The Bank & Trust team gathers every day for a motivational time meant to inspire exceptional service, team work, and professional development. It is our pleasure to share with you some of the thoughts presented during this special time. We hope that you will find either personal inspiration or have insight into the bank's culture of excellence. We have credited the source of our inspirations and also extend our sincere thanks for this information. Please enjoy...

"May your walls know joy; may every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility." - Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

¹ The following "Point of View" was shared during our motivational time because it puts into words a philosophy The Bank & Trust values...

Our Point of View:

• Experiences should be rooted in our story.
• Experiences should explore and celebrate customer values.
• Experiences should be purposeful and inspire the heart.
• Experiences must be meaningfully measured.
• Experiences live or die by stewardship.

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." - EE Cummings

² Working from the Heart "Work is love made visible." - Kahlil Gibran
Most of us do not consider our work a personal form of worship. Work is worldly. Worship is withdrawing from the world to honor Spirit. But could there be a more beautiful way to honor the Great Creator than by contributing to the re-creation of the world through our gifts? This is what we are called to do each day through our work. Yet it is very difficult to get even a glimmer of the holy when we are harassed, unappreciated, overwhelmed, frazzled, and burned-out. ...It's easier to imagine that our work could be our worship if we could perceive the sacred in how we spend at least eight hours of the day. Perhaps the secret to coming to this awareness, no matter what our present circumstances, is to discover the work we would love to do. But until we do, we need to learn to love the work we're presently doing. ...Today you can begin to transform your workplace and your working style by considering how much you have to be grateful for. If you have a job, even one you dislike, it's a safety net as you take a leap of faith toward your authenticity; if you're out of work, the path has already been cleared for you to answer your authentic calling. Invoke Spirit as your personal career counselor. The mystic poet Kahlil Gibran tells us, "When you work, you fulfill a part of earth's fondest dream assigned to you when that dream is born." Fulfilling your part of the earth's fondest dream occurs when you work from the heart.

"Whatever you are, be a good one." - Abraham Lincoln

³ Cavett Robert tells a story about a boy visiting a soda shop. He orders a root beer float and while it is being made, he goes over to the pay phone. The man behind the counter is listening in. The boy says, "Hello Ma'am, I was calling to see if you need your grass cut today. Oh you already have someone doing your grass? Does he hedge around the sidewalk? Does he sweep up? Okay. So you're happy with the service? Thank you, anyway." He hangs up the phone. The man behind the counter says, "I heard your conversation, and I'm sorry." The boy asks, "Sorry about what?" The man says, "It's obvious you didn't get the job." The boy replies, "Oh, don't worry. There is nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who already has the job. I was just calling to make sure I'm doing a good job."

"Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely." - Kay Lyons

Think you know your coworkers well? We thought so too until one morning we broke into groups and each person shared 3 tidbits about themselves that nobody else knew. From Dutch as their first language to a collegiate wrestler to a Harley Davidson rider, there were many surprises. What a great opportunity to interact and appreciate one another's talents and interest outside of the bank. Make a point to get to know someone in your day a little better - you might be surprised what you learn!

"You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

"When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another." - Helen Keller

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." - Sir Winston Churchill

¹ SOURCE: That Customer Vibe - Are You Connecting? Families. Friends. Financial institutions? The Deluxe Knowledge Quarterly; KQ2 2007; page 2.

² SOURCE: Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Copyright 1995. Warner Books, Inc.

³ SOURCE: Moments of Magic by Shep Hyken. A Shepard Presentation. Copyright 1993. The Alan Press.