Let’s Celebrate! This is the 100th Purely You Blog! 

I remember in 6th grade we had to write one paragraph, at least 5 sentences, for homework every night. While I didn’t mind writing, that seemed exhausting. Here I am now choosing to write every week for the last 100 weeks! And every week for a few hundred more… Today we’ll take a beat to reflect on the most popular posts in the first 100. One dozen of them to be exact. So here we go…

Starting at the 12th most popular post

#12 Protect Your Space. This one is all about preventing people from sucking the life out of you and knowing how to protect your good mood even when you’re around a bunch of negative Nancy’s! “Listen, someone else's rain doesn't have to fall on your parade.”

#11 Hard Conversations. This chat is a reminder that we are the examples for our daughters and our daughters will have opportunities to make big changes in our world....

It is often said in the “coaching world” that we teach that which we need to learn. My goodness, how true that is. So often I find myself saying things in a session with a client and thinking, “Self, pay attention. You needed to hear that too!” The wisdom I have been blessed with over the last 7 years of this work has helped me to grow and evolve just as much as my clients do. As we’re all in the spirit of offering gratitude, I have to share my gratefulness for these lessons! I am a human and I face challenges just like you do. Sometimes I forget to ground, sometimes I don’t say “no” often enough, sometimes I don’t make self-care a priority and I end up burnt out… We are not meant to be perfect on this journey called life, we are simply meant to find peace in the process. Every time I find myself a little off, I remember the lessons I have learned from my clients. The ones that blow my mind and speak straight to my soul....

Who doesn’t love to be helpful? We have been told from the beginning of time to help our neighbors, help those in need, help each other out, lend a helping hand, etc… etc…etc… 

I’m all about being helpful, it's one of my most favorite things to do. I love to volunteer. I love to help those less fortunate than me. I love to be a part of something bigger than my own goals, dreams, and desires. And I love when others help me when I'm in need.  Here’s what I don’t love: when offering that help is at the cost of my wellbeing. 

You know how when you’re on a plane and the flight attendant reminds you to put your oxygen mask on first, then help those around you. Do you know why they do that? The reality is that once a plane cabin begins to depressurize, you have about 18 seconds before you start to be affected by the lack of oxygen. If you spend 15 of those seconds helping out someone else, you might not have time...

The other day I watched something happen that I think you’ll recognize in your own life. My husband and I were driving down the road and something fell out of the back of the truck. My husband got upset, stopped, backed up, and put it back in and we were off again. Less than a mile later, it happened again. And again he got upset, stopped, backed up, and put it back in. We go a little further and sure enough….we’re in the same situation for the third time, but he’s furious now. One could reason that it should have been tied down, the roads need to be bladed, etc… etc… but outside of that, what stuck out to me is that immediately after that happened he grabs for the bottle of Ibuprofen he keeps in the pickup and says, “I got so mad I gave myself a headache.” Now the nurse and healer in me know that this headache isn’t here to stay. It’s merely a side effect of his blood pressure skyrocketing due to his anger about the...

I have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I gave the first 4 years of my adult life earning that degree. Nowhere in my nursing education did I learn how to run a business! That training has all come since then through various courses, books, podcasts, and trial and error. One big concept for all business owners is to know which activities provide the best profit or return of investment. If you own a retail store, you’re likely not going to be selling winter coats when it’s 100 degrees outside. If you make jewelry, you’re likely not going to be making seashell jewelry if you live in the midwest. If you need a storefront, you’re likely not going to rent one for twice your average revenue. You don’t have to have a business degree to see the sense in this approach. 

Now, instead of revenue in your business, look at time in your life. What activities provide the best outcome for your time? Time is a resource we never get back. We never get this...

Sometimes it’s refreshing to not have any plans. To have a whole day open for whatever comes your way! However… it’s very hard to live every day like that. Most of us are driven by deadlines, points of necessity, and feelings of accomplishment. That is why we make to-do lists and schedules. Most of us get more done if we know what we are doing. As a general rule of thumb we do well with listing tasks for work, or getting the kids ready for the day, and maybe even our own daily routines as far as normal housework goes. But how are you doing on the road to your own wellness? Do you have a plan and goals for feeling better, more at peace, or less exhausted? Do you have any direction for having more positive relationships or a deeper connection with your partner? 

Here’s the funny thing about life. We get so caught up in helping everyone else achieve their goals that we forget about achieving our own. We forget to even set our own personal goals. I...

What does burnout look like? It might surprise you to know that burnout isn’t necessarily a mental breakdown. It’s not you ending up in bed, sick, because you pushed too hard for too long. Burnout isn’t even always a midlife crisis. 

Sometimes burnout looks like a short-temper and irritability. 

It might be a lack of patience or empathy. 

It might look like increased frustration with the little things. 

It might look like chronic exhaustion.

Maybe it’s a reaction that is much bigger than the problem at hand (think toddler tantrum over a red cup instead of a blue cup: small problem, big reaction). 

Sometimes it looks like putting in less than your best at work. 

Sometimes burnout is not having the desire to enjoy the things you used to enjoy, be it a hobby, a relationship, or even adults-only time with your partner. 

Burnout may also look like you running headfirst into another project because you feel this need to...

Does your conversation go like this, when you run into that acquaintance at the grocery store? 

“Hey! How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’m good, busy but good. See ya later!” 

Busy, but good. How many times do we repeat some version of that throughout the day? How many times do you think to yourself, “if I only had time…” How often do you get to the end of the day only to realize it flew by and you’re not even sure what you got accomplished? 

We have glorified busy. To be an overachiever is the best way to feel accomplished. To be so busy you can’t enjoy life is the only way to live. To have every day on your calendar full must mean that you are successful and well-liked. Right? Yeah… I thought that sounded a little crazy too. But, somehow that is the lifestyle we have fallen accustomed to. That is the standard we have set for ourselves. My dear girl, it...

I, like you, have experienced many different kinds of leaders in my life. From our principals to coaches, instructors to bosses, everyone does something a little different and still manages to lead people. We all have a little bit of leadership built into us, although some people develop their skills while others are comfortable following the leader. There’s no judgment here, it takes all kinds of kinds. I was very involved in extracurricular in high school and began my own leadership development then. It was accelerated when I attended nursing school at the University of Mary (tag line: America’s Leadership University)  and was invited into the Emerging Leaders Academy. Again, I was exposed to many different leadership styles, despite us all having the same leadership training. Some of my classmates have gone on to fulfill leadership roles in their careers and communities, others use that knowledge to be better employees/parents/humans. 

No matter the...