This includes the Imperfections We are all made-up of light and dark, good and not so good. Each of us has areas where we need to increase our capacity to accept and love ourselves. We have beat ourselves up for too long. If we treated our friends the way we often treat ourselves, it would be doubtful we would have…
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3 Ways Gratitude Will Change Your Life As a teenager I remember my mother reminding me to have a grateful heart. I would grumble in response, and complain under my breath. I hated when she said that. In that moment, being grateful felt insincere. It was the last thing I wanted to do. As an adult, some days I still…
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I am reading your mind right now, “Family, fun, time, and teens? All in the same sentence? Are you joking? These words don’t go together in my house! It’s hard enough to get my teen to be seen in a public place with me.” I know. I am with you (ouch!). Yes, it’s true, our teens are working towards their…
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Have you been listening to voices lately? Whooooa…! I am not referring to some far out, sixth sense voices; I am talking about your own self-talk: that internal voice inside your head that determines how you perceive yourself and situations. How we talk to ourselves drives our behavior and habits in every area of our life: how we respond in…
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What if I was selling a pill that would: Improve your memory and processing speed. Increase your ability to stay focused. Strengthen your immune system. Reduce anxiety and stress. Make you a happier person. If that isn’t enough, this pill would also: Improve your relationship satisfaction. Make you yell less. Make you become more empathetic, compassionate and emotionally intelligent.[1] Would you…
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Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. – Howard Thurman What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Do you know what makes you feel most alive? What are you doing when you are your highest self?…
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Are you weary? Stressed out? Are you trying too hard – sacrificing yourself and your own needs trying to take care of everyone else? Have you gotten so good at taking care of others needs that you deny your own? There is a saying that makes me smile. It goes something like this: “You don’t have to set yourself on…
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8 ways to bridge the great divide between you, your teen, and social media. One of the most common concerns I hear from mothers of tweens and teens is the fear and frustration regarding the negative impact social media is having on their kids and the relationships with them. Technology is here to stay, whether we like it or not….
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We have a very smart and lovable standard poodle named Calvin. As smart as he is, he has never understood that the passing cars were not going to take him for a ride. The moment our front door would open, he would bolt for the street, hoping for his opportunity for a clean getaway. We would yell and chase…
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Do you focus on the positive in your adolescent? Do you affirm them for what they are doing well? How about showing appreciation and gratitude? Are your words kind and positive? This week, I want to challenge you (and me) to take one whole day and pay attention to how many times we say something positive versus how many…
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Identifying the roles our children play to help them thrive. We all fall into the trap of labeling our kids. One child is challenging and continually stirring up conflict while another child is easy and agreeable, gets good grades and is a delight to have around. Then there is the child that is social, diffuses conflict with humor, and yet…
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6 ways to constructively complain to build connection. You may be wondering: what in the world? You are actually telling me to complain? Yes, I am. Let me explain. When I was first married, I had the belief that happily married couples rarely fought. I figured that they were so in love and accepting of each other that issues seldom…
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