bettyliedtke – Page 45 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

It’s time for the first report card

“Be careful what you wish for.” I was surprised to discover how relevant this old adage was to me in relation to something I started recently and wrote about a few weeks ago – my intention to start running my life as if I were back in school. I’m now treating the projects and activities I am currently involved in as classes and homework assignments. The revelation that came as I started incorporating this plan into my life was that in many ways, I’ve been [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 25th, 2015|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Organizing, Quotes and Sayings, Success, Toastmasters|Comments Off

Two steps will get things done – as long as you follow through

A book I am currently reading has a number of inspirational and relevant quotes in the margins. One that I just read, and had never heard before, is an Irish proverb that says, “Pray for potatoes with a hoe in your hand.” A few days after I read this quote, I was at Sunday Mass, where one of the readings – from the Book of James – was about the relationship between faith and works. Specifically, the message is that if you say you have [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 18th, 2015|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Coaching, Columns, Faith, Quotes and Sayings, Success, Values|Comments Off

A day in the hospital brings comfort and connections

I spent the better part of a day at the hospital last week, and had several encounters that made me feel like I was playing one of those “six degrees of separation” games. They also made me realize how closely connected we all can be. The reason I was in the hospital was to be with a friend who was having day surgery. She asked if I could drop her off in the morning and pick her up after her surgery, but I decided not [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 11th, 2015|Columns, Family|Comments Off

Going back to school for an advanced degree in life

I’ve decided to go back to school. Not for a Masters or Doctorate degree, and not by attending classes along with other students, or by taking classes online and working independently. Instead, I’m designing and following my own curriculum. The reason I’m doing this is that it occurred to me recently that there are a number of activities and events I’m involved in – both personal and professional – that I am having trouble accomplishing for various reasons. My big revelation was that many of [...]

By bettyliedtke|September 4th, 2015|Accountability, Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Organizing, Success|Comments Off

An age to remember for young and old

I remember a time, back in my late 20’s, when I was out with some friends from college. We had stayed close after graduation, and were celebrating the 29th birthday of one of the members of our group. She was a bit quiet and withdrawn that night, and we asked her if anything was wrong. She said she was a little depressed about turning 29, because now she was within a year of her 30th birthday – and 30 meant she was getting old. Even [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 28th, 2015|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being|Comments Off

Don’t just tolerate – celebrate!

Before last Sunday, I had never been to Lake Elmo. I also had never been to a Lutheran church service. Later in the day, back at home in my own church, I was chatting briefly with one of the deacons about the religious, racial, and cultural differences many of us can find not only in our communities, but among our friends and even within our own extended families. “Our differences shouldn’t just be tolerated,” he said. “They should be celebrated.” His words were music to [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 21st, 2015|Columns, Faith, Music/Singing, Respect, Uganda, Values|2 Comments

Being funny is a serious business

I spent a lot of time laughing last Sunday. And I still have a smile on my face, just thinking about it. A woman in my writers group had just completed a four-week course in stand-up comedy, and invited us to her “graduation” – a comedy club show in which she and others from her class performed stand-up routines. A number of us from the writers group attended the event, and decided to get together for pizza before the show. Since writers love sharing stories, [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 14th, 2015|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Health and Well-being, Toastmasters|4 Comments

Insight can come from getting lost in our dreams

I was back in college, at the start of a new school year. Coming out of an afternoon class, I suddenly could not remember what dorm I lived in, or how to get there. So I started mentally listing the names of the dorms on campus, hoping that would trigger my memory. There was Lincoln Hall, where I lived during my freshman year. Lincoln and Douglas Halls were two older and identical dorms right next to each other until a newer dorm, Stevenson Hall, was [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 7th, 2015|Columns|Comments Off

Powering down leads to powering up

I just returned from the retreat I mentioned a few weeks ago. If you read that column, you know there was a “silent retreat” portion of the weekend that had me a little apprehensive. Not that I didn’t want to honor the silence, or didn’t think I could. I was just afraid I’d forget and start talking to someone – or myself – or that without realizing it, I’d start humming a song that popped into my head for some reason. I’m happy to report [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 31st, 2015|Columns, Faith, Values|Comments Off

All fired up from an inspiring dream

This is going to sound like something I totally made up, but I swear I’m telling it exactly as it happened – in a dream I had a few nights ago. It was early morning, actually, because my alarm went off and woke me up before it was finished. But that was good, because it kept the dream fresh and vivid enough for me to write it all down before it drifted away. In the dream, I was attending a meeting of a women’s networking [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 24th, 2015|Columns, Respect, Values|Comments Off

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