Get Real with Lisa

This weekend, I realized I may very well be a perfectionist; and we all know that perfection is not attainable. I have always wanted to check the box on tasks so I could say I have accomplished them. However, it isn't always possible to "finish" a task. Most times, we need to do a little at a time and move forward toward our goal. If we do that, pretty soon we look around and we can...

This episode is about not putting our expectations on others. Let them live their lives on their own terms and realize that you asking those questions is really about you and not about them. Life is hard enough without having to answer really uncomfortable questions about our personal lives. Let's accept others for who they are and where they are right now instead of expecting them to be someo...

I had audio issues today but... teaser alert! Stop expecting people to live life on your terms! Episode up tomorrow!

I went back and listened to some of my older episodes and was struck by how inspired I was. I could feel the excitement I had when starting this little podcast and I wondered where that inspiration went. Through that reflection, I realized that that's just how life is. We aren't always having a party and feeling high on life. Sometimes life is full of obligation, responsibility and feels a...

Today I am talking about getting so comfortable with your routine, life, schedule that you don't step out and do anything uncomfortable and new. I talked earlier this year about making a 2026 to-do list and bam... summer is over and I didn't even do ONE of the things on my list. I was fairly busy with the house clean out and estate duties, but that stuff is zero fun! My goal this week is t...

We are headed into the fall season and what is better in the fall than homemade soup? The other day I was wondering what to do with the various veggies in my fridge and remembered my mom's refrigerator soup. Every once in a while, Mom would say, "I need to clean out the fridge". This was great news since it meant we would be having refrigerator soup for dinner. The downside was she c...

Today's episode is about being aware of others and including them when we can. So many times, we find ourselves teaching our kids to exclude others because either we are afraid of their influence on them or we just want them all to ourselves. This is doing our kids a disservice. We need to teach them not only to notice others and be aware when someone is struggling, but to invite them in and m...

Today I wanted to talk to you about how great I think it is that people can do weddings, and other things, in their own way and on their own terms. When I got married, roughly 100 years ago, I did all that was expected of me. I got married in a church we didn't belong too, because you HAVE to get married in a church. I registered for tons of crystal, because that's what you HAVE to do. And...

I was a teenager in the 80s and back then, we were all about how we looked. From the big hair to the piles of makeup, we were impressively done up every day. That "code", if you will, followed me into adulthood and, even though the 80s look went away, the concern about looking perfect all the time remained. I have finally come to the point in my life that I don't care what the scale...

Today I am encouraging us all to go back to sending cards or notes to those we care about. I went to the store to buy some sympathy cards and was quickly reminded that the sentiments in them are really dumb. I am not sure who is making them, but I am a fan of buying blank cards and writing my own sentiment in them. The point of sending a card is it shows you care enough to make the effort. Because...

Hey all. I am getting back on this horse and getting real with you today about life. We all have struggles and sometimes, those struggles aren't really THAT bad. But other times, they are the silent, drop to the floor and bawl your eyes out struggles. Those times can really define who we are and also define who is there for us. Let's face it, most of us have had relatively easy lives. But...

Everyone is always telling us to "be intentional" but what does that really mean? I tend to kinda hang out and expect fun things to happen. Then, when they don't, I am disappointed. But here's the thing. When nothing fun happens, I have not been intentional with my time, my schedule or my connection with others. If we have no intentionality about our time, pretty soon we realize...

Today I am encouraging you to join me in my goal of living a life filled with memories, people, experiences, and love... instead of tons of material things. As we get older, those "things" have less and less meaning and we gain perspective on what is important. The process of going through decades of collected stuff at my dad's home has set me on a new mission - to live a life less f...

We're on a roll here talking about all the STUFF we have. A lot of us have storage units with stuff in them we don't even remember. More of us have stuff stuffed into nooks and crannies in our houses - closets, basements, attics. And what about that garage we can't park in? When it comes down to it, we just have too much stuff! If we start to think more critically about what we have an...

As you know, I am on a mission to downsize all the stuff accumulated by me and also by my parents. There is something to be said for paying homage to the past. After all, it is what shaped us and brought us to where we are today! But keeping everything isn't possible and tossing everything without any emotion might make you a psycho. So maybe there is a place in between the two that will give...

We have all heard about the scarcity mindset, but why does it come about? Many times, it has to do with our upbringing and what we learned as young people. But regardless of why, it creates in us a fear of not having enough. Last week, I was without power at my house and it made me feel a bit of scarcity for myself. It gave me some insight into why folks who have "way too much stuff" hav...

I was in my now-almost-famous $30 a month storage unit last weekend and I realized something. Going through my stuff was a LOT harder than going through 55 years' worth of stuff at my dad's house. His house wasn't full of my stuff and a lot of it was garbage or donatable. But I noticed that this was not the case with my own stuff. My stuff reminds me of my past. It reminds me of my lit...

Many of you who know me well know that I am a big fan of boundaries with social media. I have permissions set on my accounts because I am not obligated to allow anyone full access to my online life. There are a lot of ways to manage access, and I encourage you to think about setting some for yourself. The truth is, none of us are going to get to the end of our lives and wish we had just spent a li...

I have been reading a book called, "The Minimalist Home" by Joshua Becker. It got me thinking about my own journey with decluttering my dad's house and how I struggle with having a lot of "stuff" because I don't function well in a mess or surrounded by a lot of clutter. I have always been drawn to a lifestyle with less stuff, but I wouldn't call myself a minimalist....

Don't let a big mistake, a failed job, a failed relationship define who you are. Those things are outside of you and they are just lessons. Some of them are really big lessons and some are smaller but still meaningful. I was reminded of my biggest mistake the other day and it caught me off guard. Then I was reminded that I just need to forgive myself for that mistake because it does not define me....

As I sit in my dad's house, all the stuff of the previous generations surrounds me. The beautiful, gold-edged china, the leaded crystal, and the thousands of other things that make up the history of my family. But without the memories and stories attached to these things, they are just "stuff". I am a bit fired up today about my advice to use the good sh*t. Why do we keep the good st...

Merry Christmas to you, my wonderful listeners! I wanted to hop on here today and talk about outdoor illumination. How I LOVE Christmas lights! They make me smile while reminding me to slow down and enjoy the little things. I hope you have a blessed holiday season and are able to smile at the memories as well as make new ones!

Ever been around someone who gives you a bad feeling? You're not sure why, but something just feels off. I am here to tell you today to listen to that voice. Don't ignore it. That intuition (or creep vibe) is there for a reason and could serve in keeping you safer than you would be if you ignore it. When my kids were young, I told them if they ever had a bad feeling about someone, they cou...

Let me reiterate that I am NOT an attorney. Nor am I a legal expert. But I recently had a conversation with a family member about what happens to your assets when you die without a will. Many people think, as I used to, that your assets pass to the state where you live. That isn't really the case unless a person has assets and no heirs can be found. It is rare, however, that someone dies with...

I was listening to a podcast (linked below) on decluttering the other day. There was a gal saying, "Take a hard look at things you're holding on to and ask yourself why." It made me think of all the stuff in the houses of my dad and my stepmom that has been left for me to deal with. In my dad's case, he was a collector. So, his house is full of really "good collectible stuff...