Simply Enough

Did you ever feel unpopular, or not one of the “cool kids” or outside the social hierarchy? Have you ever felt taken for granted, or, have you ever been the taker? Is it true we become the average of the 5 people with whom we spend the most time? Listen to the voice inside you that knows who you are and is guiding you, and align with those with whom you respond positively.  Reflect on the time you...

Have you ever berated yourself? What do you say? Do words of self doubt reverberate in your head? We are constantly sending messages to ourselves and to others. Talk to yourself like you would to a beloved friend.  Feel free to debate yourself rather than swallow the negative soliloquy. Condemning words are like self-inflicted wounds with the salt of shame being rubbed in it.  With affirming self...

Have you ever felt lost, navigating transitions in your life? Events and situations can feel herky-jerky at times, but if you can acknowledge the suck and also know that it won’t always feel this way, you can love and grieve at the same time.  Feeling comfortable and safe isn’t always what best serves you.  You can go beyond a wish and act on a hope, to not only transition, but transform and trans...

As a kid, did you ever have an old curmudgeon of a teacher, and you swore you would never grow up to be like that person? Or, as an adult now, do you look at younger generations with disdain, while they look at you and say “ok, Boomer”?  There’s a lot we can learn from youth— from their open-mindedness, and their shameless willingness to say “I don’t know, but let me try”. Learning isn’t just wisd...

Have you ever felt like Adulting is sooooo hard? It can be, but it isn’t always difficult, and it’s not the only way to feel, right? Don’t let yourself get stuck in the mud of those thoughts, or think the grass is perennially greener with youth.  Accepting seasons of challenge allows seasons of ease to be that much more enjoyable!

From the devastating tragedy of the fires in Maui comes clarity of what really is most important and most valuable in life. Also, in its aftermath, there were many demonstrations of how people can come together and demonstrate what kindness and generosity look like, rallying to do whatever it takes and whatever is needed to care for others. The immediacy of resiliency, figuring out what can we do...

Amidst the tragedy of loss from the Maui fires, the resilience, generosity, and sense of community have been inspiring, and puts into perspective what really matters in life. Have you ever felt like you were constantly chasing "more"? Yet, we are more than our possessions, acquisitions, accumulations, and titles, and Enough is actually a choice we control. Looking at what we have and bei...

Have you ever driven yourself mad from wishing things were different? Not accepting things in the moment as they are, or yourself as you are, is the root of stress. We are all works in progress and living in real-time. Life doesn't have to be curated or edited. Just do things anyway. It's ok to have a "round two" or another trial. Accepting things isn't about being complac...

Have you ever dreaded your To Do list? There are actually tools to take control and trick your mind to get through the list to get the job done. Dare we say, you can actually even laugh and make light of your list, rather than rely on pure willpower. You can be inspired rather than motivated, and pulled rather than pushed to see things through to fruition.

Have you ever regretted holding yourself back, or kicked yourself with the thought  “if only I had …” ? Delete the narrative you tell yourself that keeps you from being bold!  A missed opportunity is a bigger deal than the fear of a little temporary awkwardness, embarrassment or rejection. Practice recognizing the opportunity of Now, and embolden yourself, to ask and go after what you want. Weigh...

Have you ever felt blah and needed a pick-me-up? Need a cure for feeling meh? Being mindful and present with the sensations you're feeling can give moments of reset. Recognize the weights we carry that are heavy and buffer or pull us down rather than uplift us. Then have a refreshed start. Show up for yourself and start small, to overcome inertia, and fuel momentum to be uplifted. Eschew simu...

Have you ever been at the crossroads of how you want to show love versus how the object of your affection wants to receive it? Working through the impasse of what love looks like on all sides can be  messy.  Remember to process and honor not just how that person feels, but also how your own actions are making you feel, and how you show up as a reflection of what you truly ultimately want in the en...

Do you think romance is the best, or only, kind of love? Life isn’t always about “coupling” and it’s not always about romantic love. True Love can take on many forms. It can exist in the love amongst friends and love within a family  Recognize the platonic love that is in your life and lean into it. We can have gratitude for the love from and the love of your friends. Honor those who show up from...

Have you ever believed your age defines you? You can choose if a number imprisons you or liberates you! There are different seasons of life, so don't envy youth, or apologize for lessons learned and wisdom earned. Order the chicken fingers and tater tots! Taste, save and enJOY the hot fudge sundae! You don't have to always strive to be "adulting", and you can definitely take yo...

Have you ever felt in need of a pick-me-up? Y’know, “adulting” and play are not mutually exclusive.  You have the choice of which lens you see the world! There are no rules; make up a holiday and spark a celebration.  Let loose, woot-woot, chee hoo, laugh like Chewbacca, and the lasting memories make the celebration a gift that keeps on giving.  Celebrate along the way and then life itself becomes...

Have you ever felt unworthy of feeling pride? Or paradoxically, do you view pride as shameful?  Consider that pride isn’t always hubris and comparative. We can reframe how we look at the word “pride”.  Mowing with or beyond heroes and holidays, pride can just mean grounded self acceptance, rather than shame, for who you are.   A value of self worth equal to others.  An individual declaration of en...

Have you ever felt uncomfortable because of mixed emotions, or even conflicting emotions? We rarely feel one thing at a time. You don’t have to choose, push away or talk yourself out of either one emotion or the other. They can exist as a “both” and an “and”!  Allow the coexistence of the emotions. In fact, one emotion is likely because of the existence of the other and is often potentiated becaus...

Have you ever felt upset or overwhelmed by a situation? You don’t have to! It’s not the circumstance that’s upsetting you. It’s your thoughts about the situation that’s upsetting you. A situation or circumstance might be fact, as is.  But the experience of it actually is under our control. Might there be a different thought you can have about it? Thoughts are actually under our control, even if th...

Have you ever talked yourself out of something you really wanted to do? Whose voice are you hearing, coming up with all the reasons not to move forward? Let in those 3 magic words-- Oh Screw It, along with No Big Deal, Just Do It, Go For It and Let It Go! Don't suppress what's authentic to you and don't wait to be without fear! Courage is doing it anyway in the face of that discomfo...

Like Taylor Swift, have you ever looked back on your life as eras? It’s good to reflect back and gain wisdom to move forward.  Lessons can be learned from patterns of behavior or types of people that show up in multiple eras. And the good news is that we don't have to see life in finite labels of definitive beginnings and endings, but instead is a continuum of seasons.  Fresh starts and new b...

Have you ever thought about what your "brand" is? It can be a look or a logo, but can also be a principle or a standard! It can be a style, mentality, and persona. Knowing what fits or doesn't fit, and defining your brand can be an exercise grounded in who you are and how you want to represent yourself. There's accountability and ownership of what we proclaim and assert to be o...

Have you ever been given a backhanded compliment that actually was a veiled insult? What do you do with it?  Instead of throwing an aggression back, you could pose a question back! Our Inner voice discerns what we know versus what we believe or how we receive what someone’s thrown us.  And tone matters— the tone of our inner voice, as well as that of the messenger. There are more things than just...

What do you do when you're given a backhanded compliment? Are you tempted to throw a zinger back? Was it a veiled insult, a subconscious microaggression, or a misunderstood comment? When gifted a compliment that left us unsettled or even hurt, we can examine with curiosity how we receive the comment, to then have a discerned response, rather than an emotional reaction. We can choose how to ta...

Have you ever reacted defensively but regretted it?  When someone has a wrong idea of you, it’s easy to sit in a place of defensiveness. But when reacting from that place, people might not hear your actual message, and instead notice behaviors and mannerisms which undermine your message.  Use your body’s reactions as signals and indicators, to distance yourself, and then look at what’s really the...

Have you ever felt hurt when someone didn't like you? How long did you let that bother you? It's amazing the mental bandwidth we use when we worry that someone doesn't like us! But when we focus on if others like us, that takes us out of ourselves. Not being liked isn't a valuation of your worth! And our thoughts about not being liked hurt us more than not being liked itself. W...