At CFNE, we call it “entering the danger”, those tough conversations you need to have with people regarding anything from not following through with something, to showing up late for work, to telling someone they seem to have an unhealthy relationship with drinking, to letting someone know they need to work on their “people” skills. They’re the talks that give you a pit in your stomach because you know it’s not as simple as telling…

The truth is, stress isn’t just a necessary evil but rather something that we actually use as a positive stimulus. We go to the gym so we can put our bodies under stress to make them stronger and fitter. We fill our calendars with activities to keep ourselves busy, social, and intellectually challenged. And, if anyone out thinks that having kids will bring peace, calm, and quiet into their lives is either (a) lying, or…

The painful truth of the matter is this: if you’re not 5 minutes early, you’re late. When Ben said that to me the first time, I think I actually got mad at him…like he was trying to take me down and make me feel irrationally insufficient for some reason. But, this has become one of our family mottos to live by. And, trust me, we call each other out on it more often than any…

Even when I was in college, I remember caring and putting a lot of thought into creating a space around me that would almost be an experience. At different periods of time while I was living on campus at Stonehill College, I had a room all to myself. Because of this, I had total say over the decor, what music I was playing, what I wanted the room to smell like, and the best part:…

I’ve been playing around with something that’s moved the needle enough for me that I think it’s worth mentioning: morning meditation. Not too long ago, I was committed to using the Headspace app everyday for at least 10 minutes. It was pretty good for me, but it became more of an obligation and a thing that I “needed” to do so I could check it off my list. It was mostly because of the place…

Something I am forever trying to get better about is this: being on time. I’ve written about this before, but when I feel like it’s time for me to start reminding myself about something, I assume that I’m not alone. The biggest part for me is remembering that my lateness is more a statement of selfishness than anything else. When I am late for something, I’m basically telling the people I’m late for that my…

In my nature, I am an all or nothing personality. It’s something I think has served me well in certain areas of my life, but in many ways has hindered me, as well. When I was a competitive athlete, this quality was what kept me disciplined and committed to my training and programming. It had me viciously dialed in to a nutrition and recovery plan. I had a routine that my body, and even my…

Active listening is something I don’t think comes all that naturally to people, but is worth diving in and forcing yourself to get really good at. You know when you find someone who is really good at it. They’re the sort of person you just wish you could be around more because of what it feels like when you’re with them: you feel like they couldn’t be more interested in the story you’re telling, you…