NEWS
Oh, how easily time gets away from us! I apologize for this newsletter being so late, but with lots of (mostly fun) travel – a Mexican Riviera cruise with my kids over thanksgiving week, a trip to my son’s in Seattle at Christmas, a Valentine trip to a darling hotel in Jupiter, Florida,– plus work and then LOTS of company from Colorado, Australia, Chicago, Portland, and even Tampa, I simply lost track of time. I also think the Pandemic caused all of us to slow down and perhaps not be as intense and focused as we were before. Anyway, here I am, hoping that this finds all of you enjoying each moment of the gift of each day.
|
|
Over this past year I have been working on a gift my daughters gave me last Christmas. It is called “Storyworth,” www.storyworth.com. It is an online service which sends you one question a week about your life (my daughters picked the questions they wanted answered). Then you write your answer and email it back to them. At the end of the year they print a hardbound book with all your answers in it. I have had such fun writing my answers, remembering many stories and events that I have never told my children, and especially lots about our family history that I have never thought to share with then before. It was so meaningful for me that, starting next month, I am going to post one of my answers on my blog at www.barbaraglanz.com/blog/ each week so perhaps you might enjoy seeing them. Call or email me if you want more information about this service.
|
|
“Thank you so much for your wonderful presentation for the SHRM conference in Dallas. I can honestly say you have to be the most inspirational speaker I have ever heard. It was a pleasure to hear a Christian woman speak in a business environment.” ~ TanyaMiller, Ernst & Young
|
|
QUOTES OF THE MONTH: “Embracing our Differences”
|
|
Every year Sarasota hosts an exhibit called “Embracing our Differences” in Bayfront Park. It is made up of 50 billboard-size works of art accompanied by inspirational quotations that have been submitted from people all over the world. These are some of my favorite quotes from the pictures:
“A strong man stands up for himself; a stronger man stands up for others.” ~ Chris Rollins
“Just a few sweet words to a depressed soul and you might be saving a life.”~ Benita Ohaju
“If everyone could read your mind, would you think differently?” ~ Cece Dwyer
“Just because people are different doesn’t mean you can’t be their friend.” ~ Tiara Brow
“Teach people the language of kindness and they will speak it to others.” ~ Oghogho Abieyuwa Odiase
“Our skin is just an envelope. We are the letter.” ~ Valanvhie Emile
“Many things can calm the heart. Only kindness can heal it.”~ Scott Douglas
“I never knew how much words hurt until they were aimed at me.”~Kathleen Hagan-Rogerson
“When you judge me, you show the person that you are, not the person that I am.”~ Jasmin Maldonado
“A Friend gives you the gift of time in an hour of need.” ~ Nuris Fanning
“If you don’t fit into a scene, always remember that there is a bigger picture,” ~ Jessica Ritchie
“Don’t judge me by my cover; wait till you’ve read my story.”~ Rachael Okebiorun
“Night and day are exact opposites, but they come together to make a beautiful sunset.” ~ Josslyn Oran
“If you stand by, then who will stand up?”~ Brian Hendricks
“It takes more courage to speak in a silent room than to become another voice in a crowd.”~ Alexis Morrell
“Change cannot be accomplished with one voice, but it can be started with one.”~ Teodora Rinciog
“Just like a jigsaw puzzle we might not know where we fit in, but we belong in the picture.”~ Rachael Okebiorun
”A house built with only doors will never know the light a window can bring.”~ Danielle Grat
|
|
“Extremely practical and lots of wonderul takeaways I can use right now. I am going through a major life change currently and your content, caring and supporrt were so imspiring! THANK YOU!”
|
|
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that’s slipping fast,
That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you said or did?
Does the man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,
“You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?”
|
|
I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by.
Or how strangers still say “bless you” when someone sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying. And sometimes, when you spill lemons from your grocery bag, someone else will help you pick them up.
Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot ,and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass. We have so little of each other, now. So far from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange. What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here, have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”
|
|
Deliberate Acts of Kindness by Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE
|
When I speak on KINDNESS, I use the acronym KIND which was developed with my wonderful colleague in Canada, Laurie Flasko:
K = Kinesthetic,
I = Imaginative
N = Neighborly
D = Deliberate
I always share with my audiences that random acts of kindness are good, but DELIBERATE acts of kindness are even better because they are thoughtful and planned, sometimes even at the last moment. Recently I have experienced two wonderful DELIBERATE acts of kindness which I want to share with you to encourage you to become even more aware of all the precious moments every day that you can deliberately do something kind for someone.
Two weeks ago I was speaking at the Society for Human Resource Management national convention in Las Vegas. I got up early that morning, dressed in my “speaking attire” – high heels, black dress, and a hand painted, bright-colored jacket. I packed my computer and notes and headed down to the food court for breakfast.
Because I was in a hurry, I ordered an omelet and coffee at the Omelet Station kiosk. As I was eating, I noticed a young man next to me wearing a tank top, shorts and flip-flops. I smiled inwardly at the contrast between the two of us – I was the one out of place in a food court! 😉
\When I finished my breakfast and started to take my tray to the trash, he jumped up, came over, and said to me, “M’am, you look much too nice to be carrying garbage. Let me take your tray for you,.” I was taken aback at his kindness and thanked him profusely for such a “gentlemanly” thing to do.
It was a small thing, but it made my day AND I was able to tell that story at the beginning of my presentation on “Creating a Culture of Kindness” to 1000 people later that day!
The second kind act came about last week as Frank and I were dining at Marina Jack’s restaurant on the water in Sarasota. We had a late reservation, so there were very few people there. However, across from us was a family of 17, including the Grandpa and Grandma, the Aunts and Uncles, and all the children.
We so enjoyed watching them interact and found out that it was a birthday celebration for a 9 year old boy in the family. At one point as the father walked by, we shared with him what a beautiful family they had.
As we were having our coffee after dinner, we saw the waiter come over with a birthday cake for the young man. We watched as he blew out the candles and then went on with our conversation. Just a few minutes later, over came the little boy and his mother with two pieces of birthday cake for US! We were deeply touched as we had no idea who this family was. We only knew that they were teaching their children the wonderful gift of kindness.
I hope these stories will encourage YOU to do some DELIBERATE acts of kindness in your workplaces and lives today.
|
|
Bumper stickers for real. Do any of them apply to you? 😉
- Beam me up, Scotty. There’s no intelligent life down here.
- My wife ran off with my best friend and I sure do miss him!
- I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go!
- Since I gave up hope, I feel much better.
- When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping
- Welcome to Florida – now go home!
- If you don’t like the way I drive, get off the sidewalk!
- If you can read this, thank a teacher.
- You can’t hug anyone with nuclear arms.
- Illiterate? Write for more information.
- Caution: Driver under the influence of children!
|
|
“Your motivational words have made my team think about what feeling we want to leave with our customers. We now regularly talk about ‘Johnny the Bagger moments’. Connecting with customers on a Human level doesn’t have to be expensive. This insight has been very important to start thinking in a different way about making customers happy. We also talk about what it takes to balance our emotional bank accounts. Very powerful to have shared this with each other and be able to apply it. I’m sure it won’t be long before our customers will notice the difference. Thank you for the memorable meeting!” ~ Kyra Geertsema, Manager Customer Service
|
|
“ CARE Packages for the Home”
In this book Barbara offers countless ways to help families forge more caring, creative and joyful places to live. Through ideas and stories from real-life families, schools, and neighborhoods, Barbara encourages readers to take action by adapting the ideas to their own families. Whether your family is a traditional family, a single-parent family, a blended family, an extended family, or a retired family, this book contains special ideas just for you!
Also makes a great gift for Mother’s Day!
SPECIAL PRICE + FREE SHIPPING!
Mother’s Day is a time to recognize not only our mothers but all those special women who have made a difference in our lives. What better way to celebrate them than with a book of ideas that will help them create even more caring and joy in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities.
The ideas in this book will help families celebrate one another and create new traditions.
(Regular price $16.95 + $4.00 shipping)
$12.95 + free shipping for March
|
|
“Thank you for such a pleasant hour at the end of the day. I found it very building and entertaining. Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your insights and ideas. I think that if we implement just half of what we learned from you and Johnny, we and our customers will all benefit!” ~ John Venema, Sitchting Havensteder
|
|
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH – “Glimpses of Joy”
|
|
My belief is that our workplaces should be places of joy. After all, we spend half our lives there, so working in an environment that encourages us to be our best selves, that challenges us to constantly stretch and grow, and that nurtures our souls is a precious gift. The best news of all is that we can each contribute to helping that to happen in our own workplace.
The best way we can do this is to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of each person we encounter in a day. Everyone has something to contribute, and it can be a delightful experience to help discover what special contributions each person on your team can make. Often these contributions have little to do with the person’s actual job, and yet they can add so much to the project, the team or the overall environment. Do you know the passion of each person on your team? Do you know what they REALLY love, what they do in their free time, what they spend their extra money on? This will tell you lots about their uniqueness. GLIMPSE OF JOY #1: Search for the special gift each person brings to your workplace.
Another way we can create an environment of joy is by being grateful people. Often we get so busy that we forget to say “thank you” to those around us. The more creative we are in appreciating people, the more meaningful that affirmation will be. When we remember something that is very important to them and thank them with a small gift that relates to that passion, we are telling them that we care about what they care about. Also, any time we affirm what someone has done, we not only validate their existence on this earth, but we are also recognizing that they are making a positive difference in the world. GLIMPSE OF JOY #2: Thank people every chance you get.
It is easy in our workplaces to focus on what is going wrong. The world today is filled with whiners and blamers. However, each of us can counter these negative persons by always looking for what is going right. I often suggest to my audiences, for example, that they begin every meeting with three minutes of “good news.” That not only starts the meeting on a positive note, but it also celebrates good things that are happening in people’s lives, homes, communities, and work teams. So many meetings are focused on what is going wrong that this becomes a way to spread goodness and cheer. I also keep a “Blessings Journal,” and each night before I go to bed, I jot down all the little things that happened in the day that blessed me. Even on the worst days, I can always find little glimpses of joy! GLIMPSE OF JOY #3: Focus on what is going right.
My personal motto is “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™.” Do you believe enthusiasm is contagious? Francis Likert, a well-known management expert, writes: If a high level of performance is to be achieved, it appears to be necessary for a supervisor to have high performance goals and a contagious enthusiasm as to the importance of these goals. As you think about your job, are you contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of the work you do? Have you ever thought about how what you do every day makes someone’s life better? That gives a whole new mission and purpose to your work—it is no longer just a job but it is important work which enhances someone’s life. This spirit of meaningful work creates a whole new enthusiasm in your workplace. GLIMPSE OF JOY #4: Be contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of your work.
Sometimes it is difficult in our workplaces to believe that we have choices to make a difference, especially when layoffs are occurring, stress levels are high, and people are being asked to do more and more for less and less. However, there is a difference between being happy in our jobs and finding joy in our lives at work. “Happiness” has the root word “happen” and depends on circumstances while “joy” is an attitude. We can CHOOSE to find little glimpses of joy even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. When our little boy died, I was given a book called “Glimpses of Joy in the Cesspools of Life,” and I have thought often about the appropriateness of that title. GLIMPSE OF JOY #5: Even if you are not happy in your job, you can still find glimpses of joy.
I have been deeply impacted by this thought from William Winter: “As much of Heaven is visible as we have eyes to see.” If we choose to look for glimpses of joy in our workplaces and in our lives, we will surely find them. “All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light of one small candle.” And if we choose to help create those glimpses of joy for others, joy will return to us in like measure. According to Ben Sweetland, “We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.” A joyful atmosphere will not only impact morale, retention, and productivity, but it will also provide a place where each person can find value, purpose, and a deep sense of pride in the contribution he or she is making.
by Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE
|
|
|
|
“Barbara, it was fantastic having you speak to the Pacific NW chapter of the National Speaker sAssociation last week. The group was buzzing…I could literally feel it! “ Bruce Sheer, Incoming President
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
