Veteran’s Day

On this Veteran’s Day, I am grateful to every single person I ever served with, for, and everyone who served before and after my time in the service. (That is a boatload of prepositions.)  I cannot imagine how my life would have turned out if I had not joined the military.   The people I worked with, of all ranks, taught me invaluable life lessons, gave me challenges, and enabled me to grow as a person.   I didn’t like every single day of every single job (who does?), but I did learn every single day in every single job.  It was a great career, with great people.  I do feel humbled by the people who surrounded me every single day, and I am gratful that I spent 25 years of my life in uniform.   The military made me who I am, blessed me with lifelong friendships and bonds, and gave me life experiences that I could never have otherwise.

On this Veteran’s Day, when people are thanking veterans, I want to thank America for allowing me the opportunity and privilige to serve. It truly was my honor, every single day, to be part of America’s finest.

30 Days of Thanks – Producing the Manual

I am thankful that the pieces of my printing puzzle are coming together to make the binder version of the manual happen. I am thankful that I have wonderful friends who helped me with the cover designs. I am thankful that the right people are in the right place at the right time to make everything happen. I am thankful that I have colleagues who have the courage and grace to tell me what needed to be improved as the writing progressed. AND I am thankful that I am getting the orders that make the production a happy necessity!
Mary Kelly, PhD
www.Organize-You.com

Friends who make me laugh

I have a fairly humorous family and some absolutely hilarious friends. One of my friends writes a blog that just makes me laugh out loud and giggle. It is at http://scotchandcupcakes.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-want-to-live-in-catalog.html

What a wonderful gift! If you know of other really funny sites, please let me know!

Mary Kelly
www.ProductiveLeaders.com

Mary’s 30 Days of Thanks – The Lawrence Welk Show

The 30 Days of Thanks

Last night I was at the Memorial Hospital, where I volunteer at the family room outside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The hospital has 13 channels, and one of them had the Lawrence Welk Show.

I love that music, and was quite pleased when one of the families left that show on the hospital TV. The Lawrence Welk Show used to air on Saturday nights, and my grandparents watched it religiously. So I knew the names of the cast members, and most of the songs. I think it is probably why I love Big Band music and the songs of that era. I confess that watching the Lawrence Welk show again last night made me smile, remembering Saturday evenings with a fire in the fireplace, playing cards, drinking tea, and watching “Welkie.”

My grandfather passed on, and when I was living in Hawaii in the 1990s, I was fortunate enough to meet Cissy King, one of the singers and dancers, and one of my grandmother’s favorite performers. She was very kind and sent my grandmother a signed portrait. It was a terrific birthday present for my grandmother, who lived until she was 103.

Thanks Lawrence Welk!

Dr. Mary Kelly, CDR, USN (ret)
www.ProductiveLeaders.com
Mary@ProductiveLeaders.com

30 Days of Thanks – Nov 7, 2009

The 30 Days of Thanks
Intro: My friend Mika (http://www.mthvirtualassistance.com/2009/11/07/30-days-of-thanks-day-2/) joined her friends in a project called 30 Days of Thanks. The idea of doing a journal of thanks for the 30 days of November seems like a terrific way to focus on abundance and joy.
Feel free to join us!

Today I had the honor and privilege of interviewing young men and women who applied for a nomination to attend a service academy. Since my brothers and I all attended the Naval Academy (my sister went AFROTC) and I taught at the Naval Academy, this was a wholly different part of the puzzle.

I was impressed with the caliber of the young people who are motivated, energized, and eager to serve their country. It made me smile to hear them talk about their idealistic views of how they are going to change the world. I admire them for standing up, volunteering, and articulating the same things my brothers and sister and I all said when asked why we wanted to be in the military. While everyone has a different perspective, a common theme was the desire to be part of a greater purpose.

I was also impressed by the caliber of the people conducting the interviews. While every office conducts the selection differently, I am sure, I was struck by the fairness, dedication, and commitment of the teams of strangers, who come together to help their elected officials make great choices for a stronger military. The teams really worked hard to place the right young people at the right academy.

I am thankful to be a small part of such a fair, careful, and deliberate process to help young people with their futures and the future of the officer community of the US military.

Dr. Mary Kelly, CDR USN (ret)
CEO, Productive Leaders
www.ProductiveLeades.com

Happiness in Airports

I spend lots of time in airports. And today I saw genuine concern and random acts of kindness all over.

A man helped a 30-year-old woman get checked in. It was the first time she had flown, and she didn’t know how the bag check system worked.

People cheerfully stood aside to allow two frenzied and stressed airline workers get to their plane.

Three people in a completely full flight helped to organize the overhead bin to fit in the bags of perfect strangers.

People actually held their coats in their laps like we are supposed to.

People applauded when uniformed military personnel boarded the plane.

At baggage claim, two older gentlemen lifted the bags of others who had trouble getting their bags off the carousal.

People got out the way for each other at the escalators.

People held the doors for others at the elevators.

People behaved the way we are supposed to.

Nobel Peace and Prize Money

I love that the universe has a prize for people who promote peace. And just 11 days after President Obama took office, the Nobel Peace Prize submission was due. He won. The prize money is $1.4 million. Not bad work for 11 days of work. Of course, it is a mere pittance compared to Bank of America’s CEO severance package of $53 million.)
I know that President Obama intends to donate that $1.4 million to a charity. I am sure there is a team of lawyers who are now wondering how to choose a worthy charity that doesn’t offend somebody. I was pondering how much bank bonus money was going to charity.
If it is true that we “vote” with our pocketbooks, what does this say?
Very interesting how money gets allocated.
Mary Kelly
www.ProductiveLeaders.com
www.Organize-You.com

The Importance of Great Friends

I am daily reminded of the importance of wonderful friends, mostly because I have amazing people who allow me to come into their lives.  I regularly invade the homes of my friends when I travel, and they very cheerfully put up with my crazy schedules.  They also allow me to sleep with their dogs.  So I am very thankful today for my amazing friends.

A Big Cheer for Volunteers

I am impressed that tough economic times have increased the level of volunteerism in America.

I was at the Denver USO today, where engineers, doctors, teachers and many others make coffee and serve sandwiches to military service members and their families.   Many of the volunteers were military themselves, are or were part of a military family, have kids in the military, or took advantage of the USO when they were active duty and feel as though they want to help.   The Denver USO does not advertise for volunteers, and there is a waiting list of 160 people (over a year long) to be one of the volunteers. Wow! That’s intrinsic motivation.

The hospital where I volunteer is comprised of mostly professional or retired people who also just want to help.  Amazing!   The motivation of these volunteers to accept work a counter, fill in for others, deliver dinners, and be a comforting shoulder in times of crisis is commendable.

Watching the increase in volunteerism makes me believe that there is a strong correlation between the need for a community response and the desire for people to be part of a community solution.  When times get tough, we need each other more. Thanks to everyone who volunteers in their children’s schools, in churches, at hospitals, community centers, senior centers, welcome centers, airports, and everywhere else other people need a hand.

Why I like Nascar

One of the main reasons I like NASCAR is that the teams racing each other try hard.  The teams truly exert effort to make their driver successful.  Driving a car 600 miles at 200 mph with less than 2 feet separating you from the next guy is hard to do for hours on end.  And the teams have to support that driver by trying to get him the best car possible, with the best pit stops possible.  Changing 4 tires in 13 seconds with 5 lug nuts each is hard work.  Performing a wedge adjustment while the car is getting fueled and the tires being changed is hard work too.   The NASCAR pit crews practice what they do, and everyone working to meet a 13 or 14 second deadline takes precision, concentration, and mostly, a lot of effort by everyone involved during an adrenaline-filled race.

And I enjoy the fuel strategies and the teamwork and crew chiefs and the ramifications of various cautions and who gets the Lucky Dog.  I like and appreciate all that.  But what I really applaud is the sheer effort that every team exhibits every single week.  I like to think that they try hard because they love what they do and take pride in their accomplishments, as we all should.

I tune in to NASCAR races because there is more to it than GO FAST, TURN LEFT.   It is great to see people who work hard, race hard ,and try hard to be successful at what they do.

(Oh, and yes, I do have a favorite driver…)

Comments anyone????

Mary Kelly

www.ProductiveLeaders.com

Mary@ProductiveLeaders.com