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I hope you are all having a summer of rest, reflection, and always some fun. As I am
writing, I am watching the large drones washing my windows today on the ninth floor of
my building. How could we even have imagined this technology just a few years ago!
Sadly, I am reading something almost every day about how our lives have become so
busy and so technology-dependent that we are missing human level connections and
simple pleasures and beauty all around us.
It is exciting to me that finally both individuals and organizations are realizing that the
“soft skills,” like kindness, listening, and appreciation, really DO make a difference on
the bottom line. The majority of the speaking requests I am getting this past year have
been for presentations on KINDNESS and APPRECIATION rather than customer
service and employee engagement. Even though these soft skills are always a part of
service and engagement, I am finding clients want the greatest focus to be on
individual interactions rather than policies and procedures. This brings me great hope
for our nation and world because that is where goodness and caring start.
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A great example of this shift in thinking is the huge success of the book, “Theo of Golden” by Alan Levine. It is Levine’s first novel. Written after he retired, he did not even plan to publish it, and at first, it was self-published just for his friends. Today it has sold millions of copies and has been #1 on the NYT bestseller list for months.
It is the simple story of an older man from Portugal who comes to a small town in Georgia and discovers a coffee shop whose walls are lined with charcoal portraits of many of the people in the town. Intrigued by them and the talent of the artist, he decides to buy them all. Then, with the secret help of a lawyer in town, he gifts them, one by one, to the various people the artist has drawn.
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As he meets each person in the park to give them the portrait, he learns their various
stories, always asking questions, listening and affirming them, whatever their story
might be. The book is the heartwarming account of a generous and caring person who
gives the gift of seeing and acknowledging the humanness of all the people he meets.
He is only in the town for a year, but he greatly changes the culture of the small city by
his generosity, kindness and acceptance of all.
I think the success of this book and the many lives it has touched has been because we
are all in need of HOPE and feeling like no matter what our station in life may be, we
can EACH make a difference every day in our interactions with others. Theo is called
“The face of God” by many in the book, simply because of his generosity and his total
focus on others, and, as a result, he has become a role model for many of us. I hope
you will read the book and be inspired – it is one of my very favorites of all time!
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I have had some precious speaking experiences the last two months, speaking to Tidewell Hospice, Women on Mission, and my NSA- Central Florida speaker’s chapter.
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I have loved visits from dear friends this spring – in March Jolene Brown from Iowa was here for several days and Laura Leist from Seattle in June. In April I spent a week in Grand Junction, CO, with my brother, sister, nieces and grandniece. What a shock to come from HOT Florida and see the snow!
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In May, I also had a lovely birthday visit from my two daughters, Gretchen and Erin, from Portland, OR. I wrote them afterwards that I have always loved them to the moon and back, but this time I realized I really LIKE them! How fun to learn that your kids can also be your friends.
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The week of July 4 I traveled to Portland for several days and then we all drove up to my son’s home on Camano Island outside of Seattle for the holiday weekend. What a difference the beaches in Washington are from my beach in Florida – rugged and breathtaking.The highlight was catching a dozen live crabs which we had for dinner that night and in an omelet the next morning – YUMMMMM! Look how Simon got crowned with a live crab – so much fun! What a treasure it is to spend time with family.
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“Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to our NSACF family. Your stories, your energy, and your light made a HUGE impact!” ~ Jaime Marco, President Elect
“I am still riding the wave from Saturday’s event! And a big part of that is because of you. Having you there, sharing your wisdom, your journey, and your heart with our NSA Central Florida community meant more than I can express. The room felt it. I felt it. Thank you for saying yes.”
~ Fabio Marques, NSACF President
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“We all have broken places, but we can still be like the sun. When we shine our lights onto someone through their broken places, they come to life in a new way – they feel
seen, that much less alone…..and so do we!”
~revised from Maria Shriver
“Above all, never quit. No matter what the statistics may say, there’s always a way –over, under, around or through!”
“I don’t just want to read books. I want to climb inside and live them.”
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!” ~ Mae West
“If you truly love a book, you should sleep with it, write in it, read aloud from it, and fill its pages with muffin crumbs.” ~Anne Fadiman
“Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”
~ MarkTwain
“Always try to see the good in others, even when it’s well hidden.” ~ Gregory Haskamp
“Forgive those who have hurt you, not for them but as a gift to yourself.”
“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow
internet to see who they really are!” ~ Will Ferrell
“When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave
new ending.” ~ Brene Brown
“Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died!” ~ Erma Bombeck
“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy
about?” ~ Henry David Thoreau
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“Barbara Glanz didn’t just speak to our chapter, she reminded us why we chose this profession in the first place. Her stories, wisdom, humor, and heart left our members energized, inspired, and ready to make a bigger impact. Barbara is exactly the kind of voice our profession needs more of right now, reminding us that enthusiasm, connection, and caring for people will never go out of style.”
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When I speak on “Kindness”, I always use the acronym that I developed with Laurie
Flasko, a speaker friend of mine:
K – Kinesthetic
Body language, Eye contact, Touch, Smile
I – Imaginative
Simple ideas, actions and gestures that surprise and delight people
N – Neighborly
Mr. Rogers is the model here – “Won’t you be my neighbor?”
D – Deliberate
Random acts of kindness are wonderful, but it is more important to do deliberate acts, having a plan to remember to be kind.
This next week I encourage you to be much more aware of kindnesses that you give and that you receive. I especially love this quote, “Seek the good in all things, and you shall find it there waiting to be discovered. A grateful heart finds treasure in everything.”
And that is true of kindness when we start to focus on the awareness of all the opportunities we have every day to be kind to someone. Little things like holding doors for people, letting someone go first, greeting everyone you meet with a smile, can all make a difference in someone’s day.
Yesterday my massage therapist shared with me that when she had gone to get gas the day before, an older gentleman came up to her and said, “You are much too beautiful to be pumping your own gas. Please let me help you.” She said it shocked and delighted her to have such a lovely compliment and the offer of help.
Earlier that day I had been at the Dollar Store buying a bunch of cards to send to people. It was a very long line and only one cashier was working. When it finally came my turn, there was a young man behind me with only 3 items. I said to him, “Please go in front of me as I have a lot of things to ring up.” He replied with a shocked look, “Oh, no, I couldn’t do that.” I assured him it was fine. As he paid for his purchases and was getting ready to leave, he turned about and wonderingly said, “Thank you so MUCH for doing that. You made my day!”
Today I have a young man here checking my AC (which we REALLY need in Florida right now!). I asked his name and asked if he wanted something to drink. Then I named all the different things I had in the refrigerator. He seemed stunned, and when I said, “You are really cute. Do you have a girlfriend?” He just giggled and said, “Yep, I do……and you are really nice.”
NONE of those things are big things, but they make the other person feel seen and valued, and it makes you feel good, too. How different our world would be if we took those extra few seconds to affirm and compliment others!
A friend just sent this to me from The Chesapeake Shell:
“I’m convinced a ‘Tell Them’ Theory would make the world a better place:
Think the waiter was friendly? Tell them.
Your friend looked so good today? Tell them.
Someone’s work inspired you? Tell them.
The world is loud with criticism and quiet with appreciation. Be the exception.
It could make someone’s day.”
WHAT SIMPLE KINDNESSES CAN YOU DO TODAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE’S LIFE? That is a reason to get up in the morning each day!
© Barbara Glanz Communications of Florida. 2026. All Rights Reserved.
Click here to read more articles from Barbara
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“Kindness was the perfect choice of topics, especially in today’s climate. The world is volatile and there is division in America like none I’ve witnessed before. The world has moved so far from God-centered to self-centered that Kindness seems to be the exception rather than the norm! Thank you for reminding us that kindness is a daily choice.”
~ Lori Ireland, Secretary Women on Mission
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If you love inspiring quotations as much as I do, you will enjoy this calendar of all my favorite thoughts for just
$19.95 and FREE shipping (Click here to order.
Click here to order!
Also, if you need a very special and long lasting, inspirational gift for your team, your co-workers or your friends and family, this is a perfect gift to challenge, inspire, and remind them of all their blessings. Enjoy 365 pages of delightful quotes on a self-standing spiral. Flip one each day of the year, and re-use year after year. It is the first thing I do at my desk every morning.
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“On behalf of the Women on Mission, I wanted to thank you for sharing your God-given gift of speaking. We have received many compliments! They loved your beautiful presentation and your contagious smile.”
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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,
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