It was a chilly and rainy weekend in Cache Valley yet still very beautiful. But I wasn’t prepared for the hard freeze warning for Sunday night. My personal weatherman wasn’t around to tell me. September seems early for a hard freeze. At least it seems early to me. So Sunday after a stake conference church I was out draining hoses and turning off the sprinkler system in the rain. I was wet, cold, and a little muddy. But not too…
Sometimes the voices rattling around inside our head are telling stories which aren’t very good. Why does this happen? Negative thoughts are a part of life. It can be a struggle to avoid negative thoughts when dealing with the challenges of everyday life. When challenges of life supersede the norm, avoiding negative thoughts can be even more difficult. Though negative thoughts are a part of everyday life, it doesn’t mean they have to be a permanent part. The question then…
“My Blessed Canyon Home Waits Long For My Return, For Long Now Have I Been Away” These soulful words of composer Jay Richards, written about his “Blessed Canyon Home” of Cache Valley, echo deep within my wanting soul earlier this summer at a live performance of this beautiful composition. The occasion was at the Utah State University Alumni Band’s Patriotic Celebration where Jay led the Cache Children’s Choir performing his original piece. Cache Valley has been our home since 1991…
Darryl Alder became my very first Scoutmaster when I turned 11. It didn’t take long for me to discover what kind of leader he really was. A few weeks after my early summer birthday we were at an 11-year-old Scout Day Camp at Maple Grove Campground near our home in Richfield, Utah. Our day was filled with activities, skits, food and fun. We worked on merit badge requirements and passed off tying knots. The whole event, beside teaching us how…
Okay, it’s not Monday morning. I know. Actually, it just may be Tuesday morning when you’re reading this. Here’s the deal. I escaped to the mountains and took some time off. In fairness, I had planned to have today’s Monday Morning Boost set to send at 6am today. Then… Isn’t there always a then, or more often a but… Then I buried myself in work, and pushed through a newsletter project for my church, and totally forgot about the Monday…
I’m a passionate believer in pursuing business dreams. I’m passionate about creating stories of success. I’m also passionate about strategically analyzing opportunities, risk factors, market conditions, demand for services, competition, capital requirements, available financial resources, growth strategies, legalities, etc. Do we need to understand all of these things before pursuing a business opportunity? Most certainly not. Just think of the many stories of businesses that got started on a napkin at a restaurant. Legend has it Southwest Airlines was started…
When we allow our voice to be silenced, such as I did for many years because I felt invisible and of no worth, we allow others to become our voice. Others end up speaking for us by deciding how we feel because we don’t express how we feel. Others decide what we believe because we don’t express what we believe. Others sometimes react to our silence as if we had spoken volumes. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Our lives begin…
We each have a choice today. And every other day. We can choose to see overwhelming challenges of life, which there are many, or we can choose to see the opportunities of life, which there are also many. We also have another choice. We can choose to dwell in the overwhelming darkness of challenges, which takes no effort, or we can choose to create the light of opportunity, which takes significant effort. Either way, whichever choice we make, others will…
“Do you really want the grease?” That’s the question Seth Godin recently posed in one of his daily blogs. Okay, first of all, a daily blog??? Yep. The quintessential father of “Permission Marketing” writes a daily blog. Some are short. Some are long. Each is highly valued. So the next time you think you’re sending too many emails… But on to the grease. In the age-old adage, “The squeaking wheel gets the grease,” the idea is the one who complains…
I lost a tribe a few years back. It was hard. Really hard. It’s still hard at times bumping into some of my old tribe, though not near as hard as at first. The anger is mostly gone as is most of the hurt. Most of the time I feel at peace because I’m in a much better position. I’ve extended a lot of forgiveness and hope the lost tribe has as well. I gloat sometimes knowing I got the…