Tag Archives: culture

Laughter is always the very best medicine

Years ago when my daughter Ashley was in high school she tore her ACL playing basketball and had to have surgery. We rented a hospital bed for her recovery so she could be out in the family room where everyone hung out and watched TV together. One day my husband and I came in the […]

Things happen around us, but it’s what happens within us that matters most

My daughter-in-law came across a story I hadn’t heard before. When I first saw the title of the story I almost didn’t read it because I couldn’t imagine how a story with that title would be interesting, but I am really glad I decided to keep reading because the message it conveys is just plain […]

The best thing about Memories is making them

We are just two days away from a holiday weekend. And one thing I have found in life is that if you don’t make a plan in advance to do something fun, an incredible holiday weekend can come and go and you’ll find you didn’t make any great memories at all! And that would be […]

Most of all, Be AMAZING

Do you ever have one of those days when you come across something that totally inspires you and makes you want to just be AMAZING?! Well today that happened to me. I came across this quote/poem written by someone named Robin Sharma and I LOVED IT! Just reading it made me want to go out […]

Let’s Start A Smile Epidemic

Have you smiled yet today?  We don’t have to have a perfect life to have a reason to smile. Smiling is just a way to show God that we appreciate all He has given us. And each of us reading this has at least one thing to be appreciative of because the very fact we […]

If I Had My Life To Live Over

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER  (by Erma Bombeck) I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the “good” living room and worried much less about the dirt […]

Life is an Echo

“Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.” -Zig Ziglar I want to share a story with you called “The Mountain Story.” A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, his son […]

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 […]

You are the architect of your life

For years and years I worked on drawing a floor plan for my dream home and then a few years ago I was able to build that house and see those drawings become a reality.  It was really exciting to see something you had worked so hard on come to fruition. We are the architects […]

Some days you just need to go to the “Pooh Tent”

I’m sure everyone reading the title of today’s blog has to be wondering what the heck I could possibly mean when I say that some days you just need to go to the Pooh tent?  I’ll explain: Years ago I shared in a blog how when my children were young and they were acting badly […]

If you want truth then go to the source

“A lot of problems in the world would disappear if people talk to each other instead of about each other.” All of us have made the mistake of believing gossip to be true at one time or another. I know there was a time many years ago when I myselft got sucked into believing gossip […]

You Can Choose To Be A Proactive Person Rather Than A Reactive Person

There are two types of people in this world…and it’s not those who like Neil Diamond and those who don’t (love that quote from What About Bob movie!)…it’s proactive and reactive people and which type of person you choose to be will significantly impact the life you will have. Let’s look at the difference between […]

I Shall Use My Time

We only have a limited time on this earth and if we are not focused and attentive it will pass us by all too quickly and we won’t have accomplished all that we wished we would have. That’s why it’s so important to set goals for ourselves in life. By setting goals and planning out […]

The Champion

The average runner runs until The breath in him is gone, But the champion has the iron will That makes him carry on. For rest the average runner begs When limp his muscles grow, But the champion runs on leaden legs. His courage makes him go. The average man’s complacent when He’s done his best […]

Focus on the unique contribution you can offer the world

“The only unique contribution you can offer the world is to be who you actually are and no one else.” – Ashly Lorenzana Every person is born with individual strengths and talents. Every person brings something unique into this world and each person is able to add something different to this world. And it is […]

Justification is a slippery slope

Justification is a slippery slope that will drag you downhill fast if you allow yourself to engage in it. Just think about it, the entire purpose of justification is to try and make some that is just plain wrong appear to actually be right. It’s an attitude that the ends justifies the means – but […]

Instant Gratification Is Beginning To Feel Like Not Soon Enough

The speed at which we expect everything today is almost unbelievable. We as a society want everything RIGHT NOW! We want our food instantly, we want our internet speed to be instantaneous, we want answers to questions to be given immediately, we want the news the instant it happens…. We want everything right here, right […]

It’s the first day of Spring AND it’s International Day of Happiness…coincidence…I think not!

I love that there is an international day dedicated to being happy! And the fact it falls on the first day of Spring is perfect because Springtime makes me happy! In honor of the holiday I felt it only appropriate to talk about being happy. Did you know that research has shown that happy people: […]

Don’t be so quick to forget

My daughter Ashley who is still out serving her mission shared a story from a talk she attended on her mission that has such a simple, yet powerful message, that I had to share it with all of you. She was attending a meeting where a leader was speaking and in the letter Ashley is […]

Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck

Given that this Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day I figure this is the perfect week to talk about luck. We have all heard of the four leaf clover. It`s also sometimes referred to as a shamrock. They are said to bring good luck to anyone who can find one of them. According to legend, each […]

There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint in this world

Today I went down and spoke to the students at Utah Valley University. I really love speaking to the students at the colleges because as I stand on the stage and look out at their faces I can’t help but be humbled by the amazing things these young people are going to go on and […]

Olympic Gold Medalist Nikki Stone Interviews On Sticking Your Neck Out

This morning I was asked by Olympic Gold Medalist Nikki Stone to come and do a live interview with her for a segment on the TV Show “Good Things Utah” on ABC4Utah television. During this segment Nikki interviews successful business people who learned to “stuck their neck out”, a premise based on Nikki’s bestselling book “When Turtles Fly: […]

You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy shoes, and that’s kind of the same thing

When I saw that quote today: “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy shoes, and that’s kind of the same thing.” I busted out laughing …and frankly after the icky week I have had I desperately needed a good laugh because laughter is supposed to be nature’s best medicine!  And I need all the […]

A Bad Customer Service Experience Gets Remembered For A Long Time

Tonight I have literally been going through a customer service nightmare. No Joke. It started with a cruise I had booked for my family later this year. I had spent a week with the cruise company getting the room reserved that my whole family could be together in. Day after day they would tell me that […]

Delicious Ambiguity

Certainty…it’s something we all long for because we want that feeling of security, but the fact is that none of us can ever really get it because life is, and always will be, full of uncertainty. That’s why the key to being at ease in life is to learn to embrace uncertainty. So how do […]

Take the 14 Day Challenge to Love One Another!

February is upon us! Which means Valentine’s Day is only 14 days away (friendly reminder, especially to all the gentlemen out there who don’t want to end us as one of those men in the hallmark card aisle the night before desperately looking through the last remaining cards in the store). Whether you have a […]

Re-evaluating Our Daily Routines

Vacations are without a doubt a HUGE blessing. But anytime you take time off or go away on a trip there is always the pain of struggling with re-entry back into your normal life again. For starters you get to deal with jet lag and having your body adjust back from any time differences, which […]

Rediscover the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in

As we age we grow wiser from life experience, which is a good thing. But sometimes as we grow older we also become a little bit jaded…almost too realistic…we often lose that sense of wonder and excitement we had as a child, and that is a not such a good thing… Now that I am […]

The Rules for being AMAZING!

All i can say is…ENOUGH SAID! Have an incredible day everyone – go BE AMAZING! ~Amy

The best way to multiply your excitement is to share it with others.

Have you ever found yourself talking with someone you are getting to know and you suddenly hit on a topic that both of you are super excited about? It’s SO FUN to find people who share your passion for something. It’s like this instant bond forms between you and you could talk for hours and […]