We hear plenty about "fairy tale endings," but no one really mentions the "fairy tale middle." If you think about it, though, that's the part we love the most -- the part where the heroine really becomes who she is meant to be. It's where Snow White meets and builds friendships with the Seven Dwarfs...

When I first started my business (out of strong necessity to help support our family while my husband was in law school), I had this fear that my decision to work from home instead of dedicate all of my attention to motherhood would break my kids. 

It feels silly and a little embarrassing to admit no...

I don't know about where you live, but here in Virginia it's been a long winter. Some weeks, it's seemed like this season will never end. 

But driving to church today and seeing the trees whose bare branches have started to show little hints of something new, I realized that -- even with the coldest ...

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...

There's nothing wrong with working in drafts. In fact, it's actually recommended! Make a solid attempt, step away, and come back to it with fresh eyes and new input. It'll get better and better with each pass. Progress is enough.

When you're attempting something new or stretching outside of your comfort zone, it's really easy to put off doing it... because you just don't feel like it. Your brain is trying to keep you safe and comfy, and it has a lifetime of practice doing it.

I've learned a good response for those thoughts te...

I was going to write about something else tonight, but I just had the most beautiful moment with my daughter. She came to get her hair braided (loves how it turns out wavy in the morning), and when I finished she leaned back and I put my arms around her. She curled her arms up around mine and let me...

It's one thing to take council from your own fear -- not to the point or paralysis, but at least to the point of consideration. After all, your own fear has the good intention of keeping you alive (and you can reason with it, assuring it that you're safe and good to go). 

But what about when we take ...

If you feel called to "something bigger" but can't see how you could ever possibly go for it, maybe it's not possible for you right now. 

But it's not hopeless, either. 

Do we look at an infant -- unable to crawl, scoot, or even lift her own head -- and think, "Well, shoot. This one's hopeless. She'll...

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...

I realized something important this week. I've been holding a pretty powerful belief about money, without really even realizing it. I made a list of all of the thoughts I had about the topic of money, and all of the "what ifs" came down to one statement: More money, more problems.

I don't even know w...

Once in a while, we need to just sit by ourselves and take some good deep breaths. It doesn't mean we're broken, or that life is hopeless (beyond the present moment, anyway) -- it just means we're human. And being human is hard sometimes, no matter if we're 3, 45, or 62. So here's your permission sl...