Even more invaluable than a truly helpful person is one who doesn’t wait to be asked for the help they provide, but who takes initiative.  Initiative is where genuine care, proactivity, and confidence meet. The person who takes initiative possesses a desire to contribute their skillset and ease the load of others to a level which supersedes what is merely expected of them. It isn’t just that they recognize where help is needed (lots ...

  One of my favorite exchanges I’ve had in recent months was with my client’s teenage daughter. She’s a talented cheer athlete, and competes nationally along with her twin sister. After we had finished editing their bedroom, I asked her, “What do you love most about cheer?” I’m embarrassed to admit that I expected her to say something to the effect of, “I love getting to spend time with my teammates.” Or, “I love my ...

  Most people end the year with notes of thanks. I’m ringing in the new year by suggesting we all orient our focus on gratitude. What I’ve learned is that gratitude is not the place you arrive at, but the starting point. Every morning since my mom died, I’d been thinking “I’m so grateful to be alive” the instant I wake up, and before I open my eyes. At the outset of 2023, I decided ...

  Daily frustrations, careless mistakes, unforeseen, unnavoidable crises, and even intentional, premeditated evils–these are all part of the human experience. There is no way to separate being alive from the challenges of life. Now that we’re more connected to the world at large than ever before, these hardships are inescapable. Everywhere you look is a circumstance that threatens to sink you. Over there is a tragic war, and over here is senseless suffering, and your ...