|
|
Winter Newsletter 2024 – January, February and March
|
|
What in interesting winter it has been in Sarasota, Florida! The fun part was going on a short cruise to the Bahamas with Frank and then planning for a Greek Islands cruise in April with my travel buddy, Nancy, from Chicago.
However, the “unfun” part of my life was having to get all new hurricane proof windows in my condo in both the living room and my office. Since the timing was unknown, everything had to be taken out of my office from the end of January to this past week, so I have been living in chaos for over six weeks. I am attaching pictures to show what it was like. You can see my makeshift work station in the dining room. They finally this week finished getting all my furniture back and the blinds up, so I am currently working on getting my life back to normal. It is amazing how when your surroundings are in chaos, so is your mind! 😉
|
|
We had a lovely cruise in February on MSN on a new ship that left from Port Canaveral. Just before we left, however, I got a message from the State Dept. about the crime in Nassau (18 murders in one month!), so they recommended we not even get off the ship at that stop. So sad to see what is happening in our world today. The other stop was at their private island which was beautiful. We enjoyed the shows, the food, and the rest – I read two books in the four days.
|
|
One last very exciting event this winter was my favorite Aunt Joan from Australia turning 100. I got to go to the birthday party in Carlsbad, CA, a family reunion with my cousins from all over the world. Joan is my role model – she still goes to water aerobics, plays bridge, and loves the movies. She is computer literate and is always lots of fun to be with. She was featured recently in a documentary called “Hula Girl” which you can see on YouTube. She was the person who brought the Hula Hoop to America!
|
|
I have been thinking lots about what is truly important in our lives, and it all comes down
to relationships. I have included an article about relationships I wrote several years ago
that still resonates deeply with me. I also want to share with you this beautiful writing
that has caused me to stop and ponder what I am doing with my life each day.
|
|
|
|
If I knew it would be the last time that
I’d see you fall asleep, I would tuck
You in more tightly and pray the Lord
Your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time that
I’d see you walk out the door, I
Would hug you and kiss you and call you
Back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time to
Spare an extra minute or two, I’d
Stop and say, “I love you,” instead of
Assuming that you know I do.
If I knew it would be the last time I
Would be there to share your day.
I’m sure you’ll have many more,
So, I’ll let this one slip away.
For surely there is tomorrow
To make up for an oversight,
And we’ll always get a second chance
To make everything all right.
But in case I might be wrong
And today is all I get,
I’d like to say I love you
And hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike, and today
Might be your last chance
To hold your loved one tight.
So if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes, you will surely regret the day
You didn’t take the extra time for a smile or hug to say,
“I LOVE YOU.”
|
|
So, my precious Friends, I am taking the time today to tell you how important you are in my life and how very much I thank God that He has given me the precious gift of YOU in my life!
|
|
Russ Horn, President, CoNetrix *Click cover to order
|
|
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
|
|
As I was speaking to Bank of America managers in Dallas several years ago, I talked a lot about building relationships—relationships with employees, relationships with colleagues, and relationships with customers. These folks were each going to manage their own banking centers, and they were at the very end of a three month training session. They had been in class since early morning, there had been an open bar and dinner, and then I was scheduled to speak, certainly not the professional speaker’s favorite venue!
What happened that night was absolutely amazing as these precious people opened their minds and hearts to fully realize the awesome opportunity they would each have to create workplaces where both employees and customers would feel valued and respected, places where people could be their very best selves. Not only did I receive a spontaneous standing ovation when I finished, but people lined up across the room to give me a hug, and many waited for nearly an hour to have me sign their books. Later that evening as I was pondering the tremendous impact my words had on the audience, the connection that occurred between us, and the deep spirit of caring that was created in that room, the following thought occurred:
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS! Some last a lifetime, others are precious gifts of the moment, but some, even though short-lived in the eternity of time, will change our lives forever.
These are the relationships that imprint themselves onto our very being and stretch us in ways that can bring both intense joy and excruciating pain. And yet most of us would never wish them out of our experience because these deep soul connections teach us more about our real selves than we could learn in any other way. And even though life may force us to move on to other paths, we are grateful.
“Life is made up of many partings welded together.”
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
“I am a part of all I have met.”
Tennyson’s Ulysses
“…….I would like to think of our friendship as being like two rivers, which one day, within the fleeting moments of time, met and suffused – two rivers that arose from different valleys to flow together toward the sea. As time would have it – our lives – like rivers, stir and break to carve our separate courses toward destiny’s distant uncharted waters. No longer will the rivers together flow – no longer will they laugh at rain together. Time and space will be between them. But as friends who together flowed through the valleys of knowledge, each will retain a part of the other. Each, several years hence, will look back upon moments past with a smile.
Sometimes rivers meet again – if only for a span – so perhaps somewhere within the eternity of time our lives will again converge. But …..if not even for a moment can we relive the friendship we have had – I will cherish until death the mere fact that I have known you. “
How blessed I feel to have loved and been loved in a wide variety of relationships throughout my lifetime. We may lose our health, our possessions, and even the physical presence of those we love, but NEVER will we lose the memory, however fleeting the relationship, of connecting heart to heart and soul to soul.
For each friend I’ve met on my journey — from seat mates on airplanes, to members of my audiences, to friends who have walked beside me for over 50 years — I say from the depths of my being, “Thank you for touching my life.”
When I think of a life filled with purpose and meaning, it is all about building relationships. What kind of relationships are you building each day?
Blessings and love, Barbara
For free articles you can use in your company newsletters and an archive of dozens of immediately applicable “Ideas of the Month,” go to www.barbaraglanz.com.
|
|
“I love receiving your newsletters. They always give me a ray of hope that things really are getting better and that we can and should do everything in a positive manner. Thanks for your positive attitude and the smile on your face.” ~ Kay Finley Swartz
|
|
“If you wish to enrich days, plant flowers; if you wish to enrich years, plant trees; if you wish to enrich Eternity, plant ideals in the lives of others.” ~ S. Truett Cathy
“Only God can turn a mess into a message, a test into a testimonial.” ~ Joyce Meyer
“Congress is so strange. Someone stands up to speak. No one listens, then everyone disagrees.” ~ Will Rogers
“More and more I’ve come to understand that listening is one of the most important things we can do for one another. Whether the other be an adult or a child, our engagement in listening to that person can often be our greatest gift…if we care, we can listen.” Fred Rogers
“We are more starved for appreciation than we are for bread.” ~ Mother Teresa
Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death. —Debbie Macomber
“It’s not enough to have an open door. You must also have an open heart and an open mind.” ~ Barry Banther
“I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.” ~ C.S. Lewis
“Stagger onward rejoicing.” ~ W. H. Auden
“Let me tell thee, time is a very precious gift of God; so precious that He only gives it to us moment by moment.” ~ Amelia Barr
“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
“Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise–then you will discover the fullness of your life.” ~ Brother David Steindl-Rast
|
|
“I wanted to let you know that I have used your story “Johnny the Bagger®” for training in our
new hire orientation for over 10 years. It continues to help drive home that anyone can put
their personal stamp on customer service, that everyone can make a difference and that what
they do matters. Thank you for this and your thoughtful/profound newsletter. “~Melissa Cruz
|
|
Three Mis-takes Speakers Make
When I talk about “mistakes’ which is in itself a negative word like failure, I always change it to “mis-takes” which not only sounds different but really is just one thing that did not work. In the movies, for example, it may take many “takes” to get a final print, so a “mis-take” is simply a learning experience, and instead of beating ourselves up, we can keep on learning through our mis-takes to be better time after time.
I have been thinking about some of the mis-takes I have made as a speaker, so I thought I would share them with you. They also apply to many other professions and family life as well.
Mis-take #1 – Not asking for help
It may not seem like it to others, but I am really a pretty shy person. When I am speaking to a group, I am sharing a message that I know will help and encourage them, so then I have courage and commitment to do that. However, when I am asking for myself, I tend to feel like I should not bother people or that I am taking advantage of a relationship, and I never ever want to be a “user.” Sadly, most of my friends I suspect would be delighted to help me, so the problem is with ME. I know I could have done many things better with my business and in my life if I had just had the courage to ask for help from all the wise people around me. Even the Bible says, “Ask and ye shall receive,” so I encourage you to find people whom you respect and ask for their help when you need it. Then, be adamant about thanking them and giving back when they need you. I so wish I had done more of that,
Mis-take #2 – Being more concerned with your needs than with theirs
I am so ashamed to remember one of my earliest speaking experiences when I was determined to get a good video for a demo tape. I sacrificed my connection with the audience in order to “show off” my skill on the platform. Although I still got good reviews, I knew in my heart that I had not done my best for them because of my concern about the video. I learned that ANYTHING that takes away from the needs of my audience is unprofessional and contrary to the very mission of my work. The focus should be solely on them even if it means humbling yourself in situations like those bad hair days, your powerpoint not working, the setup not being as you wanted, or the time compromised for your presentation. Audience first, my needs second!
Mis-take #3 – Not spending enough time preparing
Sometimes after doing this for years, it is easy to become complacent and feel as if you “know your stuff.” I had one experience when I had been on the road for almost three weeks, I was exhausted, and I had one more city and one more presentation to go before heading home. Instead of spending time with the client at dinner as usual, going over my notes, and getting a good night’s sleep, I decided to meet with several speaker friends in the area for some relaxing fun time, and I ended up getting to my room very late. The next day I was NOT at my best, and although I do not think the audience realized it, I did! I learned that part of my mission and my service is to ALWAYS be at my best for my clients, even if it means sacrificing some of my personal needs. THEY are the reason I love this business, and I need to be the best messenger I can to help them be the best they can be. That will only happen with good preparation, a lesson learned for all time.
For those of you who are interested in more help with your speaking business, please contact me at bglanz@barbaraglanz.com or 941-312-9169 or check out my Coaching Page:
|
|
“Barbara, I attended the LSHRM meeting where you spoke about Kindness in the workplace. I really absorbed everything you said. The workday would be so less stressful if kindness was put into on a daily basis. Thank you for your insight.”
Yvonne Bates
|
|
What Can I Do? – Ideas to Help Those Who Have Experienced Loss
How can anyone truly help someone who has experienced a loss? This book is a collection of simple, concrete ideas gathered directly from those who have experienced suffering and loss, ideas of things that helped them feel cared for and comforted.
Barbara Glanz knows grief from personal experience. Her son died at a very young age and her husband of many years passed away early. Although the ideas in the book come primarily from people who have lost a loved one, most of the ideas are applicable to any kind of loss: the loss of a job, a divorce, the loss of a relationship, the loss of a pet, the loss of health, a move, or desertion.
Written for the person who wants to HELP the one who is grieving, this book is filled with immediately practical ideas as well as long term, specific ways to help someone move from grieving to growth, and eventually to cherishing memories.
“I am halfway through your book, “What Can I Do? Ideas to Help THose Who Have Experienced Loss,” and it has been such a blessing to me to encourage and educate me to help my family and friends in their time of need. What a wonderful gift you have given to so many people by writing this book.”
~Sherry Erb
Only $13.99 plus $4.00 shipping
|
|
“Barbara, it’s been many years since you visited Keene, NH and helped us launch Vision Financial Corp. I am happy to say that Vision thrived and after 30 years, we sold the company and I am now semi-retired and living in Simpsonville, SC. You really did get us going in the right direction, and I thank you whenever I see your name.”
Jay Pettapiece, Former CEO, Vision Financial Corporation
|
|
See if you can figure out what movies these quotes came from. (Answers at the end.)
1. May the Force be with you.
2. I’ll be back!
3. I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.
4. Mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates.You never know what you’re going to get.
5. You’re going to need a bigger boat.
6. Yippie – ki – yay!
7. Say hello to my little friend.
8. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
9. Houston, we have a problem!
11. Bond, James Bond
12. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn
(Star Wars, The Terminator, The Godfather, Forrest Gump, Jaws, Die Hard, Scarface, The Princess Bride, Appollo 13, Any Bond Movie, Gone with the Wind)
|
|
“I just wanted to say thanks to Barbara for the amazing presentation at our Annual event. Just two of the many life applications that Barbara challenged our group with was simple but effective. One thought was to simply place five pennies in your pocket and every time you do something nice for someone move a penny to you opposite pocket. Don’t end you day until all are moved. What a challenge, simple but effective. Another challenge was to treat every conversation with others like it might be the last conversation you may ever have with that individual. Wow, when you start applying these thoughts to your work place or your life in general you can’t help but create Passion, Purpose, and Productivity in yourself which will affect others as well. Thanks, Barbara, for your devotion to help others…”
-Tony Byrd, Hanna Steel Corporation, Hoover, Alabama
|
|
|
|
Thank you so much for being a part of our team and spreading YOUR contagious enthusiasm wherever you find yourself in life. Please let us know any ways we can be of help to you as you plan your association, company, or manager’s meetings. We would love to help you discover new ideas you can apply immediately in the areas of Employee Engagement, Customer Service, Appreciation & Recognition, Creating a Culture of Kindness, and Understanding the Human Level of Change.
“Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.” ~ Mother Teresa
Blessings,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
