It's really easy to make decisions based on our backstory (who we were in the past). We have clear, often recent, evidence of what worked--or didn't work--for us and what we were capable of. 

The problem with that, though, is there isn't room for much growth. Maybe we try to do a little better than w...

Our 6-year old daughter spent hours this weekend making "coloring books" (outline drawings on copy paper, bound by a row of staples) to sell door-to-door to neighbors and friends. She was so full of enthusiasm about it, I couldn't help but smile watching her. 

She was working on some more books this ...

Momentum is one of the very best friends you can ever have. She'll take you to higher heights than you could ever dream of reaching on your own, and show you what you're really capable of -- over and over again. 

But this friendship must be intentionally nurtured and maintained; otherwise she can tur...

A fetus develops for about 37-40 weeks before anyone sees what she actually looks like (minus some rough scans, depending on where the mother lives and what her healthcare coverage is like). 

The mother knows her baby is there, without any doubt. The more time goes on, the more she feels that reality...

I'm focusing this weekend on some really powerful inputs, by tuning into our church's semi-annual conference (2 full days of beautifully uplifting talks and music focused on the Savior). So many rich lessons about Jesus Christ and how we can better follow His example. It's been a beautiful experienc...

I started doing something regularly late last year that has dramatically improved the quality of my time in prayer: 

I pray on paper.

This will sound a lot like Julia Cameron's "morning pages" (as described in her book, The Artist's Way) -- and that's actually how it started. 

Morning pages help get th...

I just had the funnest time with some girlfriends here in our community tonight. We went to JC Penney and had our portraits done, just like we had decades ago with our families when we were kids. We each picked a childhood photo and put together an outfit inspired by the photo, then came together fo...

I'm hearing a lot about AI these days, in many different circles. Some are embracing it with enthusiasm, and others are still very apprehensive about trying it out. I've been using it for many purposes in my business, and it's been a game changer. But I've found an even more powerful way to use it: ...

I was kind of a nerdy kid, and sometimes for fun I would read my dad's dictionary (you're learning a lot of fun facts about me here 😅). I still love to dig into definitions and think about how they connect with what I'm learning. 

Exploring the word meaning is an interesting exercise. It appears as t...

Anxiety and possibility are closely related. Both use the imagination, and both can be identified by one question: 

What if...?

The difference between anxiety and possibility, then, is what the What if question is combined with.

What if + fear = anxiety (what if the stove catches on fire)
What if + hat...

My client and now dear friend, Gail, has a fantastic new blog called "Real Talk." I'm thinking of adding a category with that name in her honor, and this will be its inaugural post. 

For this post, I want you to imagine we're sitting down on the couch, face-to-face, and I'm speaking to you with all t...

When you do anything of value, there will be naysayers. This doesn't mean there's something inherently wrong with the thing you're doing. It more likely means it's just not for them. 

That doesn't mean we ignore everything the naysayers say, as there might be some validity in there that can make your...