Posts by Annie
Enough To Elicit Contentment
“I just had to send you a message,” a client we’ll call Marla wrote to me. “Normally this time of year I’d be feening to shop for myself and other people. Like I had to stay plugged so that I wouldn’t miss major sale announcements, but instead I feel totally unbothered!” We’d worked with…
Read MoreRecognizing Progress Is Making It
We live in a highly produced culture. We’re bombarded with shabby befores snapping to swoonworthy afters. The upgrades are instantaneous, only adding to their impressiveness. We expect our personal transformations to happen as rapidly. We want the results now. We want our current discomfort, our hang-ups, and our emotional turmoil to be dispelled in…
Read MoreTrying Grace On For Size
October was my mom’s birthday month, and if there was one quality (aside from joy) that she possessed in spades, it was grace. She didn’t try, she just was. She didn’t force or manipulate, she allowed things to ebb and flow towards and away from her without ever seeming too troubled about their direction.…
Read MoreWhat Will You Renew?
August, with its straw hat and freckles, has taken its final bow for the year. In its stead enters September, which, with its return to routine for so many families, gives one that sense that life is once again standing at attention with its glasses on. The mornings are crisper, the daylight shortens, but…
Read MoreThe Case For Laughter
Growing up, my family took my mom’s cue (who was able to find humor in her wretched MS) and laughed about everything. Mundane acts that were once effortless for her (like showering, getting dressed, eating, and seeing), became exhaustive endeavors requiring no less than three people to complete. It was too absurd not to…
Read MoreFor Better Results, Finesse
When we talk with clients about making small changes that have significant impact, we often use the word “finesse” to describe the process that’s needed. Maybe that’s because we eventually bore of saying “optimize,” “improve,” and the colloquial “zhush.” It’s as much because the concept of finessing is apt. In my mind, finessing is the…
Read MoreIf You Have THIS You’re Luckier Than You May Think
Growing up, my family’s norm was the unpredictability of chronic illness. The question of whether my mom would have a “good MS day,” (denoted by having enough energy to be showered and dressed, participate in conversation, and feed herself), or a “bad MS day,” (see: the opposite) lingered in the air each night. This made…
Read MoreWhose Power Is It, Anyway?
True power is not, as is so often thought, dictatorial, oppressive, or corrupting. Power is the force of our authenticity, the knowledge that we are worthy of being here, and the confidence that relying on our intuition provides. Being in our power, counterintuitively, is what allows us to relax. From this stance, we know when…
Read MoreThe Opportunity Of The Moment
Each of us has the choice to view life as a series of opportunities, or as a random string of good or bad events. When we choose to view life as an exercise in opportunity, we live with the awareness that every moment is a teacher. Every circumstance is unfolding for the potential betterment…
Read MoreNote To Self: Take More Initiative!
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…
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