Dear Friends:

I would like to ask for your help.

This year is quickly coming to an end and I am looking to fill my 2015 calendar with speaking engagements. I know that many of you are part of churches, civic groups, and other groups that often are looking for a speaker for one of their events, so I want to let you know what I do in case you hear of an event for which I would be a good fit.

I am a subject matter expert in relationship development and communication skills and a Certified Senior Master Trainer in the DISC Model of Human Behavior. I have a passion to help people build relationships that work, both personally and professionally, and to help women in particular to discover their true value and worth.

In the church:

Having been in the ministry with my husband for over 30 years, I have a vast background of speaking and teaching within the Christian community. I have taught Bible studies; led parenting, marriage and women’s retreats; taught classes for varying age groups; and worked with two churches to set up membership classes that moved people from the pews into service.

In the civic and business community:

I have worked with MOPS groups (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), Heartland Women’s Health Care of Kansas City, various marketing and sales groups associated with Mary Kay Cosmetics and Pampered Chef, GWG Global Friendship Connection of Atlanta, Environ Global Inc. of Atlanta, and others, to help them build more effective teams.

I have also trained hundreds of business professionals from all over the U.S. and Canada, and from as far away as Dubai, Australia, the UK, Singapore, Poland, Japan, Czech Republic, and Africa to use the DISC Model of Human Behavior within their businesses to reduce stress, lower turnover, build better teams and raise their bottom line.

If you know of any group or business needing a speaker for their next event, I would greatly appreciate your referral.

I am grateful for your friendship and do not want to presume upon it. I just know that word of mouth and personal recommendation is the best advertisement a person can receive. When a friend of mine recommends something to me, I am more likely to check it out, so I hope you will recommend me to your friends, family, colleagues, and groups you attend.

If you need further information, please feel free to check out my website at www.align90.com.

Thank you in advance!

Have a wonderful Christmas season and a blessed New Year!

We have a large family of five children and seventeen grandchildren. When we all get together, it is quite a crew, but we enjoy our huge family gatherings. Yesterday we established a new, fun family tradition – a pumpkin carving contest. It was a highly anticipated event! We were all excited just to be together, but we were also excited to see what each person would create.

We each came with our pumpkin and design idea, along with the tools needed to carve our own “masterpiece”. After eating lunch, we all gathered outside where long tables and benches had been set for us to work.

While each of us had a pumpkin, they were not all the same. Some were larger than others; some were darker in color. One was even variegated. Some were oblong while others were more round.

We didn’t all have the same tools with which to carve our pumpkins either. Some came with a few simple tools, while others came with more “serious” ones, like a dremel and a large carving knife.

Each person approached the task differently. Some started cutting into their pumpkins right away, while others took the time to “plan” their approach. Some used patterns that they traced onto their pumpkins or scotch taped to them in order to follow carefully their outline and know precisely where to cut. Others just sort of free-handed it. Some were focused and serious about the task while others took a more fun and light-hearted approach. Some chose just to help others rather than carve their own individual pumpkin.

As I was thinking this morning about all the fun we had, here are thoughts that occurred to me:

Just like we each came to the table with the same thing – a pumpkin, every person comes into this world with the same thing – life. But, the “raw material” of our lives is not the same. We each come with inherent personality traits, as well as different physical characteristics that dictate our size and shape.

We do not all come equipped with the same tools with which to carve out our lives, either. We all have our own unique set of skills, talents and abilities and ways of using those tools, but we are given the freedom to carve our lives the way we choose.

Just as with the pumpkins, some of us have a serious approach to any task while others prefer to take a lighter approach. Some of us prefer to have a plan and we stick to it. Others like to be more spontaneous in their creativity.

Some of our pumpkins didn’t turn out as we expected and sometimes our lives don’t turn out the way we planned. Things happen that we didn’t expect or intend.

As I looked at some of the pumpkins, I couldn’t tell what they were supposed to be. ..at least, not until they were filled with light. The picture that accompanies this is a perfect example. One of our granddaughters carved a “minion” (a character from the animated film, Despicable Me). When I looked at it, it looked like a big gaping hole to me. I could not see the intended design. But later, when it was dark outside and the light shined through it, it was obvious and so cute! In fact, each of the pumpkin’s design was better revealed when it was lit with light and our lives are the same. Sometimes life carves what looks like huge gaping holes in us, but when the light of God’s Son shines through those holes, we are able to see His design and it makes sense.

When we finished our pumpkins, we lined them all up and celebrated each person’s creation. No two were alike. Each was unique. And, as humans, we are all unique. Each person deserves to be celebrated for who they are, just as we celebrated our pumpkins!

Celebrate your life and let the Son shine through! Then celebrate His design in others!

I am a speaker/trainer and would love to speak at your next event. To find out more about me, go to www.align90.com.

Change is something that is easier for some personality types than others.  Those who are outgoing, fast-paced, energetic and enthusiastic about life tend to like change because they like to have new and diverse experiences.  Those who are more reserved, cautious, and take comfort in the security of status quo, find change much more difficult, and, they often approach it with caution and skepticism.

One thing, however, is abundantly clear…change is part of living and growing.  Circumstances can cause us to experience change in location, job, financial status, family, and in just about any other arena of our lives.  But, today I want to talk about another kind of change.  Change in you!

Have you ever found yourself having the same frustrating experience over and over again and you wonder why that particular thing keeps happening to you?  The answer is simple: NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES!

If we want a different outcome, then we must be willing to look at that situation that keeps occurring and ask what needs to happen in order to get a different outcome.  If we continue doing the same thing we’ve been doing, we’re going to get the same results every time.  Oh, the scenery may change, but not the final outcome.

For instance, some women constantly find themselves in relationships with the same kind of men and can’t seem to understand why that keeps happening, yet, unless they are willing to change their criteria of what they are looking for, or the places they go to attract someone, or their belief system about what they deserve, they will likely continue to repeat the pattern, which continues to bring pain into their lives.

Every New Year thousands of people resolve that this will be the year they lose their unwanted weight.  But, days and weeks go by and they do nothing significant to change the way they eat or exercise, and then they feel the same guilt, lethargy, and frustration when the next year rolls around without them having made any progress.

Sometimes people have the same issues at work no matter what job they hold or who the people are with whom they work.  But, what is the common denominator in every one of those situations?  It is the person, themselves, isn’t it?  So, the logical conclusion has to be that something needs to change in their own actions or perspectives if they want things to be different next time.

Would you like to end that cycle for yourself?  Then, take the time to sit down and write out what would have to happen in order for you to feel good and be happy in whatever area you choose to change.  Devise a plan on how to achieve that goal.  And, if you need to, seek help.  Maybe you need a coach, or a dietician, or a mentor. Find someone who has been successful doing what you want to do and ask them to help you do the same.

Decide to take control of the only thing over which you truly have control…yourself!  Design your future; your destiny.  Get comfortable with change and make it your friend.  And, remember, NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES!

I am a speaker/trainer/coach.  I would love to speak at your next event or help you make YOUR life changes. To learn more about me, go to www.align90.com