Life

Life as we know it… or portray it?

The courage to be real

I don’t think it’s ever been easier to pretend or portray an alternate life than what we’re currently living. Social media in particular allows us to show only the magical, the glamorous, the ideal, or…

Are you gutsy?

Being gutsy vs. being ready

When I was pregnant, people told my husband and I some variation of “nothing can prepare you for becoming parents.” They were right about one thing — it’s impossible to be ready for that kind of change. (I’m defining ‘ready’ as…

Is it worth it?

The question we must answer when doing hard things

Any time we do hard things — demonstrate empathy when we’d rather not, show grace when it’s not deserved, keep working when our effort goes unnoticed — this question pops into our mind.

Can we skip the hard part?

Acknowledging the part of the story that no one wants to talk about (or go through)

“Sprinting to the finish line only short changes dreams that need divine time to come to life.” — Jenny Simmons, The…

Taking time to listen

When faster isn’t always better

Our culture is obsessed with efficiency hacks, time-savers, and technology that accelerates progress. Given the choice, we often default to faster.

Empathy as a way of life

How empathy is more than a quick fix or last resort

I just read a great article about empathy in the context of UX design and the title really stuck with me — “Empathy is not a tool. It’s a lifestyle.”

It’s okay not to be okay

Will we allow ourselves to sit with difficult emotions so we can get to the root cause?

The urge to “be okay” is probably most pronounced when it comes to raising or working with kids. 

Seeking clarity vs making assumptions

Sometimes showing empathy is a matter of getting clarity.

Navigating the theater of life

Each situation we encounter is like a theatrical scene. 

There are unique set props and background (context), characters (people involved), script and drama (conversation and emotions), and a storyline (the why and how of people’s actions/reactions).