Give yourself a gift this Christmas.  Love yourself.  Accept yourself.  Flaws and all. 

That doesn’t mean there aren’t things you want to change and improve.

It doesn’t mean you are stuck with certain aspects of your life. 

And it's not selfish.  As a matter of fact, it's biblical! (see below)

You can love yourself, accept yourself, AND believe you deserve more. 

Notice the difference - it's not about not being enough as you are.  It's about deserving to be the BEST version of YOU that you can be! 

Sometimes we berate ourselves and compare ourselves to others.  And you know what? There will always be someone better than you in one area or another of life. 

But it’s just as likely that there is some area where you are KILLING IT – and that they are a little envious of you too.

The only one you should be comparing yourself to is YOU. And even then,...

When we are surrounded by chaos and uncertainty, it can feel selfish to focus on ourselves, but I believe that’s exactly where we need to start.

But even after further reflection, I wouldn't change my answer. Here's why.

This is a post for those of us doing this program together. Anyone else is welcome to view and use the info, but that's why it seems a bit out of place!

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Lack of connection, insecurity, loneliness .... it's real. Women need women, but sometimes we're not nice. But it can get better. 

I recently had an opportunity to spend time with some incredible women.  Our lives and experiences are not identical, but they do share common threads.  We have:

• made mistakes
• loved big
• been hurt
• lost important people
• been lonely
• felt insecure
• had great achievements
• struggled with weight issues
• battled mental and physical illnesses
• been vulnerable
• loved God and (most of the time now) let ourselves be loved by Him

Those last two? I believe they are the big ones.  The ones that really matter, now and for eternity. 

Because here’s the thing.  Life is tough. We screw up. There are always people better than us at certain things, and there will always be people that want to make us feel “less than”.  Don’t let yourself be one of those people. 

And if the people you are around most often make...

What sparks joy for you or makes you feel loved?

Self-care isn't selfish. 

Now before you start thinking that you don’t have the time or the money for this, hear me out.  It does not have to be something big and elaborate. Chances are, you have a lot of the tools you need right there at home. And what if you want to kick it up a notch and buy something new for yourself? Great!

1. Are there certain:
• colors
• scents
• sounds that either make you feel relaxed or make you happy?
2. What about certain fabrics? Is it the cool feel of silk? Or something more warm and cozy?
3. Fuzzy socks
4. Candlelight
5. A good book
6. A favorite movie
7. Yoga or some leisurely stretching
8. Fresh flowers 
9. Rich...

• I am not a very patient person.
• I’m not good at sitting and doing nothing.
• I’m not good at asking others for help.

And I knew all of these things going into it, so I thought that I was prepared. I wasn’t.

Consistent workouts are changing my life!

I have always been an intermittent exerciser.  I will do ok for a few days, then life gets in the way and I’ll walk once or twice every couple of weeks.  I was cruising along like that until a month ago today when I decided to really commit to becoming more active.  Since then I have had at least 30 minutes of intentional activity per day, and at least 10,000 steps daily.  I’ve had quite a few people ask me how I stay motivated, so I’ll share some of what has worked for me. 

One of the ways that I have found to stay active when that was not always my norm is to start off my morning that way. I wake up, use the bathroom brush my teeth, put my contacts in, and get started on my Bible in a year app and usually 2 other devotionals that I am doing.  Then depending on if it's my hospice week or not I may need to start a little bit later (I work every other week on-call 5p-830a, so I can’t get...

Start loving yourself, your authentic self

Do you look in the mirror and focus on your flaws and imperfections?

What about who you are deep down inside? What’s that voice in your head saying when you start to dream, when you start to think, “what if I tried….”?

What makes you unique? Are you trying to change it or playing it up?

There is only one amazing YOU!

What if you decided to love yourself no matter what? To continue to improve the things that matter the most to you, but accept yourself for who you are throughout the journey? To see yourself with eyes of grace and love, the way you might see a small child who is trying so hard but struggling….you wouldn’t berate the child, telling her to give up or that she isn’t worth it. You would encourage her, reminding her of the progress she is making, no matter how small or slow.

(And if you have been that small child, and you have been berated in this way, know that I am so sorry. And you...

Dreams for the New Year

What do you dream about? If nothing comes to mind immediately please, please stop and take a few minutes to think about that. Dreams give us purpose and they can move us forward when we are tired, when we just don’t feel it.

For the past year or so I have been working part-time on building my coaching business, working around my regular nursing jobs, my anti-aging/health and wellness business, and some newer crafty endeavors. Here is a recap of some things that I have discovered throughout my own journey:

Let’s dig into these a little more.

Why I am better than you...

I recently turned 44. The funny thing is, I had thought that I was 44 for most of the year that I was 43, so it was a relief to finally be the right age! I’m not sure why I had to stop and think about it, but every time age came up I had to take a moment and do the math. I know some people struggle with getting older, and there is a part of me that wishes I had my 20-something body (and metabolism!) but overall I wouldn’t trade the younger me for the current me. My 40’s have been the best so far, and I fully expect it to keep getting better. I still have a bikini pic from about 15 years ago to encourage me to dream big (or small), but when I look at this younger version of me, I feel bad for her. I am able to tell her “I am better than you”. You see, she really struggled. She always felt like she didn’t measure up, like she was not quite good enough, a little too heavy (she wasn’t), a little too loud, a little/lot...