Sometimes I feel the pull as soon as I open my eyes. If the previous day's problems don't get resolved, the weight can often feel heavy in the fog of early morning. Even after a cup of coffee, I find myself wrestling with my thoughts. Managing our brains around both big and little problems isn't always easy, but it is necessary. That's why one of the most important ways to live refreshed is to choose the best thoughts for ourselves, around EVERYTHING. It's natural for our thinking to default to the worst case scenario. It's our way of preparing for potential risks and danger because our brains are designed to expect the worst. It's a protection mechanism, and although we need this to keep ourselves safe from real danger, it can also become a barrier to simply enjoying each day apart Continue Reading
Puttin’ On Your Big Girl Pants – 5 Essentials to Mental Strength
If there was ever a week when I needed mental strength, it's been this week. It's been a week of one step forward and three steps back as I've fought to make my voice heard in a world of men, picked up the pieces of someone else's mistakes, waited for truth to find its way to the top of a very messy situation and tried desperately to walk in the footsteps of both confidence and humility. In the quiet of my four walls, I've cried, stomped, and wrestled through a sea of egos, including my own, and contemplated how even a well-meaning cluster of humanity has the ability to hurt so many in its path. How it tarnishes and rusts a foundation. How it can swallow us whole in the sea of emotions if we let it. But we can't let it. Because what we do and how we do it Continue Reading
When the Hardest Grace is to Be Still
I am not one to sit still. Anyone who steps into my shadow for a day needs to rise early and lace up their most comfortable running shoes. From the moment my feet hit the floor, my to-do list begins cycling in my head. I would be the first to admit that I like filling my shoes with capable and self-sufficient. But what I've experienced is that my strengths can quickly become my downfall. Simply put, I struggle with being still long enough to let God work. I wrestle with not taking things into my own hands, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. As I write this, the struggle continues. In my core, I know I shouldn't take back what I've surrendered at least 100 times. But in my head, it plays out differently, and harnessing those thoughts chomping at the bit to take Continue Reading