Book Review: "Winning the War in Your Mind" by Craig Groeschel

Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exceptional book that will help you gain mental and spiritual fortitude. In a time and culture where mental health seems to be declining rapidly and stress runs rampant, this book is an absolute must-read. Craig Groeschel shares some deeply personal stories of disappointment and struggle in his own life and helps us learn how to overcome our own mind wars. Bonus - I listened to the audiobook read by Craig Groeschel and there is an accompanying PDF so you can work through the exercises. https://www.harpercollinschristian.co...



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Book Review: "Beginner's Pluck"

Beginner's Pluck: Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now by Liz Forkin Bohannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I got to see Liz Bohannon (via webcast) at the 2019 Global Leadership Summit where she endeared the whole audience and inspired everyone to not play small with this one big life we get AND where she literally flew over the audience. Anyway, her determination and yes, PLUCK, inspired me to buy her book; and I was not I disappointed.

Liz is so full of life and spirit and adventure and shows you just how fun life can be when you are following after God and trying to make a difference!

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Book Review: "The Divine Mentor"

 

The Divine Mentor: Growing Your Faith as You Sit at the Feet of the Savior by Wayne Cordeiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Our church board read this book together. Pastor Wayne Cordeiro really demonstrates the importance of reading the Bible for a relationship and for wisdom. It's a good reminder that it's not something to just check off on a to-do list. One of the most practical takeaways for me was just in how to approach devotional time: with my Bible (obviously), a notebook, a pen, a Bible reading plan, AND my planner. The planner is for when my mind starts to wonder to my to-do list, write it down (brain dump) and the move on. This simple tip has so helped me to focus better!

Favorite Excerpts:

"Protecting and cultivating your spiritual root system is not a pill to swallow that automatically will bring you health, wealth, and a perfect family. But it will give you wide-open access to an all-wise, all-powerful God who will personally walk with you step by step. You’ll embark on an adventure that will introduce you to lifelong mentors who may save your health, your marriage, your ministry, and your future."

"I hate to break the bad news to you, but about 80 percent of all you do, anyone can do! For example, going to work, attending meetings, checking e-mail, answering phones, going to soccer games and lunches and dinners. Additionally, about 15 percent of all you do someone with some measure of training could do in your place. Whether it’s selling a product, running a program, teaching a class, or fixing a problem, there is education and training available for someone else to do what you do. But at least 5 percent of what you do, only you can do. No one else can do it for you.
The last 5 percent . . . it’s something we have to discover and then be responsible for. • • Only I can be a husband/wife to my spouse. • • Only I can be a father/mother to my children. • • Only I can grow myself spiritually. • • Only I can keep myself healthy. • • Only I can keep myself disciplined."

"Neglecting devotions will cause you more problems, more quickly, than just about anything you can name. Spending unrushed time alone with God in His Word releases a fountain of refreshment from the very core of your being."

"When you miss your devotions one day, you notice. When you miss them two days, your spouse and kids notice. And when you miss them three days, the world notices."





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Book Review: "Hope in the Dark"

Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not by Craig Groeschel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Favorite Snippets:

"Honest questions, sincere doubts, and deep hurts can draw you closer to God than you’ve ever been before."

"To really know God, you have to wrestle through pain, struggle with honest doubts, and even live with unanswered questions. So while I won’t promise you that God is your copilot or that the Bible says it and that settles it, I will promise you this: if you wrestle with him, seek him, cling to him, God will meet you in your pain."

"WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH A SEASON OF STRUGGLING WITH God, remember: Habakkuk’s name means both to wrestle and to embrace. You can wrestle with God about all that you don’t like, yet simultaneously embrace him because he is good and trustworthy."

"Over time, as you grow in the grace of God, what normally would have rocked your world becomes something you can take in stride, knowing God is with you and will carry you when you are weak. "

"Even though I don’t like it, even though I don’t understand it, even though I know he could and he should but he’s not, yet will I trust in the Lord my God.”

Pray: Even though … I will trust you. You are my God.

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Book Review: "The Power of Moments"

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Moments Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my various leadership roles and even my job as a real estate agent, this book challenged me to do better at making the little moments special. The first day on the job, the first meeting, the first showing, the closing table, etc.  All of these moments have the power to make someone feel valued, appreciated, loved and should not be taken for granted. 

Here is a good checklist that we should make sure our team can answer:

"1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work? (Validation.)
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? (Caring.)
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development? (Understanding. Caring.)" 

Addressing these 6 answers/needs helps foster a positive work environment.

All-in, lots of good takeaways for any one who wants to be a better leader/influencer!

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Crown Realty Annual Awards Luncheon 2019 - My Speech

2018 was our 45^th year in business and also the year we said goodbye to my grandma who helped start Crown Realty with my Dad. She greatly influenced who we are today, and I wanted to spend a little time this morning sharing with you some things I learned from my Grandma, Naomi Hosack.

We have adopted a new slogan around here and it’s “where agents are family and clients are royalty.” We truly believe it and try our best to practice it around here, and I think my Grandma started that trend of treating each and every agent like family.  I used to love visiting her at the Olathe office when I was younger and I saw how she interacted with everyone.  She knew everyone’s name and what was going on with them.  As we grow larger and larger, I realize that gets harder and harder to do, but I’m thankful that with our smaller office sizes every broker and secretary knows their team so well! 

 

Another thing I learned from my grandma is the importance of celebrating.  She celebrated every victory, every closing, every listing won, every referral, everything.  And as Nick’s and my grandma, she celebrated everything with us too – basketball games, losing a tooth, getting a good grade, whatever it was – she was there to party with us.  Celebrating victories is what we’ll be doing here today too.  2018 was an exceptional year, as you heard from Dad.  

The other part of our motto is “where clients are royalty” – because we are family, we believe we truly can treat clients with the absolute best customer service.  We try to filter all of our decisions through that lens.  

Every website and tool that we provide to our agent family is to help us best serve our buyer and seller clients.   And because of our in-house training and high staff-to-agent ratio, each agent is able to be the very best they can be with the support of their broker, their education, and their secretaries.  We believe that when our agents have help setting signs, inputting listings, marketing, contract support, and more, that frees you up to treat your clients like royalty.

I recently read a book by Danny Meyer titled “Setting the Table.”  Danny Meyer started off with one restaurant in New York City at the age of 27.  He now owns a restaurant empire with hundreds of successful restaurants.  One, Shake Shack, is here in Kansas City, on the Plaza.  In his book, Danny writes that 75% of restaurants fail, and interestingly enough the stats for real estate agents are similar, 80% of real estate agents quit in their first 2 years.  Fortunately, Crown Realty agents, much like Danny Meyer’s restaurants do much better.  I went back and looked at our new agent rosters over the last few years, and over 50% of our newer agents are consistently closing over $1 million a year and only 15% have let their licenses expire. 

So what’s Danny’s secret ingredient?  I think it’s the same as ours.  He calls it “enlightened hospitality” and it’s all about how you make the customer feel.  Many restaurants have similar menus, appearances, and ingredients.  Every agent has the MLS, a lockbox, and a license.  But Danny Meyer’s argues that in this day and age, it is how you deliver your service that counts the most.  He writes, “In the end, what’s most meaningful is creating positive, uplifting outcomes for human experiences and human relationships. Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that hard."

Let me read that last line again, “Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel.  It’s that simple, and it’s that hard.”  My Grandma made everyone around her feel like family.  It is my hope that we continue that legacy with each other.  And that every single client of all of ours feels like royalty when they are working with a Crown agent.

Crown Family, THANK YOU for all you do to serve with all your hearts and represent our family well!

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Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is full of stories and gems of insight for anyone in business or leadership no matter what field!

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Book Review: "Only Love Today"

 

Only Love Today: Reminders to Breathe More, Stress Less, and Choose Love by Rachel Macy Stafford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Empowering and Beautiful

This truly is one of the most life-giving books I have ever read. This inspires me to be a better mom, wife, friend, worker, and person. I highly recommend this one!!!

"Pause in the busyness of your day—even a moment or two will do. For that moment, pay attention. Notice. Listen. Stop. Breathe. There’s a good chance you’ll catch a moment when all is right in your perfectly imperfect, gloriously messy, happily chaotic little world. Peace, love, freedom, and joy, right there at your fingertips. The most meaningful life experiences don’t happen in the “when”; they happen in the “now.” It is the sacred pauses within everyday life that heal our frenzied souls. Let us pause and live today." 

"Now, more than ever, we must catch glimpses of that which can lift us up.        

Now, more than ever, we must search for these barely noticeable glimmers of light that have the power to carry us. 

Now, more than ever, we must not let cynicism, negativity, or the busyness of life allow us to lose sight of the good."

"Today I will turn my attention away from the negativity filling my senses and my News Feed. I will turn to the people I love and notice that there is still so much goodness to be grasped and celebrated. Goodness comes down the stairs with crazy morning hair. It has a milk mustache and stinky feet. It puts gasoline in my car and kisses me good night. It bags my groceries with a smile. It teaches my children. It hugs me with shaky, wrinkled hands. The ability to detect goodness where others see nothing good is more than a day changer; it’s a life changer. Today I will notice the good in the world and in my world."

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