In light of Hurricane Florence and the aftermath in North and South Carolina, I will be donating $1 per book sold here on my website to the recovery efforts.
OUR FUNDRAISER HAS ENDED! THaNK YOU TO ALL WHO ORDERED THE BOOK DURING PRE-RELEASE!
Last night I was the featured vocalist at a regional Christian Women in Media event where I heard Mila Grigg from Moda Image Consulting speak on personal branding. Now branding is a hot topic in this age of digital media. What others think of your company or your product makes a difference in your company’s success. I’ve heard many people speak on branding over the years but this one resonated deeply with me. It got me thinking about marriage. I know you are thinking, “huh?” but stay with me. Mila said that you don’t own your brand, your customer does and what they say about you when you leave the room IS your brand. So let’s translate that to your marriage relationship. What if your marriage “brand” directly correlates to your relational success? What is your brand there? Would your spouse say you are kind, generous, loving, joyful, forgiving in your marriage or would the residue that remains when you leave the room be frustration, anger, bitterness, annoyance or sorrow? IF the way we carry ourselves within what we do for a living can truly make or break us, wouldn’t that same principle apply to our relationships? Specifically our marriages?
It nailed me. Too often the fragrance I leave in the room is not one that truly resonates with who I want to be as a wife. Juggling my family, career, volunteering at church, planning 2 weddings ( my daughter’s & my sister’s), being head of a local high school music board, running a household ie: laundry,cooking ,cleaning….can leave me frazzled, if not kept in balance. When it is out of balance it spills over into my marriage. Not pretty…Ugh.
Marriage isn’t easy. It takes intentional investment to maintain and grow a rich relationship. What do you want to be known for in life? More specifically, what do you want to be known for in your marriage? I can tell you, what you are known for in your peripheral relationships can be way different than those close to you at home. You should ask your spouse or your kids. They’ll tell you the hard truth. They are the ones who see the good, bad and the ugly and love you anyway. At home the real branding emerges. So what is your marriage brand? Is it what you want to be known for? If not, how might you change that today? Something to think about.
Would love to hear from you if you want to comment below. And yes I’m open to the good, bad and the ugly because it matters. Please feel free to like, share this post too. 🙂
It’s February! The snow is falling here in middle TN which means no school today. As a northern gal relocated to the south this always tickles me. 12 inches of snow in the North = 1 hour school delay LOL! Here, the city is shut down. But I get it…the roads are hilly and we don’t have the salt trucks and removal system that they have in the north. We seem to always get ice here too…usually beneath the layer of snow which makes the roads very treacherous. The 1 or 2 inches of snow are beautiful though, glistening across the farm behind my house. Stillness.. I love those days that interrupt the busyness of life. We run here and there…going to work, PTO meetings, church meetings, grocery store….it can be a never ending cycle. Those of us that work from home don’t stop working on these days but I try to be present. Sitting by the window watching the snow fall while I drink my coffee at least. Taking a few minutes to breathe ….Life is more than running here and there. God created a world and a life and people He wanted us to care for and embrace. We have families and friends and neighbors we barely see because we are rushing to or from somewhere. At least I have found that to be true in my own life. What about you? When is the last time you had a pause…to breathe, to connect with a friend or how about your spouse? Marriages fall apart quickly when we don’t connect. I see my husband every day but even we have to be intentional about pausing to connect together because life is busy and full. This is the week of Valentine’s Day. Sometimes we pause and have dinner or share a moment or bring flowers or candy for special days like Valentine’s but when was the last time you really connected intentionally with your spouse? Dinner and a movie at home? Game night? Trying a new hobby together? Trying a new restaurant or cooking together? It’s fun! In fact, what are the creative ways you connect with your spouse when life is busy? (outside of the bedroom) I’d love to hear from you and maybe we’ll all learn to pause a bit more together!
Since it’s Valentine’s week and in the spirit of intentional connecting ….I will be giving away my romantic Jazz CD to one lucky commenter this week!
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