Columns – Page 50 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

Clear your desk, and focus on what’s most important

One of my first jobs out of college was in a Chicago Advertising Agency. My boss was the Creative Director, and I also worked for several copywriters and whatever Account Executives needed extra assistance at any given time. My desk was always piled high with papers and projects, and other people’s priorities. One day, the president’s secretary came to me and said, “Betty, how would you like to clear your desk?” At first I thought I was being fired, but that wasn’t it at all. [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 12th, 2014|Columns, Holidays|2 Comments

Resolve now to enjoy the coming year

I was at a holiday celebration not long ago with some people I usually see only once or twice a year. So part of the time was spent catching up on each other’s family events and activities. One of the women told me about several concerts she and her husband had attended recently. It’s been years since I attended a concert, and I joked with her that I needed to get out more. That’s when she told me that going out to concerts and other [...]

By bettyliedtke|December 5th, 2014|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Holidays|Comments Off

What weighs us down can build us up

“I know God will never give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I don’t remember the first time I read or heard that saying, but I do know it made me smile and nod my head. I can relate. I’m sure most people can. And I smile and nod whenever I come across it, or when it pops into my mind for some reason. When I feel weighed down with responsibilities and obligations, for instance, or [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 28th, 2014|Columns, Faith, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off

Be thankful for the memories

I kept waiting for the phone to ring. It was Monday morning of last week – the day winter came quickly and decisively to Minnesota. I stood at my back door, looking out at the inch or so of snow that had come down already, and listening to the tap of icy rain on the windows as it started to cover everything with a thin, shiny layer. It was exactly the time I normally would have gotten a phone call from my dad, saying, “So [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 21st, 2014|Columns, Family, Holidays|Comments Off

Personal stories have a powerful impact

The first words I heard when I woke up Sunday morning were these: “When we share our personal stories, we’re able to keep kids off drugs and alcohol.” That caught my attention immediately – not the drugs and alcohol part, but the “personal stories” part. The alarm on my clock-radio had gone off in the middle of what was obviously an interview with someone from a mentoring or support program. I would have liked to listen to more of it, but I needed to get [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 14th, 2014|Columns, Writing|Comments Off

Great experiences made for a winning weekend

I didn’t win. But I sure had fun. The Toastmasters District 6 Fall Conference was held last weekend in Rochester. The Fall Conference is also where the finals of Toastmasters’ annual Humorous Speech Contest take place, and this year, I made it to the final round of competition. I had fun giving my speech, and I think I did a good job delivering it. It got a lot of laughs and applause, and people were nodding and smiling as I sat back down afterwards. But [...]

By bettyliedtke|November 7th, 2014|Columns, Toastmasters|Comments Off

Learning and enjoying the language of dance

Her name is Deb Lysholm, and dance has always been an important part of her life. She learned – and loved – to tap dance as a child. Later, teaching dance classes brought her joy as well as income. Dance became her refuge and her escape during 23 years in a violently abusive marriage. And when she was working to rebuild her shattered life, she started to dream of building and running her own dance studio. Virtually everyone told her she was crazy, and that [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 31st, 2014|Columns, Travel|Comments Off

Cameras and courtesy provide common language

“Un…deux…trois.” English translation: “Say cheese.” That was the context, anyway, one afternoon last week as I stood near the waterfront, smiling and waiting for the woman with the camera to snap the shutter. I was in Barcelona, Spain, at the Mediterranean port where Christopher Columbus launched his journey to the new world. The location was both scenic and historic, and many of the people in the area were tourists taking pictures. I saw a young couple who were taking turns taking photos of each other, [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 24th, 2014|Columns, Respect, Travel|Comments Off

Enjoying a new view, both night and day

I set my alarm extra early one morning last week, so I could see the stellar event I’d been reading about: the “blood moon” and eclipse that had been scheduled for the wee hours of the morning. The eclipse was interesting to watch, but the deep red color the moon was supposed to be didn’t live up to its hype. That’s okay, though. Just the act of getting up to see it made me think – as these events always do – about the days [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 17th, 2014|Columns, Family|Comments Off

Learn to help, heal, comfort and inspire with the power of your story

Whenever I meet someone new, I enjoy chatting with them as we share basic information about ourselves and learn a little more about each other. Depending on where we are, and the circumstances of our meeting, this might consist of where we’re from, what kind of work we do, our family background or demographics, and what brought us to the place or event where we met each other. More often than not, there will come a point – either at that first meeting or at [...]

By bettyliedtke|October 10th, 2014|Columns|Comments Off

Stay Up To Date

Categories