“So, Miranda, have you been exercising?” Ugh! I hate that question. If you visit a cardiologist, plan on them asking you that. I know its coming, but I still freeze every single time. Like a deer caught in the headlights. What do I say? Exercising is hard for me even on my “feeling good” days. I would rather be doing something else. Sometimes I will get into a good routine for a couple of months, and then I start struggling physically. I’ll have to back down on my exercise routine and before you know I’m not exercising again. So honestly, the answer is usually, “No.” And I have found that as hard as it is for me say, “No”, that it is better to be truthful and realistic. Denial prevents growth, and I don’t want to live there. So let’s examine how denial prevent growth? [Read more…]
Creating Personal Summer Goals
Summer is my time “off” from homeschooling so the first week of June is always a sigh of relief. However, around here the list of summer duties can be never ending as we plant and tend our garden and fields, can vegetables, harvest hay, make jam and get kids to summer activities while also making time to relax. Inevitably, I begin adding more and more items to my to do list. By August, I wonder where the summer went! I’m sure you can relate! Creating personal summer goals can allow you to use the summer hours wisely, accomplishing and enjoying what is most important to you this summer.
Summer can also be a perfect time to practice creating goals if “learning how to set goals” is one of your summer goals:). Three months is long enough to satisfy a long term goal planner but still brief enough to feel doable to a short term goal planner. Learn more about your unique goal setting style here. [Read more…]
Understand Your Goal Setting Style
“Hey, Honey…I have an idea,” my husband typically starts the conversation. “Um, you do?” I hesitantly reply. Now, I love hearing all my Country Boy’s thoughts and dreams. However, I have discovered that almost none of his ideas are small or short term. His goals usually involve packing boxes or lots of late dinners and long Saturdays, whereas, I enjoy setting short term goals. As we have comes to realize our different goal setting styles, we are able to work together more smoothly. It is vital to understand your goal setting type as you set about accomplishing your goals. Whether you are talking about personal goals, family goals or business goals, you will want to understand your goal setting style!
You have a secret power when it comes to setting goals. You are naturally gifted at accomplishing certain types of goals. As you gain understanding of your unique skill set, goal setting will become so much easier. And people will begin to seek you out for your ability!
Build Your Stress Tolerance
Do you struggle to maintain your equilibrium through the ups and downs of life? Does your creativity dramatically drop when the pressures of life push in on you? Do you need to discover ways to build your stress tolerance so that you feel productive and confident even in stressful times? [Read more…]
9 Soothing Gifts for a Stressed or Weary Friend
Summer is almost here in the Midwest! My husband and children planted flowers, mulched and mowed Sunday making the yard around our farmhouse lovely. Now the view out my kitchen window is even more calming and beautiful. It made me think about those things in our lives that rejuvenate and allow us to relax and refuel. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of 9 soothing gifts for a stressed or weary friend.
I am blessed to have many wonderful gift givers in my life. When I feel stressed due to some big adventure we are in the middle of or weary due to needing to recover physically, inevitably a gift shows up. I love gifts! Love to give them and receive them. I especially enjoy sending a gift in the mail anticipating a friends receiving it! So what are some great soothing gifts for a stressed or weary friend. What gift will encourage your friend to take a breathe, find a minute for themselves, or gain some calming perspective? [Read more…]
Dear Friend: A Letter of Encouragement
Dear Friend,
I wanted to send you a letter of encouragement, as I was thinking about you today. Life is really hard for you right now, but I don’t want you to lose hope. My sweet friend, as you read my letter of encouragement may you feel strengthened and comforted.
Are You Trapped in Crisis Mode?
The woman sitting across from me was living in crisis mode. Fifteen years ago, I was just starting out as a court and family advocate. Part of the job I loved was talking with the clients that came into our agency. After hearing the woman in my office speak for close to half an hour, I was greatly concerned. She was in a very vulnerable position. Her current relationship was abusive. And to make matters worse she seemed trapped in crisis mode. [Read more…]
Finding Contentment: Blooming Where You Are Planted
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By nature, many of us struggle to find contentment. We tend to look backward living in our memories. Or we want to rush forward to the next stage. Finding contentment and blooming where you are planted is pivotal to appreciating today and growing where we are.
Our little chicks have grown into teenagers. Since the chicks are ready for a bigger pen, I moved them to the chicken coop while the chickens were free ranging the property. Wouldn’t you know, as soon as the chickens spied the chicks in the coop they came running back. They stood alongside the fence trying to get back in the very coop they couldn’t wait to leave minutes earlier. The chickens ruffled their feathers at the indignity of having those chicks in their house!
I think we can all relate. Sometimes we whine and complain about our circumstances. We wish things were different. We feel overwhelmed by our situation and just want it to pass. But when it does, we often try to go back and reclaim our old life. [Read more…]
6 Activities to Help Teens Discover Their Passion and Purpose
From my years working with teens, I have noticed that when a teen connects with their interests they are more focused on their future. They tend to be more motivated, as they press forward and over obstacles to obtain their goals. But how do we help our teen find their passion and make time in their schedule for career development? Here are 6 simple activities to help teens discover their passion and purpose! [Read more…]
Book Review of A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold
When I first saw the book, A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold, I was both eager to read and dreading it at the same time. Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the teenagers who entered Columbine High School and killed 13 students and faculty. To read the very words of one whose life and name had become synonymous with the Columbine High School shooting massacre of 1999, felt overwhelming and too dark.
However, I truly appreciate a book showing the human spirit’s ability to rise above tragedy. And one of my librarians gave me her compelling review, so I decided to take the plunge and read the book. [Read more…]
