It’s the holiday season and the number one question on everyone's mind? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Before we answer this question. The more pressing question for me is, should I let my kids watch Die Hard? Yippee ki-yay… 

Who’d have thought I’d be thanking my 14 year old self for introducing a lesson in change that I wouldn’t learn for decades later. I wonder what I’ll learn next and what changes will happen in this new season?  

I don’t want my kids growing up feeling like they have to live a perfect life, be the model citizen, or have the life envisioned and advertised by others. I want them to understand that it’s okay that life is messy but it’s a package deal, the mess comes with beauty and that can look however they want it to. There is enough pressure to have or be someone else’s ideal. I want them to have their own idea of what the good life looks like and live it out loud.

We all have our things that we are self conscious about. Elements of ourselves we live with on a daily basis that in certain moments we become acutely aware of other people's perception of us. As I work through those insecurities, it is helpful to frame them through the lens of parenting. Modeling and teaching my kids the way my dad taught me.

In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl writes a deeply profound essay on the analysis of existentialism from the experience of having spent a number of years in Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Not only is he apt to explore the questions in deep analytical and academic form because of his profession but to have lived an experience such as that can only shape a perspective about the meaning of life, in a way that lands on real truths even if they aren't absolute.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate or grand. For many people stepping foot outside their state or region may be the first step needed. That’s okay, start where you can. The ruins of Chichen Itza are not any more spectacular than the landscape of Yellowstone or the canals of Amsterdam. Discover what is near you that you have not seen and go experience it. It will change you only for the good.

Recently I have been reflecting on what we are capable of as individuals and how the different types of energy we possess influence our journey through life. It is a comforting thought that the type of vibes we invite into our life can provide more agency towards becoming the best versions of ourselves

We live in a knowledge economy. It's okay if you don't know how to do something specific. There is so much information to consume on a daily basis that it’s impossible to just keep up with what's happening in the local news, let alone learn a new skill or choose a new challenge. Hiring a business coach, tutor, fitness trainer, mentor or life coach is an effective and efficient way to get where you want to be.

In basic technology there is an input and an output. The input is the data the computer or device receives and the output is what it sends. It's pretty simple. The same goes for the mind. But the good news is that you get to determine what that input is.

We forget how important change is and how difficult and oftentimes painful it can be. But sometimes it takes seeing other spectrums of light in the world to realize that you’ve been living in black in white. Those are the moments where change is happening and where growth is inevitable.

Searching for that love isn’t a negative. It is part of the process. Love is a journey much like life. The destination of self discovery is a lifelong expedition that different loves help guide us towards.

The heartbreak is real when we lose. It feels unfair and is entirely out of our control. If we could control it we would make sure it turned out differently. Maybe I wouldn't have gone up for that rebound or maybe shouldn’t have been that rebound. But all is not lost despite how you or I may feel. There are things that you can never lose. Your smile, your ability to make someone else’s day, your quest for the next great adventure.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven” - John Milton

I look around at the world and I want to see it all. I want to taste all of the foods, see all of the places to see, smell all of the smells. There is a distinctness to the smell of a new country that every time I arrive, I feel alive like no other feeling gives me. I want to experience all of the good life has to offer. There is an endless supply of it and so many people overlook it too frequently. So if you want to have your “ever after” live while you can.

We are increasingly addicted to technology and what it is doing to our mental health is problematic. Understanding our collective mental health as well as individuals is also blurred. Imagination and being different can become warped into crazy. It might be time we start putting down our phones and starting to focus on our minds.

Wildflowers are bold, strong and brilliant and teach us a lot about life.

“Mamma said there’ll be days like this” - Van Morrison

Reflections on BLM amid the chaos with a front row seat.