Girlfriends, here’s the painful truth: guys think we’re crazy. No, like, actually crazy. And, when they’re finally trying to dial it in and decide on who the girl is that they want to end up committing to, the decision comes down to this: which one is the least crazy, while still having all of the “good” stuff, too (attractive, fun to hang out with, similar lifestyle, has a functioning brain, etc.). *Ben actually just goes,…
Aside from Harley Love and Bode, I spend most of my time with the same three people every day: Ben, Maya, and Katrin. While I would love to add Jonah to that list, the unfortunate truth is, especially in the summer when he is volunteering at Camp Jabberwocky on Martha’s Vineyard, it’s a period of time when we just don’t get to physically be near one another as much as we would like. Those three,…
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…
Many of us are great at giving sound, rational advice to others, but will succumb to impulsive, emotionally driven decisions when we’re dealing with ourselves. We can preach, but we don’t practice what we preach. Or, what I sometimes have to tell the athletes in my class, “Do as I say, don’t do as I do.” When I catch someone I care about doing this, making a bad decision for themselves, I have a very…