So I started a fairly strict diet and started spending a bit more time exercising in the hotel (it’s one of the reasons some of these blogs have been missing as I’ve made the decision a few times to spend an hour in the hotel gym instead of being in front of my computer). My calorie intake is way down (don’t worry, I’m alright), but I’ve had to change my eating habits to survive this diet and lose some pretty significant weight.

The biggest shift? I eat slower. A lot slower.

I’ll eat several times throughout the day, but I’ll take a salad, or a shake, or an egg breakfast, or any other meal and stretch that out to 15-20 minutes of eating if I’m by myself. If I’m with others, I try to be one of the last to finish even if my portion is smaller.

What’s happened is that I actually taste my food and enjoy the experience of chewing. I try to enjoy the flavors and textures.

Here’s where the metaphor comes in…

Are you doing this with life right now?
Are you savoring the little moments?
Are you enjoy the texture of your day to day?

Or are you scarfing down life, missing out on memories and/or relationships, and finding yourself unsatisfied?

Take a moment this week to savor life. It’s pretty awesome

No, this isn’t a rant blog–seriously, keep reading (I’ve purposefully left the hotel’s name out of it).

Rather I think we can all learn from one minor shift in service.

This morning, I ordered an omelet with no cheese. The waitress asked me again if I would like cheese.

“No cheese.”

I ended up saying it about 3 times.

As I waited for my omelet to emerge from the kitchen she popped by several times. She asked me, “would you like more coffee, sir?”

But there was no cup in front of me.

A few minutes later she came by and asked how I was enjoying everything.

But there was no food in front of me.

A few minutes later she came by again with my omelet that had cheese on it, which she quickly returned to the kitchen to fix.

A few minutes later she came by and asked if I wanted more coffee.

But I still had no cup in front of me and I had already told her I would not be drinking any coffee.

A few minutes later she came by and asked how I was enjoying everything.

I informed her I would be doing a little bit better if I had food.

In other words, she forgot about me every time she came by and treated me the exact way she treated every other customer.

When I last praised this property I wrote about the individual attention the waitress provided. She greeted me each day by name and by the end of my 4 days at the property she already knew my order. She did this with each customer, truly treating them as a GUEST.

I’ve had restaurants make mistakes with food orders in the past, but some are still able to provide an incredible experience to the care and attention they give to each person. They remember minor things about each customer, already knowing the coffee order–especially when it is decaf.

As we get busy with our organizations again, let’s not forget the minor details about the people with whom we work.

Let’s still provide some individual attention.

It’s the most important ingredient to show we really care.

At first I was a bit surprised, but then I read the piece of a paper, a paraphrased version of The Pause: A Christmas Gift by Keith Gaddy Davis. Often times we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, that sometimes we forget to literally PAUSE. Ann’s gift beautifully illustrated this idea.

So for the next few days, I’m going to “pause” and be with family and friends. I hope you do the same.

I’m going to try to use facebook and my iPhone a little bit less and enjoy the present of the presence of those around me.

Merry Christmas!

I love sushi. Seriously, if you want to quickly become one of my best friends, ask me out for a sushi happy hour and go to town on several rolls with me. None of that “California Roll” junk. Let’s have fun, let’s order a lot, and let’s share. Sharing is a must with group sushi meals.

My only rule: I don’t do cream cheese on sushi. Other than that, I’ll experiment and have fun.

So I walk into Oh! Sushi on Rose Ave in Oxnard and take a seat right at the counter. Sometimes I feel self conscious about this–eating alone. Not this time. I’m at a sushi restaurant and the counter can be the best place to sit.

Why?

The sushi chefs.

They are amazing. Not only do they need to work in a meticulous and careful manner, keeping your fish fresh and safe. Not only do they need to have master knife skills and patient precision with the rice. Not only do they make the dishes of an entire restaurant with the soul of an artist…

…but they also serve as the cheerleaders.

I love that when someone enters, they all shout out a greeting. When someone exits, they shout out a goodbye. They are the first to celebrate a birthday greeting for the guest, and they are quick to engage in conversation with anyone nearby.

At a normal restaurant, if you eat alone, you’re often overlooked or pitied. Not at a sushi restaurant.

The sushi chefs always talk with me. It isn’t uncommon that they might have me try something extra special (as a treat). They ask my taste preferences and make rolls based around them. It’s a blast.

So my morale today?

Be the sushi chef in your school or organization.

Be meticulous. Be detailed oriented. Be efficient.

But also be an artist. Be a cheerleader.

And engage the people around you in conversation.

Have a great day (and please let me know if you ever want to get some sushi!)

My first trip took place ages ago when my mom’s teaching partner invited my sisters and I up for a weekend trip. That weekend I learned to waterski–super fun!

A few years later I began what would become an annual trip. One of my good friends celebrates her birthday in early August. Several years ago just after taking the California bar, she invited several of her law school friends and other close friends to a weekend of relaxation and water sports. The following year she and I reconnected and an invitation was extended to me as well. I first attended in 2005. At the time I only really knew my friend (and some of her girlfriends from her high school). It had honestly been ages since I had hung out or visited with any of them. The law school friends, the friends of friends, the husbands or spouses of friends were all knew to me.

We had fun then, but not as much fun as we had this year.

I’ve been every year since 2005 (exception being last year when a remodel of the house prevented the celebration). This year as people arrived, I recognized my excitement over the familiar faces. People who had once been strangers were now people I really looked forward to seeing. We shared the standard funny stories, built up over the years. We checked in to see if some of the beloved elements would still be present like Oasis Island, where many a lazy Saturday (and sunburns) took place or my BBQ chicken (something that is quite popular after a day on a wakeboard). We asked about new life developments and challenges. We laughed. We joked.

Overall, I think we’ve become quite comfortable with one another simply because we’ve celebrated some life together.

But then we also welcomed new faces. This year brought the addition of 5 new faces (5.5 if you count the newborn baby who joined us for an afternoon). The new people fit in right away–the group welcoming them and bringing them into the fold. They brought in their own stories, their own humor, and created moments that will now be the memories we describe in future years (one example would be the high speed tubing pirate battle with Jon causing a great deal of laughter).

Long story short, I had fun. I feel refreshed and I’m glad this random group of people are in my life.

Why did I write all of this? To encourage you to seek out SHARED EXPERIENCES with others. Each year we create new memories. Each year we’re closer because of that. We’ve had long afternoons to just talk. We’ve had late night giddyness (not this year–we realized we were not as energetic as the past and fell asleep too early) that leads to funny conversations down the road. We’ve shared meals and the community that develops from them.

Find the opportunities to create these moments with people this year–and maybe you’ll find that these people might really be friends.

Much love to the Delta 2010 crew!

So I’m standing there at baggage claim. Tired. Wait, tired doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m completely exhausted. For the past week I’ve slept only about three hours a night in hour and a half spurts. I’ve been at the Sundance Film Festival, and I’ve loved every second of it.

My summary blog will come soon; that isn’t the purpose of this one.

No the purpose of this one was getting to ask a variation of favorite Sundance question one last time.

“What did you like?”

I could tell the couple had been at the festival as well. They had the standard green Nalgene/Brita water bottle hanging off their carry-on.

“Winter’s Bone was my favorite,” the man replied. He went on to list some of the other films he really enjoyed. They asked about the movies I loved and we ended up talking for 3-4 minutes until my suitcases arrived and I headed on my way to the parking shuttle.

I rarely talk with people at baggage claim, and if I do, there seems to be a few moments of “is this person crazy?” that delay the initial conversation. Last night, the conversation was instantaneous. It was quickly evident that we all enjoyed film, that we had some common connection, and that we could enjoy a brief visit.

I’ve been experiencing this since January 20th. Anytime I stepped on a shuttle, waited in line at a restaurant, visited the post office, or even waited in line for the men’s room after a film, you could begin a conversation with anyone by asking:

“So what have you seen?”

“What did you like?

“Which film excites you so far?”

“What are you going to see next?”

In my position as a Crowd Liaison at the Racquet Club Theatre, I had this same conversation multiple times a day with ticket holders for the next film or people hoping to purchase a ticket through our waitlist line. It was always the instant conversation started.

Sometimes I’d end up talking with first time festival attendees hoping to see that “great” film, sometimes I’d talk with couples that had been coming for over a decade. I’d have this conversation with critics for major newspapers and magazines as well as the presidents of major studios. The question always worked–it always started a conversation.

With several people that conversation would transition out of film into regular life. I learned about high school students taking a break from class, former medical professors, a group of women celebrating their “girls weekend tradition,” or a mother and daughter taking a trip before the daughter heads to college this fall. I learned about Park City locals enjoying a Saturday matinee, or the film student hoping to get inspired again.

I was spoiled in my volunteer position, experiencing these interactions throughout my eight hour day. Often during my “off” time, I’d run into one of these faces at a film, on a shuttle, in a restaurant, and the conversation would pick up again with them initially giving me film updates and then maybe introducing me to their friends.

As I exited security at the Salt Lake Airport, I happened to run into three girls from USC who had wait listed for Blue Valentine at my theatre a few days prior. Again, that conversation picked up. They had enjoyed the Waste Land, a documentary that I recommended to them, and told me about the rest of their time in Park City. We visited for another few minutes and then headed to our respective gates.

It was interesting to live life like this for a few weeks. I know I’m a social person and do initiate conversations with others, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t do it nearly as often as I could. I want to do it more now. I want to begin those conversations because I believe there really are cool people out there if we believe in the possibility of that interaction and that connection. No, I’m not going to talk to every person I meet. There were a bunch of people I never visited with during their time in line or during my days in Park City, but I can strike up a conversation with at least one “stranger” each day…

and I think you can too.

Let’s make the world a little bit more friendly.

I stepped off my plane in Portland on Sunday afternoon and headed to the rental car shuttle. I’ll admit that I zone out probably about 75% of the time when I travel, focusing instead on a book that I’m reading, a DVD that I’m watching, some music on my iPhone, or an email or facebook post. I should talk with people more, but sadly I don’t. On Sunday, I did better. I was the only person on the shuttle and opened up the conversation with a standard line my dad used to use, “Beginning or ending your shift?”

My shuttle driver was on her last trip back to the lot and getting ready for a Sunday and home. The initial question opened up this nice exchange. Eventually we talked about autumn and the beautiful Portland day–a few scattered clouds in the sky, crisp cool weather, and a tapestry of leaves lining the roadways.

“Let me show you this tree.”

It’s not a statement I regularly hear, especially from a rental car shuttle driver, but it’s what I heard. Sure enough, just as we left the airport, there was one of the coolest fall trees I’ve seen. It had all the autumn colors together: dark maroons, rich ambers, sweet yellows, purples, oranges, hints of green hanging on for the last days of summer, all layered together, making the leaves feel as they already leaped of the tree.

On a normal day, I would have missed it. I would have looked at my phone. I wouldn’t be able to witness the artwork already present on Earth.

I worry about what happens when we just zone out and neglect opportunities for interaction.

A few days before I departed, I checked my messages and saw a name I hadn’t seen in years. Turns out that one of my younger sister’s friends saw the calendar on my website and noticed I’d be in her area. She invited me to visit her classroom at the nearby elementary school where she taught. I hadn’t seen her in years–not since I graduated from high school. Yesterday, I was able to stop by briefly before my flight back home to Phoenix.

Our visit was short. Her students enjoyed the last few moments of recess while I heard the abridged update on life: her moves to Texas and Washington, her cool husband, and her love of teaching. We walked out and greeted her students who were already lined up and ready to go.

The next hour or so was an absolute joy. I was watching a friend–one that I first met when she was even younger than her current students, absolutely rock in teaching. She had great techniques for classroom management, for encouraging student response and sharing, and for remembering key pieces of information (the hand signs she used to explain lines, segments, points, rays, parallel lines, and intersecting lines are my new favorites).

I couldn’t help but smile. Her invitation used different words, but I couldn’t help but feel like she said, “Let me show you my classroom.”

Like the tree it was rich and brilliant example; something beautiful to see here on Earth. I love watching educators excel in their profession. If I had zoned out, I would have missed out on this great opportunity.

In our busy lives, we risk narrowing our focus too much–getting caught up in the things around us or in the next deadline. It’s important in these busy times to still find those random opportunities to take time, to connect, and to learn from the amazing things others can show us.

Recently, a company erected billboards right by the major freeway entrances for Westgate. Two are traditional Billboards currently advertising Westgate and upcoming concerts at the facility. The other billboards are the more modern, electronic screens, changing graphics every few moments, allowing a driver following the speed limit to see two to three different advertisements as they drive by.

When I’m in town I drive by these billboards several times a week on my way to the gym or an event at my church. I’ve seen several advertisements, and I’m blown away by how awful most of the advertisements are.

The products aren’t bad, but they fail to use the medium well.

The best ads: crisp, clean, minimal words, basic colors, large font.

Most ads: too much text, small fonts, long website addresses, pictures of the person who provided the quote. In other words: bad.

Those ads might work in a magazine, where I can pause, look at the text, and read through the content. But I’m seeing these ads at 65 mph, and I still have to focus on my driving. Quite simply, I don’t have the time to pause, get out my binoculars, and read the text.

Last Friday as I drove past another set of advertisements where I could figure out the service, but now where or how I could get that service, I thought about how I was doing in this regard and how well all of our organizations are doing in this regard. I recognize marketing has always been a weaker component of my business, but this went deeper than that.

Quite simply, I wanted to ask myself, am I using the mediums properly? Again, the bad advertisements could work in a magazine, but not well on a  billboard. They might work well on a radio ad, but not as a facebook status.

The promotion of our messages and our products needs to shift for the dynamic world we live in. The cut-and-paste strategy just doesn’t work. Each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages, and utilizing each for its own special purpose could dramatically increase our results. I recently read an online article describing how the big airline carriers still use twitter as a one way medium, while other airlines like JetBlue and Southwest have found ways to make it a two way medium, often-times finding ways to quickly address customer’s concerns. It’s a strategy that is paying off big for JetBlue and Southwest.

Spend some time this week asking yourself these questions:

How can facebook best be used to promote/enhance the experience for our organization/events/message?

How can twitter…?

How can text messaging…?

How can posters…?

How can email…?

How can websites…?

How can mailings…?

How can word of mouth…?

How can auto-calls…?

That list is not all-inclusive, nor should all of the mediums be used for every group or every event. I’m currently organizing the Homecoming Reception for the Alumni Chapter of the Leadership Scholarship Program at ASU. We had mailings, emails, websites, a facebook group, and several facebook messages, but the best way to get people to attend the event was asking a handful of key people to invite their friends, and as people RSVP’d encouraging them to invite their friends as well. In the course of one weekend our numbers shot through the roof. In this case, friendship worked better than any design that appeared on paper.

Again, I’m still working on how to do all of this better. I hope you’ll join me in this process as well all figure out better ways to connect to those we serve.