Instead of a Bucket List, How about a F*ck It List?

4 Comments / Everything, Happiness, Transitions /

By the time you’re in your thirties, you’ve been carrying around a lot of “shoulds” and “somedays” and “by the times” and “when I’ms” for a long time.

There are the promises you made to yourself as a little kid—“When I grow up, I’m going to_______!”

There are the dreams you grew in high school and college.

There are the frameworks you got from your family model of what you should or would emulate someday.

It’s important to hold onto to your dreams, and it’s never too late to go after the ones that are really important to you. When you’ve lost your way, tapping back into your earliest childhood dreams can be profoundly helpful in finding clarity.

But sometimes you outgrow a dream without realizing it, and instead of being fueled by the inspiring energy of the dream, what you carry around with you is the “should have” and the “have to” and the “still haven’t gotten around to” roughage of having this unaccomplished item on your bucket list.

As these bucket list items keep getting added over time, the accumulation can really start to weigh on you. …

Instead of a Bucket List, How about a F*ck It List?Read More »

Instead of a Bucket List, How about a F*ck It List? Read More »

How to Break through Procrastination…by Procrastinating

Leave a Comment / Everything, Procrastination & Productivity /

Never in my life has my living space been neater than it was during college finals.

Truth be told, I have never been the naturally neatest person.

(Somewhere out there, my parents are laughing and thinking, “That’s the understatement of the year!”)

But you would not have guessed that to see my room in college.

For four years, everything had a place.

My bed was always made, my desk always organized, with nary a paper clip astray.

How?

How did I maintain such a neat and tidy space when my room at home was always a disaster area? …

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How to Break through Procrastination…by Procrastinating Read More »

What Do We Know? A “Game” to Play When You Feel Lost

2 Comments / Career Change and Fulfillment, Everything, Relationships, Transitions /
Feeling lost?

When you’re in the midst of a career change, sometimes it can feel like you have no idea who you are or where you’re going.

It’s disconcerting to look ahead and see a big question mark.

We often feel grounded by what we do for a living—we hook our identity onto it.

This is encouraged by a culture where the question “So, what do you do?” is often the first point of connection after “What is your name?” when meeting someone new.

Similarly, your whole internal identity can feel called into question when you’ve just ended—or are considering ending—a long-term relationship.

Even if you consider yourself a pretty independent lady or fella, putting a big question mark next to a human constant in your life can start the identity wheel spinning.

When you’re feeling confused, unrooted, and uncertain due to a huge looming question mark, here’s a little game you can play, inspired by one of my favorite TV programs growing up. …

What Do We Know? A “Game” to Play When You Feel LostRead More »

What Do We Know? A “Game” to Play When You Feel Lost Read More »

What Will You Miss? Consider the Big Yellow Taxi Factor

6 Comments / Career Change and Fulfillment, Everything, Happiness, Relationships, Transitions /

Picture this:

It’s Saturday night, and you’re all alone, sitting on the couch, drinking wine by yourself and watching a sappy movie. The phone isn’t ringing. You have no one to talk to, nowhere to go, and nothing to do.

…

What just came up for you?

If you are like some of my clients, the singles who long to be grounded in partnership and family, it’s likely you thought, “How depressing.”

And then, maybe, “FML.”

If you are like some of my other clients, such as the mother who can hardly believe that there was a time she had a moment to herself, but knows in hazy half-memory that she did once, and fears that she never will again, it’s likely you got a dreamy look on your face and thought, “How divine.”

And then, maybe, “FML.”

The same scenario; radically different interpretations and experiences.

Perspective is everything.

How can you create perspective for yourself, when you so powerfully long for some part of your life to be different?

Today I have a great exercise for you that will help you do just that. …

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What Will You Miss? Consider the Big Yellow Taxi Factor Read More »

Pity Parties and Relationship Tantrums

5 Comments / Everything, Relationships /
Smart women
Do you throw relationship tantrums?

A couple weeks ago, I broke one of my favorite mugs.

There are a million and a half metaphors here, but today I’m writing about three literal instances of breaking things, and what they can teach us about some common, but destructive, relationship behavior.

My best friend gave me this mug over a decade ago, for my first year as a school teacher.

“Smart Women THIRST for knowledge,” the mug proclaimed.

Every single school day for nine years, that mug held the tea and coffee that helped to power me. On hard days, reading the mug gave me a little boost.

And now it’s broken.

Don’t worry—I’m not throwing myself a pity party.

But I AM going to tell you about a pity party I threw a long time ago. And I bet you’ve thrown the same party.

…

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Pity Parties and Relationship Tantrums Read More »

Spring Fever, or Spring Forward? How to Use Spring Break to Help Your Child Finish the School Year Strong

Leave a Comment / Everything, Parents/Educators /

Whether you’re going on an active adventure, relaxing on a remote beach or in a quiet cabin, staying cozy at home, or visiting extended family, spring break is a perfect opportunity to connect and reflect with your child in a relaxed, connection-fostering setting.

Understandably, many parents wait until the end of the school year to take stock of their children’s progress. While it’s totally natural to associate reflection with an endpoint, waiting for the end of the year is a major missed opportunity for a couple of reasons. …

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Spring Fever, or Spring Forward? How to Use Spring Break to Help Your Child Finish the School Year Strong Read More »

It’s Okay to Want to Make Money (and Recommended Reading: Overcoming Underearning)

2 Comments / Career Change and Fulfillment, Everything, Happiness, Recommended Reading /

When I work with clients in career transition, it’s common for them to talk about wanting more money like it’s a bad thing.

Many people, especially women, have been taught, consciously or unconsciously, that it is wrong to want to make a lot of money.

Some of my clients say, “Welllllll…I’d like to…make more money,” with something akin to shame in their voices.

Some will very forcefully clarify that they do NOT want to be rich. “Not too much!!! Just…enough.”

I’m here to put a stake in the ground today: there is nothing wrong, bad, selfish, or shameful about you if you want to make more money. …

It’s Okay to Want to Make Money (and Recommended Reading: Overcoming Underearning)Read More »

It’s Okay to Want to Make Money (and Recommended Reading: Overcoming Underearning) Read More »