinking about, what men are really thinking, women are from venus
