We can’t all be on-stage performers, amazing thousands, but each of us can use our lives to create magical performances. It’s a simple combination of helping others by doing something that we love and are good at.
Sounds simple in theory, but how do we even go about finding this “mysterious something?”
This 3-minute video will get you started, and it begins with a special birthday gift I finally got to enjoy . . . Read more
A long line and small talk with a stranger—what could pair better? In fact, it was those two things that led me to a delightful conversation with, potentially, the real Mrs. Claus. Read more
Gratitude feels great! But what’s really going on in our bodies when we’re feeling thankful?
Find out in this 3-minute video, where you’ll also learn how to shift from an anxious to a grateful state of mind. Read more
When humans look at the night sky, we feel wonder. A collective curiosity to better understand what’s out there. So, with telescopes, we try to pull the stars and planets to us.
It makes sense, right? The closer we get to something, the more we can learn about it and appreciate it.
So why does life seem to work in the opposite way? Why is it that the more we zoom in on life, the more easily we can let it pass unappreciated? Read more
Inspiration hits in unlikely places. In my case, the kitchen sink!
See the insight washing dishes inspired in me, and how you can use it to let go of fear-based thoughts and emotions.
(Note: This is a high-level, 2-minute overview to provide a new perspective on the basic concept. If you’d like to go deeper, acknowledge not only the emotion but also where it is in the body. And try expanding gratitude to appreciate what that emotion is teaching you or your perseverance through prior similar situations.)
I try to follow the law, but once again found myself at the police station Saturday. . .
. . . for the Kirkwood Police Department Open House!
My second appearance at this annual community showcase, I applied my insights from the 2018 event in hopes of creating a more successful display this year.
So, to build on those learnings and to keep this blog’s tradition alive, here are 2019’s four life lessons from the police station: Read more
Catastrophic, devastating, monstrous—all labels we’d use for hurricanes. But couldn’t we also use the following?
Strong. Resilient. Capable.
Qualities we humans covet.
So how about compelling a hurricane within ourselves that instead of destruction, leaves goodness in its wake? One built on strength, resilience, and capability.
My instincts say it’s possible, especially when we check out these facts:
See? The science suggests that, just like hurricanes, we’re primed to become forces of nature. But without the following two essentials, it’s not happening for the storms . . . or for us: Read more
On my family room bookshelves rest two similar paintings. At first glance, they’re nearly identical. But then you realize they’re more like fraternal twins.
So would it surprise you that both artists received the same instructions?
However, one heard the assigned colors and thought adding green leaves would capture summer’s transition to fall. And the other listened to the brush technique and opted for a more uniform look.
Same instructions. Different interpretations. Equal importance.
And that leads us to my version of life’s instruction manual, which states the following: Read more
I’ve got a soft spot for North Carolina—both my babies were born there—and for animals. So I was cheering when the wild horses on NC’s Outer Banks survived the recent hurricane.
Actually, their survival wasn’t unexpected—their group’s been riding out severe storms for hundreds of years.1 The crazy part’s how they did it and how any of this applies to handling criticism.
First, how did they do it? Read more
When you speak best through written words, like I do, special gifts tend to take that form too. So it makes sense that this year, “the year of 40,” I’ve begun a new tradition built on words.
Lists, in fact.
My best friend’s 40th gift? “40 Reasons Why You Rock.” And my hubby’s earned the title “Forty Reasons Why I Love You.”
So as I pondered my turn in the 40th birthday spotlight this coming Sunday, I thought about the forty things I’d include on my own list. And how that might make an interesting blog post.
But something was missing. Read more