Lessons For My Kids

"You never know how long your words will stay in someone's mind even long after you've forgotten you spoke them." What you say has an affect on others. The words you choose and how you say them can be taken in different ways. You have control of what and how is said. Sometimes it's best to pause, think, and then speak. Know your audience. If you are asking about something for understanding, yet co...

This poem can be found online, yet I couldn’t locate an author. The lines have been shared before in many ways on this podcast. It’s nice to have many of these lessons in one piece. Life doesn’t have to be complex. There are simple things that allow you to be happy, and leave the world better than you came into. Thank you for listening.

We make lots of decisions every day. Some are small and quick, while some are hard and take some thought. No one knows for certain how many decisions we each make daily, but estimates are around 35,000, according to Psychology Today. Don’t worry about the small decisions, just make them and move on. Take the needed time to think through the larger decisions, yet know you have to make a choice. In...

How we react to situations can determine whether there is a good or bad long-term outcome. Outside of our control, people will do things we don’t always like. If we get angry, will this change their behavior in the long run? If we have a calm conversation and recognize no one is perfect and we are always learning, could this create a better outcome for both sides? Please think about an instance an...

Leaders have skills many of us may not notice, yet makes them effective. We know what good and bad leaders look like. Wealth of Geeks posted “8 1-Minute Habits That Will Make Your Coworkers See You As a Leader”. This is a good list for anyone. The focus may be work related, yet these habits can help you lead a team, community organization, or any group.

Lots of people think they can multi-task. If this is you, look back to the tasks you were doing at the same time. Did you truly concentrate on both? If you were cooking and listening to music, did you read the recipe and follow the lyrics fully at the same time? The answer is likely to be no. Our brains, while amazing in many aspects, can only truly concentrate fully on one thing at a time. To my...

We take for granted, sometimes, the needs of our mind, body, and spirit. These need attention. Your mind is eager to learn, think, and achieve. Your body needs exercise, fuel, and hydration. And your spirit needs to reach out beyond your physical self and understand your purpose. These are large topics, and you may have some other ideas of how to nurture each one. Overall, they help drive you down...

This is the first episode in over a year. Please be patient as it may take some time to find my voice again. Over the past year away, I've learned a lot of new lessons, and want to share them with you...and my kids. This first episode may be a little rough, but there will be some nuggets you might just take away. Thanks for re-joining me on a journey of Lessons For My Kids.

Music is all around us. It may be a song on a radio, it may be a child singing, or it could even be birds chirping. Sounds create experiences, feelings, or evoke memories. Not matter where you come from, what language you speak, music is a universal way to communicate. Music also helps people to be creative as well as unite us to others. Music is an amazing gift to the world. Referenced in this ep...

It’s been about a year since our last episode from my first year. Over the past months I’ve learned a few things and had time to think about what else I need to teach my kids. Hope you are all doing well and will tune in for the next year. Peace to you all.

LFMK was created as a a personal goal to create a podcast, share a few life lessons for my kids and others to listen to, as well as be a reminder how life needs to be lived. We tend to get caught up in ruts and see negatives. The idea was to take lessons learned throughout this journey of life and use those lessons to show there is hope in the world, a glimmer of light. There are reminders through...

Poetry. We know it as words in a book, or recited in school. Poetry is really all around us, and it's part of our daily lives. Sit still. Focus and listen. Music, film, nature...are all poetic. Poems shared in this episode come from Mother Teresa, Caleb Gunner, and Ralph W. Emerson. Thank you for listening.

Do you have people you like spending time with? Are they who you would call if you needed help? Would you be there for them, if needed? We have many relationships throughout our lives; family, friends, classmates, coworkers, etc. Some people will stay longer in our lives than others. We may have similar likes/dislikes, participate in activities, come from a certain neighborhood. Each person helps...

This is one of those episodes you should think about. You work hard to create your data, reputation, information, and finances. How do you keep it all safe? Use trusted sites and contacts before sharing information or clicking links over the internet, email, or your phone. If something looks suspicious, don't click on a link, answer personal questions, or provide secure information like passwords....

Morals and values are such an important part of growing up and living in a civilized society. This is a reminder to those of us young and old. There are values such as respect, family, and determination, among other things, we all struggle with from time to time. None of us are perfect, yet we all go through experiences. Having the right tools (morals and values) can determine outcomes. In this ep...

Our lives are filled with busy-ness. What if we were to downsize our homes, closets, friend lists, or focus on what's of most value? Life is not about money. Having the biggest house, nicest car, or most expensive clothes does not add value to our lives. Instead these things add more distress. Really, living our lives should be done simply. In reference to zenhabits.net, vanillapapers.net, and sim...

Do you live a healthy life? what do health and wellness mean? We learn about eating well and exercising, but there is more to it. There are many sites, blogs, and information found in the world to help us with these parts of our lives. This episode references information from kids-harbor.com, Lancastergeneralhealth.org, and fourwellness.co. Some good reminders and tips for everyone. Thank you for...

What's your family story? The family history we leave for future generations depends on us. Many of us communicate via email or social media. While digital footprints are never actually deleted, it's becoming rare for people to write letters or even send celebratory cards in our handwriting. We have an opportunity today to write or record our history. Take a few minutes to think about your persona...

Everyone feels stress and anxiety from time to time. Prolonged stress and anxiety can impact our health. How do we know when the feelings are deeper? How can we tell if our lives need some balance? In a review of articles from Healthline.com and VeryWellMind.com, they give us insights on signs we need to watch for. There are many relaxation techniques found on the internet or in our communities. S...

There are thousands and thousands of quotations in the world. Many people refer to them for inspiration. Some share them on social media. Cities paint the words as murals. There isn't a person in this world who has ever watched or played a sport who hasn't heard a famous quote. There are quotes cited by coaches, athletes, and broadcasters from all across the world. Today we review some famous quot...

Do you ever feel stuck, in a rut, and not sure how to move forward. No matter your goals, take a step. Motivation is internal. Even if you are motivated, how do we move toward achieving our goals. Tell someone what you want to do. They will help, cheer you on, and press you when needed. The points on this episode came from numerous sources including personal experience. The ideas and suggestions a...

Back in 1927, Max Ehrmann wrote a prose poem called "Desiderata" (Latin: "things desired"). It's been shared around the world as a devotional, inspiration, and reminder to people everywhere. According to planetofsuccess.com, this poem "is a concise but truly inspiring reminder to strive for the high ideals. It reminds us to treat others kindly, to accept who they are and to be gentle with ourselve...

Talking with kids about loss or death of a family member or friend can be difficult. There are similar conversations when dating as teenagers. Emotions can be strong. We review some ways to talk with kids about loss and death. References include psychology today.com and childsevelopmentinfo.com. Thank you for listening.

Hope is a beacon and expectation that tomorrow and the future have bright outlooks. Hope is as infectious as negativity. Nelson Mandela was jailed in South Africa for 27 years, yet had hope and optimism that one day he would be free. There are many other historical figures who have embodied hope, such as Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and Mother Teresa. The world is not as dark and dreary as...

We all may want success for ourselves and our kids. The path to success is rarely a straight line. There are bumps, obstacles, and set backs. Social media tends to show the highlights rather than the struggles and journey. Getting knocked down is part of the learning process. What we learn and how we adjust may bring us success, or we learn skills to put us on a different path. Part of learning is...