Masterful Mindsets

“Create a Life You Don’t Need a Vacation From”

My family and I had a trip to Italy booked for three years. Seriously… we booked it in 2019, planning to go in 2020 and then of course, COVID happened so we postponed it till 2021. And then it again got cancelled due to COVID. Only FINALLY getting to go last summer!

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how disappointing those cancellations were. But the one thing that I can honestly say I am thankful for is that over the years, we have created a life that we don’t need a vacation from. Yes, we really wanted to go so we were super bummed not to be going on our trip to Italy, BUT it’s not like we needed so desperately to get away that our mental and physical wellbeing suffered from the cancellations. Let me explain a little more…

Creating a life you don’t need a vacation from doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take vacations. Vacations are awesome! And I totally encourage you to take vacations. BUT what I’m really talking about here is not needi...

“Be your best true you.” ~Michelle Weimer

My youngest daughter will be graduating from high school this weekend so I thought it would be nice to write a special note to her and all those graduating this year. Or for that matter, anyone who might be coming to the end of a chapter in their life and preparing to embark on a new one.

Then as I started to write, my eyes filled with tears… and my mind went blank. I honestly didn’t know where to start. There was so much I wanted to say. And yet, I couldn’t seem to find the words.

Deep feelings of happiness, joy and pride are mixed with sadness, worry and an odd emptiness. I was quickly reminded of the old saying, “I love you so much it hurts.” As my heart aches every time I think about her leaving for college. And yet, it is exactly what we’ve raised her to do… to go off and be a strong, independent young woman.

So I hope you find value in my thoughts this week as I write this post to her. I think you will definitely see that it can ...

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ~Mother Teresa

As we wrap up February, let’s take a look at the journey of love we’ve been on all month. Inspired by the reality that our world could use some much-needed love and kindness right now, we’ve ventured into a month-long exploration and challenge to amplify the goodness within and share it generously with our families and communities. Reconnecting within to build self-love and create an extraordinary impact of cultivating love in our homes and communities. I am hopeful that this journey goes beyond the calendar and leaves an indelible mark on the very essence of who you are as we continue to create ripples of love to transform the world. So, if you missed any of these big ideas for little ways to exemplify love, then read on for this quick review and reminder. Let’s keep the love ripples rolling…

"Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act crea...

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” ~ Mother Teresa 

In the last several months, I’ve repeatedly spoken with others who are feeling a great need to do something to heal the current state of our world. Which is why I’ve been writing about this topic all month. And while I agree, our world is in dire need of healing, I also think that we can get so focused on what’s happening outside that we forget to look inside – inside ourselves and our own homes.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think it is important to do our best to be active parts of our community and support others with love and compassion, but sometimes we need to begin in our own space. Which is why when I saw today’s quote, it actually lit me up because it’s something I’ve been talking to several of my clients about. As a matter of fact, I recently told a group of women that I was working with, “If you want to change the world, start with your family. You might not be able to change the whole world a...

"Your life is a journey of learning to love yourself first and then extending that love to others in every encounter."  ~Oprah

Last week I challenged you to double down on your goodness to others. Because quite honestly, our world needs to reconnect and embrace loving kindness as a consistent practice in order to begin to heal. But if you don’t love yourself or your life, it can be difficult to extend love to others. Think about it, those people in the world that are so hateful and mean… do you think they actually love themselves or their life? I’m guessing, no.  

Loving yourself plays an important part in how you show up in the world. Once you love and respect yourself, you can give to others from a heart full of love, respect, generosity and kindness. But if you don't have enough love for yourself or your life, then a couple things can happen.

Either you find you give what little you do have to others with no regard for yourself. This is what I call "sacrificing yourself for t...

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” ~Scott Adams

Every year, for every holiday, birthday and special occasion, my mother-in-law sends us a care package. This Valentine’s Day is no different. Over the weekend I opened my mailbox to find a cute little package addressed to my family, full of cards and chocolates in honor of the upcoming holiday. It almost made me cry because I thought of the effort it must have required of her- to get to the store and then the post office, to ensure that we got this special package on time. (Some days I don’t even make it to my mailbox to mail a bill! Let alone do all she did.) She is willing to make that extra effort to show her love. And this is just one example of the little things she does all the time. So why am I telling you this (outside of the fact that I want you to know what a wonderful mother-in-law I have)? 😉

Because I want to challenge you… In a world that can be s...

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."  ~ Mother Teresa

Do you often feel like nothing you do really matters? Do you feel like you're fighting a losing battle - one step forward and two steps back? In today’s climate, it can be easy to lose all hope for the future - for your future, the future of those around you and the future of the world.

But don't lose heart! What you are doing does matter! Every single action, no matter how big or small, matters. It may be hard to see at first, but with consistent action, you will see change.

My family and I love to vacation in warm climates which might be because this time of year we often find ourselves surrounded by snow! And I don't really like being cold. I'd much rather be lying on a beach, basking in the sun and playing in the ocean. I remember the last time we got away to spend a few days doing just that...

It was a great trip. So relaxing an...

"The truth of your character is expressed through the choice of your actions." ~ Steve Maraboli

Father’s Day is coming up so of course, it always makes me think about my dad. He passed away a few years ago and I miss him dearly. He was a man of great character and his actions always reflected that character. He had integrity. He was honest, hardworking, fair, reliable, responsible, loved his family deeply and he always showed resilience, perseverance and humility in the face of adversity.

Thinking about him, inspired me to share a new Masterful Mindset Series with you on Character. So for the next few weeks, please come along with me and invite others to join us, as we will be focusing on character. Because truly, I think we can all use a little tune-up in this area from time to time.

Character Traits are all the aspects of a person's behavior and attitudes that make up that person's personality. (Think “descriptive adjectives” here.) Everyone has character traits, both good and...

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi  

Wouldn’t it be great if you could flip a switch and change the world? I’ve often thought about how nice it would be, to be able to rid the world of all negativities.

Of course, I know there’s no magical solution but what I do know is that there are a few simple concepts that, when practiced regularly, could change your life a bit for the better and perhaps the lives of others around you. And quite honestly, I think our world could use some change so why not let it start with each of us?   

Before I go on, please know that this is not a political post, nor is it a declaration of me thinking I have the answers to change the world. It’s simply a viewpoint on a couple fun and simple steps we can all take to be better and be kinder. And no matter what your beliefs are, I would hope you always strive for kindness and to be your best. So please read on…

Be Present – Try being in the now, fully present in the moment, full...

"Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself."

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, that you are like the five people you surround yourself with most. So think for a minute about who you spend the majority of your time with… are they people who encourage and empower you or do you spend most of your time around negative people who would rather pull you down to their level than hold your hand as you rise to greatness together?

I realize that sometimes you don't have a choice. You may work with toxic people. Their negativity can bite you without warning and start to flow through you like gangrene. Creeping through your body and killing off the parts of you that contain your hopes and dreams. You may also have family members or people in your current social circle, like this. They are negative, non-supportive of your dreams or downright m...