Our company, Hotel AG is involved in something this week that is proving to be a tad stressful. On me. This situation has consumed my thoughts for the past week and partially my thoughts for the past eight weeks.

I think with all big decisions in life, in order to gain perspective, you need to envision the worst case scenario before you can get past the decision at hand. You also need to take an inventory of your life and as has been preached for generations, count your blessings. I mean literally count your blessings as you think about your life, your health, your family, your children, your home etc. I find that so many times we forget or overlook what blessings we already have when in fact, these are the very aspects of life that help you gain and keep perspective.

It is my guess that you could go to the local Starbucks or a shopping area and sit for five minutes and you will see someone else that will reinforce to you how blessed you really are. It is easy to take the goodness in our lives for granted and to just assume you will continue to have that goodness.

Last night I couldn’t sleep so I went into the family room to read for a while and looked down below one of the bar stools and on the floor were a pair of little pink fuzzy house slippers that belong to my youngest granddaughter. I picked them up and held them and gently put them on bar stool and realized at that moment what a simple blessing it was to hold those pink slippers and to know that my little granddaughter is healthy, happy and full of joy. It is these little small details that give us a glimpse into a blessed life that help us get through what we think is a big issue. In reality, it helps us understand that the big issue is the little pink slippers and the small issue is the work thing. KT

If you dumped a 1,000 piece puzzle on the table, and I asked you what is the most important part of the puzzle, what would you say?

It is much like life and business. When you know what is the most important part, it helps you decide what to do. We sell hotels as a business, and in every transaction, there is always a personal element to consider. The personal element is the why. If you can answer that part, you understand the most important part of that transaction puzzle. It is the same with a marriage, children or your personal friendships. Once you understand why, you can figure out the rest.

Do you know the answer to the question about what is the most important part of a puzzle? It’s the picture on the box. If you don’t know what it is supposed to look like when you are finished, how do you start? So, in life and business it is the same thing. When faced with a challenge or problem, keep looking at it until you see the picture or the vision of it and start there. That way you will know if the pieces will fit or if it is a waste of time.

There is this guy I know who built a new house and clearly did not have a set of plans or a picture to follow. He just dug a foundation and started building; he would make changes and add rooms as he went. The result? A home that is probably valued at zero because it was done without the most important part: a picture or plans. It is just a hodgepodge amalgamation of building materials, shapes, colors, layouts and design. It is the ugliest house you have ever seen.

When you are faced with a difficult situation, ask God to give you the wisdom (James 1:5) and vision for how the situation should look once resolved. That will help guide your steps to resolving the difficult situation. Simple right? Ha. KT

In business, the inner workings of an office have always intrigued and literally amused me. It’s like high school football, you have the ones who love to play the game and get after it, the ones who just want to get through the game and then my favorite, the ones who just want to talk about the game.

As a leader/boss etc. in an office environment you need to change things up periodically like placing a new person in the middle of the all-girls or all boys club. You would be amazed at how a little rearranging people from time to time can be effective. It is also very important to walk through the office several unexpected times a day to keep up with the general vibe of the work place. You will learn a great deal just walking through, listening and speaking to people.

I had this graphic designer one time that had his computer screens facing away from the door so you couldn’t see what he was working on. Mental note, don’t let anyone hide their screens from open view. Anyway, I would go into his office and always had the feeling he was closing files down when I walked in. One day I just hurried into his office all the way the around his desk before he could close files. Yep, you guessed it. He was doing something that was completely unrelated to work. Bless his heart, I thought he was going to need a shower because he almost had an accident in the chair. His face turned beet red and he broke out in a cold sweat. Needless to say, we changed his seating arrangement so he would not have the temptation to check on his social media pages at work.

One of the best tip offs that something is up around an office, is when you see people whispering. This always raises my antenna as to a potential problem brewing in the back ground. Sometimes it is just an employee having issues and needing to talk it through with someone else. Nothing wrong with that but when you see the same person involved in whispering to numerous employees, it is best to head it off before it gets traction with your people.

Have you ever been around an office where people are just lazily going about their day and doing what I call busy work? It generally happens when several people sit close together for a long period of time. They bond up together and start watching out for the boss and alerting each other and covering for each other. Before you know it, they have developed this little pack together against everyone else in the office and basically they have their own little group. Have you ever seen this? Locating a new person in their midst generally does the trick. If not you just have to separate them. They will get mad but who cares. The main function of an office is the business at hand.

I call these little tidbits, course 101 of management. People want to be lead, respected, inspired and they want to have examples to follow in life even though they would never admit it. When people believe in the mission of the company, it is amazing how enjoyable a work environment can be. KT

The term God combination is how I refer to the following:

Your look, eye movement, speech, hair, mannerisms, the way you walk, the cadence of your voice, the conviction in your speech, hand movement, height, weight, the look in your eyes, the dilation of your pupils, your smile, your frown etc. Also how you slow or speed up your words for hidden meaning, your focus, intensity, actions, etc.

I could go on for 3 pages on just the various things that make up your combination that is unique to only you. There has never been and ever will be a person with your same combination. You are a one and only creation.

I have always said that real life connections happen in person. You cannot see any of the above personality traits in emails, texts, phone calls or websites. It only happens in person.

The point is to recognize that you were created for a purpose and given a combination by God that only you have. I cannot express the importance of this. You really need to let what I am saying today move from your mind to your heart. Basically, not only hear it, but also understand it. It could just be the piece of wisdom that changes your life as you know it and it could be just the piece of wisdom that finally allows you to except yourself and to stop trying to change who you are. Self-love, self-respect and self-esteem are literally the cornerstones of a confident, happy and successful life. You may need to read this blog several times a day so it can move your spirit to where you understand what this means. It means God created you just the way he wants you to be.

I have seen this in action probably thousands of times where I have had a phone call or email exchange with a new client that was just ok. Ok, but not great. That was followed up with a face to face meeting and in the meeting, everything changed. It is in the meeting where the other person sees firsthand the combination of you and decides if they like you and can trust you. This is where the magic happens in our personal life and in business.

In summary, I may be ugly, marginally intelligent and have a speech impediment,,,, but that is the combination God wants me to have. I don’t know why but it is what it is. I can spend my life trying to be someone I am not or I can make the decision to embrace who I am and get on with life. I suspect you have that same decision to make. KT