Health & Free Living

I was listening to a podcast the other day by Marie Forleo and she was talking with someone about determining your worth in business. They were talking about how when you are looking at your worth, whether business or personal, you can't allow other people to determine your worth. Their thought was that you determine your worth in life. Yes, other people don't determine my worth in life and not hearing from someone doesn't determine my value. My worth is not based on what other people think of me but, honestly, I don't believe that it's just about me determining my own worth. See, I don't trust myself. I'm my worst critic and don't always believe my true worth. Oftentimes, I dwell on thinking I should have done more or that I'm a crappy mom, etc. Clearly, I'm not good at determining my own worth. So, even though I don't want others to determine my worth, determining my own worth feels like a big weight as well. Here's what I have found:

I LOVE to read. I rarely watch TV, because I am always reading. Everywhere I go, I bring a book with me because I would rather lose myself in a book than stare at my phone non-stop. I read a TON of fiction books, but also try to fill my time reading non-fiction books that grow my faith, business knowledge, healthy habits, etc. Here are some of my top favorite books. Take a look and then go grab a copy for yourself! (Side note: I love getting books from the library, but these are all ones worth owning -- so you can re-read them and share them.)   1. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo I can't give this book enough praise! If you have ever made excuses for not meeting a goal, following a dream, fixing a problem...then you need this book! It's easy to read, super practical, and Marie is so incredibly relatable. So stop making excuses about having time or money to read this book ;) and go figure it out! As you'll learn, everything is figureoutable! 2. Food Fix: How to

Since the beginning of 2021, I've been hearing a lot about having a "Word of the Year." People have been choosing a "Word of the Year" prior to now, but I wonder if I'm seeing it more this year because people are afraid to have goals and dreams in 2021 after the letdown of 2020.  It's crazy to think that there is one word in all of language that will envelope my hopes for 2021 (check out this funny video from The Holderness Family:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNZeZK7-4uU ), but I think I came up with one. I still created my list of dreams for 2021, but tried to funnel it all into one word. My word of the year is CARE.  I picked this word because of the different ways it can be used. "Take care..." "Handle with care..." "I care about you..." I want to be more empathetic and show people that I care about their hurts/struggles.  I want to make sure those closest to me know that I love them and make it a priority to tell

It's a new year, which often means new goals and dreams. Most people come up with a resolution or goal, but often give up because it is unattainable or they are looking for quick results. There is nothing wrong with coming up with a list of goals for the new year...as long as you realize that it might take all year to attain them. Most won't get achieved in one month -- which means that you can't give up after January if you haven't met your goal AND you can't wait to get started until November or December. Start right away with the knowledge that anything great worth doing is worth the time and effort. It's helpful to have smaller goals as you reach for your big goals (which I like to call my Dreams for the year). Dreams are the big picture, but you need multiple, smaller goals to reach your big goal/dream. So, you may have a big goal of losing 30lbs, but your smaller goals may be to lose 1-2 pounds per week, add one vegetable to your day, etc. You may want to

2020 is officially gone and 2021 is here! I know most people joke about the dumpster fire that 2020 was and how thankful they are to see the year be over, however, when I look back at the year I see how God used the hard to create better. Without the crazy year of 2020, my life would be on the same crazy train it was at the beginning of the year and I wouldn't see the growth in my marriage, my family, my job, etc. At the beginning of 2020, our lives had become busy without even realizing it. We would find a way to add one more activity to our week and adjust, never seeing just how crazy life was becoming. Then everything shut down in March and we were forced to stop and be still. My husband and I both saw that we needed to take a step back and have made intentional choices to not let our lives get as hectic again. When everything closed, including my job, I realized that the job I had was pulling me away from the time I desired with my family and that I was missing my kids growing