Today is International Women’s Day. Can you believe we have an entire day that the whole world has devoted to celebrating women? Stop and think about that for a minute. In the United States, it was barely 100 years ago that women were finally respected enough to be allowed to vote. Following that came the ability to go to college, be the sole owner of property and be the only name on a bank account or credit card. 

These changes did not happen THAT LONG AGO but for many, they are still just events of the past, not anything we truly experienced. No today, we experience a whole new variety of self-worth deterioration. Social Media. 

The ability to compare your life to someone else's right now is as easy as picking up your phone. Videos, photos, podcasts, blogs, books, magazines, etc are all readily available with a few taps on your device. That means we have constant exposure to people’s opinions, stories, and lives. Albeit very short looks into...

I recently read a post online that explained how people are like plants. No, not the idea of needing water and sunshine to thrive-although that is true too. In this case, the point was that not everyone wants to grow in the same way. There is often a lot of talk around people climbing the ladder at work, creating more financial abundance, building a bigger house, etc. More. More. More. But what does it mean if you’re happy with where you’re at? If you don’t want to climb that ladder and chase another dollar? 

For the sake of this conversation, it means that you grow differently. See, a Poplar grows fast, tall, and lean, while a Japanese Maple grows slow with a wider shape. Very different, but growth just the same. 

We are all like that too. You and I can both be growing and chasing goals, but the end result might look very different. Maybe my goal is to do some deep emotional work that no one really sees or notices, like how roots grow...

Offering someone compassion doesn't always feel as easy as criticizing them. Because it feels hard it might even feel “better” to criticize before we offer compassion. Sit with that for a second… it feels better to criticize others than it does to offer compassion. Not just others, but yourself too. It feels better to criticize yourself than to offer yourself compassion because that is easier. Like water, we do take the path of least resistance. But like water in a flood zone, that path can certainly be destructive! 

Today, I want you to check your inner dialogue. Whether it’s walking through the store or after a conversation with your co-workers or interacting with a customer. Your knee-jerk response is likely one with a negative approach. “What is she wearing?” “I cannot believe she allows her kids to do that!” “Grow up and manage your money like an adult and you wouldn’t need to put items back.”...

Perfect: being entirely without fault or defect. 

So often in our lives, we chase "perfect." The perfect outfit, perfect hair, perfect relationship, perfect car… We put a great deal of energy into being “perfect.” 

To be entirely without fault is impossible though. We were not built that way. We were not designed to live this life without failure or defect. Yes, you were created perfect in every way, but a part of what makes you perfect are your imperfections. A part of what makes you perfect is the trial and error side of life. The times when you start as a beginner, nowhere near perfect. The times when you realize you must evolve to keep up with the world around you, and in that transition, you are not perfect. The times when life gets messy and you don’t know quite what to do, you are not perfect. 

But you are learning, growing, and evolving. THAT is perfect. 

So much of our time is spent on trying to become...

Theodore Roosevelt said, “comparison is the thief of all joy.” Isn’t that the truth. It’s been a problem in our society forever. Even when life was a little more slow-paced before the internet and social media. Now, we not only “have to keep up with the Jones’s” in our community, but with the “Jones’s” in your Mom’s, your best friend’s, your college roommate’s, and that Influencer on Instagram too. We have so much access to other people’s lives now, but often we forget that what we see is only just a portion of their life. I was listening to a podcast the other day and the discussion was about this exact thing. One question stuck out to me though. “Do you want to do what it takes to have her life?” If you look at the 40-year-old mom who has a six-pack and you envy her, you have to also ask yourself if you are willing to put in the work to make that happen. Are you willing to give up one...