Here’s to 2023: YOUR Year in Review Whew! I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the faster each year seems to fly by. Part of me was still mentally summering at the beach when I realized it was almost time to pick out a Christmas tree! While the past 12 months might feel like merely a blink, I bet some pretty cool things happened in your life - things you MADE happen through motivation, dedication, faith, and resilience. Now, my friends, it is time to celebrate those achievements, personal or professional, big ...

Grateful for the Lessons We Learn All month, we’ve talked about bringing more gratitude into our lives. But is it possible to look back and feel grateful for the difficulties we’ve endured? How do you find a place of gratitude if currently you're mired in challenges? We have all our fair share of hard times. I’m not sure I know anyone who hasn’t. And I have been there too - toxic workplaces, extreme debt, relationships that have soured. I certainly didn’t enjoy those experiences in the moment or for a long time afterward as I ...

Express Yourself: The Gift of Gratitude Express Yourself. Kind words have a way of sticking with us. They lift our spirits, make us smile, and warm our hearts. And they make us feel valued, appreciated, and seen. November is traditionally a season of giving thanks. We often talk about practicing gratitude as a way of recognizing the good in our lives. Today, we'll talk about expressing gratitude to others for the difference they make in our lives instead.  Keep reading to learn why it’s important and some ways you can give the gift of gratitude ...

Effects of Gratitude: You, Your Home, and Your Workplace As we continue to talk about gratitude, it’s worth noting the rewards. Gratitude is unique in that expressing thanks is a selfless act, yet we gain so much from it. It serves the self to practice gratitude, yet it is not self-serving. I like to think that this practice is almost spiritual - that what we really serve is the universe around us and the world we are a part of. By intentionally creating positive, rather than negative, energy, we can be producers of light and ...

Pause for a Moment of Gratitude It’s November! Can we pause for a moment of gratitude? There’s a lot to love about this time of year, but my favorite is that November is the season of giving thanks. As we come out of our purposeful mini-pauses, I also want to check in with all of you. So let’s do two things together right now - a little reflecting on what we learned about ourselves and a lot of conscious gratitude. What Happened? I hope you explored your life, career, and goals with the prompts we ...

Purposeful Pause: Reemerging Are you feeling refreshed? Did you take some time to reflect and recalibrate? Have you recharged enough to redirect your energy with an eye toward the future? If so, I have wonderful news for you… You are ready for week 4 of our purposeful mini-pauses and it is time to REEMERGE!  You’ve outlined your goals and dreams and the steps you will need to take to achieve them. This week is all about getting ready by announcing to the world, “I’m ready!” Whether you have decided to stay the course and be ...

Purposeful Pause: Recharge and Redirect We’re back for Week 3 of our month of purposeful mini-pauses. Hopefully, you took the time last week for some deep introspection. Maybe it confirmed things you always knew to be true. Maybe you learned something new and surprising about yourself. Either way, this week is all about RECHARGING ourselves and REDIRECTING our energy. To do that, you need to take everything you discovered last week and put it all together into a starting point for the changes you’re ready to make. Just like they teach you in journalism, we’re ...

Purposeful Pause: Reflect & Recalibrate Let’s play a game of 20 questions! (Actually, let’s make it 21 so we can answer 3 each day.) Welcome back to our series on taking purposeful pauses in bite sizes. I have so many thoughts that I want to share with you, but this isn’t about me. It’s about YOU! As a coach, I try to listen more than I talk, asking important questions to help guide clients on their way and clarify true beliefs, feelings, and desires. And this week is all about REFLECTING so that we can ...

Purposeful Pause: Refresh “Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” - Ralph Marston I recently shared with you some thoughts on a Purposeful Pause. It's a time of reflection when high-performing people step away from their careers for a period of time to reevaluate. We discussed what to do if you can’t take a big step back and how to build bite-sized pauses into your day. Boy, did this evoke a response! It seems like y’all love the idea, but crave a little ...

Slowing Down with Intention Welcome to fall! People seem to have a wide range of feelings about this season. The less-than-enthusiastic see the leaves falling off the trees and summer plants in the garden fading away as a negative. The cool mornings and earlier sunsets can feel like a precursor to winter and darker days ahead. Not me. I see fall in a whole different light. First of all, the symphony of colors as the leaves change is a wonder, as is a fresh-picked peck of apples (and cider donuts!) Those cooler days make long ...