When I ask parents this question, the most common response is: I just want my kids to be happy. This is great in concept, but what does this really mean? Be honest – what does happiness really mean to you? Do you want your children to work super hard so they are the smartest in class? Do you want them to constantly …
People create things based on their own experience. And in Sheryl Sandburg’s experience, “bossy” made her feel wrong or maybe uncomfortable. Obviously it didn’t hold her back, but when people used it with her, the energy must have felt negative or at the very least unbalanced when compared to boys. I have noticed that there are many negative articles and …
Amy Duffin is back with another great guest blog! Some great reminders here for anyone who is trying to be everything to everyone…. SUPERWOMAN. We’ve all seen her. She resides in many of our towns. Sometimes she is in magazines or even on TV. From afar, she looks perfect. She has this confidence about her, her outfits are put together …
As I sit in front of the ocean I think about the smallness of me. I am humbled by the vastness of the water. I think about when I would play in the ocean as a kid and the tide would take me under. As scary and uncomfortable as those moments could be, I never questioned what was happening. I …
Last week I posted a guest blog from Amy Duffin, an advocate for working women. You wanted more, so I emailed her a few questions and as expected, she offered some great answers, some self care ideas, and a great quote to add to your daily self-talk… Is work life balance really achievable? I believe a “working balance” is achievable. …
By Guest Blogger Amy Duffin Work Life Balance. I am not sure who came up with this term, but to most women, it’s something we dream about, but find it difficult to have. As valuable as a winning lottery ticket, achieving work life balance means that we would actually have the time to meet the expectations of our career AND …
Today several people emailed me the short film “Selfie” that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It shines a bright light on how girls feel shame or discomfort about their appearance, but in reality, their beauty radiates through their differences. I had tears while watching it – for myself, for past generations, for my daughters. I am overwhelmed by how …
Early yesterday morning I taught my college students. We talked about how they need to take care of themselves so they can best utilize their skills. In the middle of the day I worked with elementary school students. We talked about how important it is for them to appreciate who they are and make themselves a priority. At night, I …
1. Quiet meditation (quiet time, going inside, call it what you want) When I don’t do it, I can tell. I get impatient faster and I get annoyed more often. It’s more difficult to recognize how I contribute to every situation, and even worse, it’s difficult to access that place deep down inside that recognizes the amazingness of life. 2. …
I think resolutions are great. Until they aren’t. Too often they turn into another burden, another opportunity for self shaming, yet another attempt to do it all perfectly this year. While I am always interested in deeper awareness and better choices, I am not interested in burdens, shame, or thoughts that say I should be “better”. But I am interested …
What do 5th grade girls need? They need to know they are OK and not alone. They need to know they have adults who will support and understand them. They need to know they are worthy and valuable, just as they are. Venturing into the world of preadolescence can be scary and uncomfortable, but it can also be fun and …
When I was 8 or 9 years old, I remember lying in bed on Christmas Eve thinking about Santa. The funny thing was I wasn’t really envisioning gifts or the way he would get in my house, I was just feeling so, so, good, and everything seemed magical. I always think about that when I think of Santa. Of course …
Like the rest of the population, I get a rush when I complete tasks and work toward my goals. I have dreams and a vision, and I get excited to move forward and check things off the list. But I simultaneously believe in wasting time. I actually don’t like that language very much – I prefer to call it “doing …
Sometimes I add, but I forget how to subtract. Sometimes I realize there is a lot I want to do, but only so many hours in the day. Sometimes I remember that a brain can only hold so much, and that with every over-reaching “yes”, I risk something falling through the cracks. I support women who want to be all …
When someone else makes a mistake we usually understand, but we tend to have difficulty forgiving ourselves. I used to deny mistakes, and sometimes I would blame others. Or sometimes I would sit in my mistakes for days, just to punish myself. None of that worked very well, it just made everything worse. So today I made a mistake, I …
My girls and I were in the car a lot on Sunday. When we pulled up to our final destination, they all said they were car sick. Nobody moved, my youngest looked like she was about to cry. Since we were parked right in front of my sister’s house, I told everyone to get out and lay on the grass. …
I picked up my daughter from Kindergarten today and she said, “I just feel so like me today….I love feeling like me.” As we walked to the car she held my hand, skipped, and hummed. Today she wore hand-me-down clothes from her sisters, some barrettes she found under her bed, and some bright blue shoes. We didn’t have any planned …
It’s so common it has its own name: Schadenfreude – finding pleasure from the misfortunes of others. And although few will admit to it, it’s a very human experience. If we see others fail, we feel better about ourselves. This is on full display in our obsession with the entertainment industry (build them up and tear them down), but it’s …
“Introvert” tends to bring up an image of a shy person in a corner, or an insecure person at home alone. But over the years I have learned that introversion isn’t about shyness or insecurity, it’s about where and how you derive your energy. Extroverts tend to get their energy from outside stimulation, and introverts tend to find it from …
Back to school tomorrow and I am appreciating a beautiful afternoon with no schedule. Part of me grieves losing summer, it was definitely a good one, but part of me doesn’t feel like longing or being sad, it just feels like smiling and rolling with it. I do feel the natural anxiety of trading a day like day for a …
