Masterful Mindsets

“Nurture your dreams as a gardener nurtures his plants.” ~Vridhi

We typically see a lot of moisture during spring. Being from Colorado this often comes in the form of snow, but it is moisture nonetheless. And seeing the tulips popping out from beneath the snow brings a sense of hope and excitement for what’s to come.

A very good friend (whom I always think of fondly around Earth Day, because she loved gardening) said to me one day, years ago, as we were talking about some plants that I was sure were dead... "All they really want to do is live, you just have to help them along and give them a chance."

I’ve never forgotten that. It was so profound to me because, truly, isn’t that what all of us want? We want to live and thrive. And sometimes, we just need a bit of help or support along the way. We need to be reminded not to give up on our hopes and dreams, instead, we need to nurture them. Just think of how you and your dreams might be able to grow...

"Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t." ~ Rikki Rogers

We’ve all experienced events in our lives when we just didn’t think we would possibly have the strength to get through, and yet we did. I look back on the eight years my husband and I dealt with infertility and I can remember many times thinking I didn’t have the strength to endure another unsuccessful treatment or heartbreaking negative pregnancy test. Yet, month after month and year after year, we found the strength to keep trying. And now here we are, twenty-one years later, having just celebrated our oldest daughter's birthday and preparing to send our youngest daughter off to college in the fall. (Funny how all those years went a lot faster than the other 8!)

Anyway, if you really think about it...

You can probably recall times when you’ve overcome an obstacle or reached a goal you weren’t sure you...

“Grow through what you go through.”

Well, spring is here! My family is home for spring break, and we are busy planting, playing, loving and working. In other words, we are enjoying life.

Although the reality is, life can be chaotic and full of hardships, disappointments, and trials. I was thinking about this recently as my youngest daughter is nearing the end of her senior year. Time has flown by, and we are about to embark on a new chapter of our lives. That’s a challenge for me because I know she will be leaving soon. But instead of choosing to stay stuck; rejecting change, and resisting the future, I went through a process that I want to share with you today. I set into motion a series of steps that have pushed me past the bittersweet pain that change often brings and on to making the most of the life I have while I work towards embracing the future that is before me.

In general, it can be easy to get stuck in the trap of...

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” ~Anthony J. D’Angelo

I believe that in order to continue to grow and be our best selves, it’s important to be a lifelong learner. It’s also essential to our growth and our happiness that we strive to learn about things we are passionate about. I was recently talking to my youngest daughter about this because she is wanting to grow and improve on something she is very passionate about. Likewise, our oldest daughter just started college, and she is loving her classes because they are topics she’s interested in learning.  

Problem is, some people stop being curious or interested. They stop being passionate and consequently, they stop learning, growing, and improving. Or sadly, some people never did enjoy learning (in the traditional sense) so they hesitate when it comes to lifelong learning. And I get it, learning something new is often low on the priority scale. After...