Columns – Page 43 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

Focus on the best, instead of the worst

It was a conversation that made me want to crawl under a table and hide, and never come out again. It took place at a meeting I attended last weekend, when everyone was still in shock over the attacks that took place in Paris last Friday. Before the meeting started, several of us were discussing the attacks, each of us contributing additional information and details we had read in the paper or heard on the news. From there our discussion broadened into the subject of [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 20th, 2015|Columns, Faith, Values|Comments Off

“Wonderfully crazy busy” is a great way to be

I have a friend who was interested in visiting an organization I belong to that meets once a month. I told her I would send her a reminder when it was time to register for the next meeting. When I did, she said she was still interested, but wasn’t able to make that meeting because she was totally booked with clients that day. “I have been wonderfully crazy busy,” she said. The thought that has been with me ever since is, “What a great way [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 13th, 2015|Columns|Comments Off

Major frustrations can be changed into minor inconveniences

I got a text message from a person I had a meeting with one morning last week, saying she’d be a few minutes late because she was stuck in some road construction traffic. She was frustrated with the situation, but when she arrived she told me that after she tuned in to a traffic report, she found out it wasn’t construction that caused the backup. It was an accident that had briefly blocked traffic in both directions. This gave her a whole different perspective on [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 6th, 2015|Columns|Comments Off

Writing about books leads to a “readcation”

It was ironic that just a day or so after I turned in last week’s column, I came across a blog that suggested taking a “readcation.” Ironic because my column was about books – reading them, buying them, borrowing them from the library – and because writing the column forced me to take a good, hard look at all the shelves, end tables, nightstands, and other places in my house that are overloaded with books. I was surprised by the amount of feedback I got [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 30th, 2015|Columns, Writing|Comments Off

To own or to read – that is the question

A friend of mine is an avid reader. I am fascinated by the fact that she reads about a hundred books a year. What I find even more fascinating is that she owns very few books herself. One reason is that she downsized not long ago to a smaller living space. She had to be ruthless in getting rid of things, and extremely selective in what she kept. Another reason is that she lives near a library, which she considers her second home. At any [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 23rd, 2015|Columns, Organizing|6 Comments

Road construction builds new insights

As the weather starts to turn chilly, and talk turns to forecasts of frost and the winter to come, it again calls to mind the old joke about there being two seasons in Minnesota: winter and road construction. And since this past summer’s construction season was especially brutal, the coming winter may be more welcome than usual. I’ve been as vocal as everyone else in complaining about the heavier-than-normal road construction this summer, and the delays and disruptions it’s caused. On more than one occasion, [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 16th, 2015|Columns|Comments Off

“Naughty Barb” starts a nice conversation

A friend of mine has a new nickname: “Naughty Barb.” This is especially funny to the people who know her, since she is probably one of the nicest people on the planet. She is caring and compassionate, strong and supportive, with a genuine concern for others and a willingness to share her own painful stories and experiences if they will be of benefit to others in any way. She is also a “connector” and loves to put people who can help each other in touch [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 9th, 2015|Columns, Writing|2 Comments

Ordinary days can turn into special occasions

I did something recently that I don’t think I’ve ever done before. For dinner one day last week, I fixed a meal that I usually prepare just two or three times a year, and only on a weekend when we’re celebrating a special occasion and have other family members or friends over. Except this time, I did it in the middle of the week, for no one but my husband and me, and for no particular reason – other than the fact that the pork [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 2nd, 2015|Columns, Family|3 Comments

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

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