The word VORTEX has been in the news a lot this week due to the dangerous deep freeze throughout the country being attributed to a “polar vortex” (a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth's North and South poles and flowing counter-clockwise). Over 80% of the country is experiencing record-shattering temperatures below the freezing mark and 100 million Americans live in states which have temperatures below zero...colder than Antarctica and Siberia! Forecasters have said that the extremely low temperatures, coupled with wind chills that are 40-65 degrees below zero, have created such an extreme situation that frostbite on exposed skin will occur in less than 5 minutes. States are taking precautions such as closing schools, suspending postal services, and warming train tracks with fire.   My purpose for writing to you this week is not to pontificate on the effects of this spinning mass of arctic air. The Polar Vortex did get me thinking, however, about another cultural phenomenon...the “Swirling Vortex” that so many of us get sucked into on a regular basis. Read More

For years we have heard that there is clinical data to support that taking a daily dose of Vitamin B will reduce your stress and increase your energy. If you have ever experienced a low level of energy and/or chronic fatigue, you know that they can both heavily contribute to increasing your irritability and stress levels. This is why the B vitamins have always gotten great press for their ability to help you deal with stress by improving your cognitive performance, increasing your stability and helping to keep you calm. That’s a lot of support in a small bottle!   Lately, we are hearing more and more about a new “magic pill” - being mindful and living in the present moment. We are encouraged when we hear stories from people whose lives have been dramatically changed for the better when they started to be fully present and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around them.   My special guest blogger, Michele Roemer, who is a successful small business owner and former high school English teacher, shared one such story. I loved reading Michele’s take on how a change in mindset can truly change your life.  Read More

Even if you don’t follow NFL football, you are probably well aware that we are in the middle of the playoffs. After all, in just a few weeks, the Super Bowl will be upon us. It is undeniable that the teams that made it all the way to the playoffs have each had a great season, with many more wins than losses. While watching one of the playoff games this past weekend, I heard the sportscaster discussing the “mantra” of one of the teams. It is A.S.A.P., which in this particular case, does NOT stand for “as soon as possible.” The team uses the abbreviation to mean ANY SQUAD, ANY PLACE! The team philosophy is that they come ready to play their best, no matter which stadium (and state) they are playing in and which team they are opposing. One of the defensemen for the team was recently quoted as saying "We come into your place ready to play. Our motto around here is 'Any squad, any place,' that's what we say.” My husband often tells me that you can garner many a life lesson from paying attention to organized sports. I agree and feel that this is one of those times. I can embrace the idea of “any squad, any place”. I wouldn’t be practicing what I preach if I didn’t show up ready to be my best, no matter where I am and what the circumstance. Read More

Right now we have Federal employees on our minds as the government shutdown enters day # 19 and over 800,000 employees will not be receiving their paychecks. As we well know, the impact of this is far-reaching as we all face the reality of life without many essential, valuable and much needed employees and the work they normally do for our country. Because of this, I have been thinking a lot about the phrase “good enough for government work.” You are undoubtedly familiar with this phrase and how it is used in the common vernacular. It is used in a very negative way, as in “Do you have more work to do on that?” “Nah, it’s good enough for government work!” The Urban Dictionary goes so far as to define the term as meaning “probably not the best, but what the hell, we got the job done” and is followed by the hashtag #slacker.   Read More

I love this time of year! I always look forward to hanging my new wall calendar and loading my Day Planner with crisp/clean/new pages brings me organizational joy! Every time I hear someone say that the new year is a blank page waiting to be written on, I get that “first day of school” feeling all over again. Transferring recurring dates into my 2019 calendars allows me to look ahead at the new year. January feels like the Opening Act for the eleven wonderful months that will follow.    Recently, I was in the car with my son and I was busy thinking about Opening Acts when the country song “I Don’t Know About You” came on the radio. My son, who is a country music fan, promptly said “It’s so amazing...last summer this singer was the Opening Act for the Opening Act and now he’s on the top of the Country Billboard Chart!” I agree with my son...that is amazing...and also inspiring. The singer and songwriter that he was talking about is Chris Lane, an unsuccessful American Idol contestant who after graduating from college, worked for his father’s landscaping business but never gave up on his dream to become a successful country music artist. Year after year, Chris kept writing songs and performing small gigs until he was “discovered”.One of the notable parts of Chris’s backstory is that he played baseball in college and was talented enough to play professionally after graduation. He suffered a career-ending injury which ended his baseball dreams. The great news for country music fans is that when Chris was forced to put down the bat, he decided to pick up a guitar. Almost two decades later, Chris Lane is now one of the most played country music artists with songs that have topped the charts and even gone platinum!  Read More