My husband and I have this great arrangement in our marriage. If I’m working at the hospital, he cooks supper, if I’m not, I cook. I had mentioned this at work one day and one of the ladies told me how lucky I was that he would do that. For a while, I thought she was right, I am pretty lucky, not every husband would cook for his family while his wife worked 12+ hour days. And then I thought… wait a second. Although I have a great husband who is loving a supportive, I’m not "lucky" that he cooks supper 3 times a week. It’s not about luck as much as it is the things we value. We have an understanding of each other’s time and energy… Don’t go all thinking that my husband is more evolved than any other man because truthfully he is not. He calls all my work woo-woo and has never once read a personal development book in his life. However, from day one in our relationship, I knew that my time, my energy, and my financial contribution...

Self-care is kind of a buzzword these days.  Everyone's talking about it, but that doesn't make it any easier to partake in.  Especially if you've been lead to believe that self-care is girls' getaways and expensive spa days.  

It has been said that you become the average of the people you surround yourself with. That you should always try to be around people who are the type of people you want to be. There is conflicting research to this point,  but I like the sentiment. The idea that we are influenced by what and who we are exposed to makes perfect sense to me. We’ve talked about how the media you consume changes your vibration. We’ve talked about how some people just suck the life out of you. So it would make sense that the people you spend your time around will affect how you show up in the world. 

Take a quick inventory of your friends. Who in your life pushes you to do better? Who teaches you things? Who challenges your ideas or holds you accountable for your actions? Anyone? Maybe you’re the person who holds others accountable in your life and challenges them to be better and do better. If that is a one-sided street, then you are likely not reaching your full...

The other day my friends and I got together for a little backyard BBQ. I was late to the party because my husband and I are working on a home remodel and it took us a bit to wrap up for the day. It was 70+ degrees and sunny and beautiful out. I couldn't wait to get out and enjoy it, so I didn’t take the time to shower or shave my legs or wash my hair. I put my shorts on, grabbed some chips and salsa, and away I went. 

We were sitting around visiting and I looked down at my pasty white, hairy legs, and I giggled to myself. Here I was at a social gathering, dusty, dirty, and unshaved. There was a time in my life, that never would have been okay. I would have sacrificed the time with my friends to wash my hair and clean the dust off. I would have taken the extra time to shave my legs and put on a self-tanner. I would have put fresh makeup on and made sure my hair was done. I would have felt the need to be “perfect” before I showed up. But not...

Let’s have a little real talk today. Real talk, because I am sick and tired of hearing people excuse their poor behavior or their inability to make changes in their life because of something that has happened to them or the people they were born to. 

If you’ve ever heard someone say, “I am this way because…”

Because my mom is this way. 

Because of the trauma I suffered. 

Because of where I lived. 

Because of how I was raised. 

Because of this hurt that I endured. 

Because of my last name, or my nationality, or because I am the baby in the family.

Because I am not a people person. 

Because I am shy. 

Because I am picky. 

I am this way because…

Usually, if I hear this it is not from a sense of pride. It’s not a, “My mama taught me well” type of conversation. It is an excuse for unbecoming behavior. 

I am mean to the new coworkers because I’m just not a...

Balance is a unicorn. 

It’s that thing everyone is chasing. A balance between work and family. A balance between work and resting. Balance in your marriage. In your friendships. Balance in all your relationships.

Here’s the thing… Balance is a unicorn. 

Maybe it exists in the world, but it feels more like a mythical creature. 

What it comes down to is how you honor your priorities. 

If I say that my #1 priority is supper with my family every night, I will leave work to make supper every night. 

If I want balance between work and rest, then I have to create time for both. I can always see another thing that needs to be done. Another task that needs to be finished. So, I will work myself to the bone, and wait longingly for the day that comes where there is time for rest. Wait longingly for that day to come where everything falls into place and it’s perfectly balanced. But it’s unrealistic to...

Remember when we talked about life school? How we are always growing and evolving and the world will continue to offer us opportunities to learn until we’ve really got those lessons nailed down? Let’s talk about learning patience. Patience is hard. It’s one of those life skills that we all need to have, but most of us struggle with it. 

What happens when you need to learn patience in life is that you are provided opportunities to be patient. Like a long check-out line. Or when your doctor is running an hour behind on the day you have an appointment. Or when you’re waiting on construction. For some of us, dial-up internet taught us patience. We have been living in a world that is so full of instant gratification that we have lost a lot of our patience. We have become a society that wants things now. If shipping takes more than 2 days I don’t want it. If the store doesn’t get their shipment in for 3 more days, I’ll just order it...

Can you believe it’s been a year? A year since our world shut down and everything started to look different? 

I’m not here to talk the politics of it all, the policies, the economy, or what’s right or wrong. Let’s get a little deeper than that. By now we realize we are living amongst some very historical moments. Things that will be the stories you tell your grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Maybe you laugh a little about the toilet paper shortage, maybe you cry a little about the deaths that occurred… and maybe you admit that this last year changed you. 

You’ve realized the big picture change in the country and in our world, but have you seen the big picture change in yourself? Have you taken the time to reflect on everything that happened and how you’re different because of this time in history that we get to be a part of. 

I am blessed that the impact of Covid-19 was not as severe as it could have...

Growing up there were a couple of sitcoms we watched as a family (back when TV was a little more family-friendly) that often referred to anger management techniques. The two I remember the most were the rubber band on the wrist, to be snapped during moments of anger, and the “close your eyes and count to 10 before responding rule.” I feel like these things were mentioned often on TV, but maybe they were just techniques that stood out to me so I remembered them… either way, this conversation is more about that choice to respond differently. The decision to snap the rubber band, or count to ten before responding is a conscious choice that affects the outcome. In a big way. 

In every interaction you partake in, you have the ability to choose how you will respond to the situation. There are SO many human emotions, your options are truly endless. The question becomes, what does this response create in my life? See if you respond with a low vibration energy (read...

Remember in this blog when we were reminded to stop chasing perfect and how we are all beginners at some point? What do you do with yourself when you’re suffering a hardship? When you’re faced with a new experience and you don’t know what to do? You don’t run from it, because remember our goal is not to be perfect. 

We embrace the hardship as an opportunity to grow and be better. Allow yourself to be humbled, to say, “hmmm… I have never experienced this before and I don’t know what to do. It is time to learn.” 

We are quick to let our ego get in the way when something becomes difficult. “I fail.” “I can’t do this.” “I’m not capable.” “I suck.” “Why does this always happen to me?” and whatever other nasty things you say to yourself. When you start down that rabbit hole of negative self-talk you immediately shut down to the opportunity of...