“When you encounter someone you were destined to meet the conversation will take flight as if it were on the wings of angels, complete strangers confiding in each other as if you were lifelong friends.” – Kevin Hall Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone for the first time, but having that feeling […]
I laid down to take a nap after 9am church this morning and stayed asleep until just a few minutes ago (nearly 9pm!). Clearly my body needs sleep so rather than writing a blog tonight I’m going to repost an article I wrote for Forbes back in 2015 titled “Don’t Lose Hope. You Never Know […]
There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you could become.” – Orison Swett Marden Deep within each of us lies talents, abilities, and powers that go so far beyond anything we could begin to imagine. Too often in life we […]
One day my husband and I were walking along a riverbank when I looked over and saw an awesome Wish Flower. I used to see them all the time when I was a little girl living in Puyallup, Washington. They were all over our backyard and as kids we would go out and pick the […]
When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully. When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light. When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it. When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway. When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back. When […]
Today I was really bummed out because it was my Mother’s 78th birthday and we couldn’t be with her even though she lives only fifteen minutes away. With the quarantine we could only stand on her front porch singing Happy Birthday to her through the glass and then leave a cake an balloons on her […]
Last week we took our children and grandchildren to go ride the Polar Express train for Christmas. As I was watching my daughter-in-law getting her two year old son and her four month old daughter ready to go it reminded me of how utterly exhausting it can be to a mother with small children. The […]
Years ago I wrote an article for Forbes called Speak The Truth Even If Your Voice Shakes which talked about the importance of giving people honest feedback in a respectful way, even at times it feels uncomfortable or intimidating to do so. In the article I shared seven lessons I’d learned about giving feedback and […]
Last Friday I was humbled to receive the Leadership in Business Award from the YWCA for my business accomplishments and the work I do championing women and girls through my foundation (the IPOP Foundation). They put on a beautiful event of around 1,200 attendees Friday and I told them it was the sweetest way to […]
Some days…especially days when you are still awake at 1:45am in the morning working on your taxes that are due in less than a week …well, let’s just say those days are NOT a whole lot of fun. Days like that you’ve gotta find something to laugh about or you will lose your mind buried […]
Today was one of those days where when it comes to an end you just want to curl up in a ball and cry because you’ve had one thing after another pile on you so fast and furious you don’t even feel like you have time to breathe, let alone catch a potty break or […]
We realize the value of our time more and more the older we get…perhaps because we become keenly aware that the time we have left is growing less and less… The irony is that our time right now is, and always has, held the very same value – a minute has always been worth a […]
When I became a parent I never knew I could love another human being so much. I still remember the way I felt when I became pregnant with my second child – I remember wondering how I could ever love another person as much as I loved my first child. But then 23 years ago […]
Recently I had a conversation with some young women who shared feelings of discouragement after they had been told that they needed to accept certain limits on their choices for the future. I was so frustrated because I know firsthand those limits don’t exist and those young women can achieve all of the goals they […]
2019…can you believe it?!?! It’s 2019! And today is the first day of the rest of your life and it’s going to be AWESOME!!! Happy New Year everyone! My family rang in the new year by busting out a bottle of sparkling grape juice only to find it was fermented, which caused my son and […]
Welcome back! I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday! If you ate even a portion of the food I consumed over the weekend then you too are wondering how in the world you will ever fit into your normal pants again to go back to work tomorrow! It’s been so nice to wear elastic waist […]
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” -W.T. Purkiser Have you heard about the #LightTheWorld Worldwide Day of Service? I want to give you a heads up now so you can get in on the fun! December 1st is going to be the […]
Twice a year, every year, over the course of a weekend, there is a conference held in which around 35 amazingly inspiring speakers give talks on everything from integrity, to attitude, to finding balance, enduring trials, education, forgiving, service, gratitude, family, hope, happiness, and a myriad of other important and inspiring topics. I get so […]
“Fear is an idea crippling, experience-crushing, success-stalling inhibitor inflicted only by yourself.” – Stephanie Melish We are the ones who create our own fears. We decide what we are afraid of by the thoughts we allow into our minds. We think our fears into existence and then we allow them to exist and grow in […]
“Stuff”…we all wish for it, we even work really hard so we can have the means to get it, but the truth is that often times the idea of having it turns out to be much more exciting than the reality of what having it entails… I’ve been as guilty as the next person when […]
We all need help lightening up once in awhile. Here are 12 great steps to help you lighten up: “Approaching your life with a non-serious attitude gives you a clearheaded view of difficulties and the energy to deal with them. Problems are easier to solve, people are more cooperative and you feel more relaxed. You […]
“Promise Yourself To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only the […]
“If you’re gonna do it, you gotta own it!” That’s what my daughter yelled out to her now husband as he and her brother were talking about whether he should do a funny dance number at her wedding reception a week ago. She pointed out that anytime you are going to do something public like […]
“Life’s Little Instructions -Every so often you push your luck. -Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed. -Never give up on anybody — miracles happen every day. -Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know. -Learn to listen. -Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures. -Don’t expect others to listen to […]
“The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it.” -unknown This weekend I was heads down working my guts out on my daughter Ashley’s upcoming wedding. I’ve been working on planning her wedding for months but it’s getting down to the wire with only a few weeks left […]
A eulogy is those words that will be spoken at your funeral someday reflecting back on the person you were, the things you accomplished, the things you did for others, and the example your life set and the legacy it has left behind. Have you ever sat and thought about writing your own eulogy? Taking a […]
We all wish we could have certainty life because it takes the fear out of things if we already know what is going to happen. But last night I was reminded that knowing the ending also takes that excitement and anticipation that comes from not knowing. As much as we think we want to know […]
“Destiny is a mysterious thing, sometimes enfolding a miracle in a leaky basket of catastrophe.” – Francisco Goldman A few days ago I posed a blog about taking control of our lives by first taking control of our thoughts and then figuring out what we can do to improve ourselves in every situation. Today I […]
Welcome to 2018 everyone! Isn’t it just so exciting?! A brand new year, a clean slate, a fresh chapter…2018 is the beginning of something extraordinary! Hopefully everyone found time to go through their 2018 calendar and block out all the days they want for their vacations etc that I wrote about here, and hopefully everyone […]
PUT-OFF TOWN Did you ever go to Put-Off town, Where the houses are old and tumble-down, And everything tarries and everything drags, With dirty streets and people in rags? On the street of Slow lives Old Man Wait, And his two little boys named Linger and Late; With unclean hands and tousled hair, And a […]
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