The most powerful personality traits to develop in one’s quest for success are incurable optimism and integrity. Optimism is defined as “the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome.” (-Mayo Clinic). Integrity, as I would define it, is “doing the right thing, at the […]
There is huge power in the examples set by the people we surround ourselves with. Tonight I want to share a story of one of the great examples in my life. My daughter Ashley is 17 years old. For those of you who have followed my blog for a time, you are aware that last […]
In life we all have a choice. We can be pretty good, or we can be GREAT! The difference in those two often comes down to paying attention to the details. I used to keep a sticker on my desk that said “If you don`t have time to do it right the first time, how […]
All of us have worries and concerns in life. Things we are scared of. Things we are dreading. Worries about what “might” happen or what “might not” happen. It seems that there is a truly endless supply of things to spend our time being worried about. Yet, at the end of the day does the […]
Today felt more like a hydrant day then a dog day! Building our dream home is quickly starting to feel like more of a nightmare lately. I won’t bore everyone with the details of all the problems that have happened over this last week other than to say that there comes a point that all […]
I have always been a firm believer in the power our thoughts possess. I believe that our thoughts very much control our feelings. I also believe that we have total control of our own thoughts. Therefore, we ultimately have the ability to control our own feelings by controlling our own thoughts. If you depend on […]
One of the questions I am asked the most is, “How do you do it? How do you balance work life and home life?” The honest answer is, “I don’t.” I don`t do it all. No one can. For years I battled the guilt of not being able to do it all, especially during the […]
July 24th, 1847 marks the day when Mormon Pioneers, led by Brigham Young, entered the Salt Lake Valley in Utah for the first time and settled in the state. The Pioneers came to Utah to get away from the mobs to the east that were persecuting them. Their trip across the plains was one of the […]
It is officially TOO HOT OUTSIDE! I am usually a fan of the warm weather, but my goodness it is hot! I walk out of my house and I am instantly covered in sweat, and I don’t ever sweat! In fact, it is so hot that my sweat is now sweating! It is hot as […]
Sometimes we get so busy living our lives that we forget to slow down enough to make time for our friends. I have been guilty of that myself over the years, especially with working such crazy hours for so many years of my life. Taking time off this summer to spend with my family has […]
A little retail therapy is sometimes exactly what is needed when the husband goes hiking with the boy scouts and the wife and daughter are left alone for a day. Today Ashley and I had a fabulous girls day together. Now don’t get me wrong, we love spending time with my husband too, but every […]
When someone isn’t performing well at their job; or when they aren’t the right fit for a particular position; or when their personality isn’t a match for the company culture, one of the biggest disservices you can do to them is to not tell them the truth. As a CEO, I found that one of […]
I would guess that we have all seen the bumper stickers that say “Mean People Suck.” And the truth is that I couldn’t agree more. I have little tolerance for mean people. I just don’t. I don’t think there is ever a good excuse to be mean or hurtful to another person. Sure we can […]
Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we could make all our decisions with a little game of “Eeny, meeny,miny, moe”. Seriously! How cool would that be? And how much less stress would we have throughout our day when decisions have to be made?! Yeah, well it’s too bad life doesn’t work that way if […]
Life is full of unexpected events, changes, and uncertainty. Sometimes those changes are exciting and wonderful, and sometimes they are devastating, painful and hard. C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I have learned many important life lessons by reading his books. One of his quotes that has helped me tremendously as I have dealt with […]
When is the last time you allowed fear of failure to stop you from doing something? I love the quote in today’s title: “Instead of worrying about failure imagine what you miss out on by deciding to not even try.” I love it because it is so simple yet so impactful. It’s true, when you […]
Nothing can lift the spirits of a crowd faster than putting on some great music and having an impromptu dance party! The last few days I have been attending a Girls Camp for the Young Women in our church group ages 13-17 and after a long, hot, uphill hike, the girls were worn out and […]
Every day we hear of amazing new business ideas that some enterprising entrepreneur stumbled on and we find ourselves saying, “I wish I would have thought of that!” That comment is typically followed by a few moments of deep thought as we look in the deep recesses of our minds to see if that next […]
One of my very favorite poets is Shel Silverstein, and one of my very favorite books, which he wrote, is called “The Giving Tree”. It’s an amazing story of a tree that loves a young boy. The tree cares for the boy, protects the boy, feeds the boy, and over the years ultimately gives every […]
People ultimately choose to do business with people they like, and everyone likes someone who appreciates them. I once read a quote by the ever so brilliant writer known as Anonymous. It states, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” […]
Today I was reminded of the importance of the smallest kind act: a simple smile, holding the door open for someone, saying hello, giving a compliment, lending a hand, being a friend. So many times we think to ourselves that we want to be a good person and do something kind for someone, yet when we […]
Okay so I saw the best you tube video ever made regarding male and female communications today as it was played on the morning news show. I seriously could not stop laughing when I watched it. It is a MUST WATCH FOR EVERYONE! I kid you not. It is only 1 minute 42 seconds, but […]
The Bridge Builder (by Will Allen Dromgoole) An old man, going a lone highway, Came at the evening cold and gray To a chasm vast and deep and wide Through which was flowing a swollen tide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim; The rapids held no fears for him. But he turned when […]
I am a HUGE fan of people who go the extra mile in life! Too often these days you see people who seem content to just do the very minimum required to get by. I don`t think I will ever understand that mentality. I grew up in a home where both my parents were going […]
By the time I finish a long day of work my mind is pretty shot and my A.D.D. meds have started to wear off for the day – inevitably there always comes a point each evening where that combination leads to no chance of my being able to sit still and focus. Tonight I had […]
“Good things happen to those who wait. Greater things happen to those who get off their butt and do anything to make it happen.” – Unknown Making it happen takes work! And loads of it! There is just no two ways about it. If you truly want something in your life you can’t just sit […]
For those who do not have teenagers at home, the word Vacay means Vacation (according to my teen daughter anyway). I am still trying to learn the revised English language used by teens today – Deets means details, Deec means decent, Cray-cray means crazy, Tots means totally, and vacay means vacation. Spending last week at […]
In the brilliant words of Dr. Seuss: “Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” As we head into a fabulous summer weekend I wanted to remind everyone to not let a single moment get away from you. Life is short and there is so much to do and enjoy! Make this weekend […]
“To succeed you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you” – Tony Dorsett Being self-motivated is critically important. Far too often people sit back waiting for someone else to give them a reason to get up and get going. If you want to make something of […]
Breathtaking – what a great word! It’s the best word I can think of when I drive up the road toward my home, set into the side of a beautiful mountain in Utah. The weather is amazing, the trees are green, the flowers are blooming and all I can think is…breathtaking! We don’t take enough […]
