I'm Mfing Awesome, Yo!

I was once told I am not creative because I cannot free paint. Anyone that knows me, knows that I asserted a very strong argument against that statement. First, I have taken a strengths survey annually for the last four years. It has told me every year that my top strength is "creativity." Second, I am an excellent process and performance improvement professional. It takes great creativity to accomplish making processes and performance optimized. Third, I have had a challenging life with many sharp turns that required a lot of creativity to keep moving forward. Why did it bother me so much that I was told I was not creative? I do not think the statement is what bothered me. I think it was the assertion that I could not accomplish certain things because of  a narrow belief that our talents, personality, and thinking style determine what we can accomplish. I do not subscribe to such a belief. Let me share a story with you. I recently attended a parent engagement a...

Some times you have to re-pot a plant so it can grow. When a plant outgrows its pot, it gets root bound and is cramped in its surroundings. The roots will begin to spill out the bottom or over the top. The plant's growth will be stunted. In some cases the plant will die. When a plant is re-potted, it sometimes goes into shock. But, with some care, it eventually begins to grow again. You cannot always see what is happening in your life. I did not know I was "root-bound." I felt like I  had more to give. But, where I was, there was no room for me to be the person I wanted to be. Something felt wrong. I felt wrong. I was persistent and kept trying to grow beyond my surroundings. When I got too big, I felt like I was being cut down. It took a lot of courage and encouragement for me to uproot my life and move to Texas. I had no idea why I was moving here. Using this analogy for a move to Texas is oddly fitting because everything is bigger in Texas, right? Moving to Te...

I was gifted with a very diverse set of daughters. When you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, they will often tell you various careers like police, officer, fireman, lawyer, teacher, etc. When I was asked, I would often say "a mom." I never thought anything of that statement until I started to feel like a failure when it came to my careers and marriages. I learned about values-based living and realized I had failed at things I did not value as much. I value being the best mom I can be and the legacy I leave through my children. My parenting journey has been a rocky one, just like everyone else. What I can tell you is I am the best mother my daughters could have. Yes, I said it! I am very confident in that statement now. I am the best mom for them because I remember what it was like being a daughter at all stages of growing up. I am also intuitive, an excellent problem solver, and dare I say: manipulative. Manipulation gets such a bad rap, but it is a goo...

I have not had the best birthdays and I used to be so upset about it until my 40th Birthday. I am not quite sure what about that birthday changed my perspective, but it did. I just celebrated my 41st Birthday on Monday. It was not the most spectacularly celebrated birthday. However, I got what I wanted. First, I was not sure I would have all of my daughters with me to celebrate my birthday, but I did. My second oldest drove my oldest down a few days prior to spend some time with me. Also, I thought I was going to spend the day of alone and I planned to do so with a carefully crafted schedule to ensure I did not get sad. It's a coping skill I mastered through researching self-care for when my daughter is away for the summer. Then, I received a message from a friend "Good morning honey!!! Happy Birthday!!! Let me take you to lunch today." I scrapped my plans and oh boy was it a hot mess trying to meet up, but we did it! It was the best Denny's lunch I have ever had. ...