Courage – Melissa Schlies

Is It Possible To Find Career Contentment?

The signs are everywhere. They’re in the window of your favorite coffee shop. They’re stuck in the ground outside the local car dealer. And before you even get to the produce section of your grocery store, it’s a stanchion sign that reads: “Join Our Team.” Then, in bigger letters, “Now Hiring.” If you need a job right now—any job to help you pay the bills—it shouldn’t be hard to find one. Only, our generation doesn’t want just any job. In fact, the pandemic has made this clearer to us than ever. All our time in lock down and, for some [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-10-17T21:52:35+00:00October 18th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Calling, career, Change, Contentment, Courage|1 Comment

Simon Biles, The Lies We Believe About Rest, & An Announcement

Did you feel it? The Earth shifting under our feet last week as a woman stepped away from what was expected of her—to take care of herself. Through prioritizing her mental health over Olympic glory, Simone Biles modeled what many of us women struggle greatly to do: She chose rest. She chose herself. Instead of trying to meet the expectations of her country, judges, colleagues, friends, coaches, and family, Simone listened to what her mental, emotional, and physical self was telling her. She couldn’t keep going. So she stopped. I am not sure what your journey with rest and self [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-08-01T20:01:39+00:00August 2nd, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Balance, Courage, Habit Making, Health, Mental Health, Self Care|Comments Off

What Sourdough Bread is Teaching Me About Growth and Loss

This past December, as I stared down the social distancing winter we’re all in the middle of, I knew I had to take up a hobby. Sure, we still have a house that’s not fully decorated or furnished, but I needed a creative outlet where I could just play. Something with very little risk, and very little cost. So at the beginning of January, I started cultivating my first sourdough starter. I know it was very spring 2020 of me. But while everyone else was making bread during the first phase of the pandemic, we were buying our house. Now [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-19T19:14:12+00:00February 22nd, 2021|Categories: Courage, Food, Freedom, grief, Health, Hope, perseverance, Self Care|2 Comments

A Single Person’s Bucket List (repost)

With it being Valentine's Day on Sunday, I thought I'd re-share one of my most popular posts from 2020 all on singleness. Though the pandemic has changed the way one may go about writing/fulfilling their bucket list, I would say it is more important now more than ever. When I was in college, a relationship expert came to speak at our Chapel* one day. As the historical joke/motto for our school was to expect a “ring by spring” if you were dating someone, it seemed fitting. Though I went to college for my education (and maybe, to meet a boyfriend), many [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-09T15:54:44+00:00February 11th, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Adulting, Courage, Faith, Habit Making, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Waiting|Tags: Singleness|Comments Off

On Turning Four, and Celebrating Small Wins

Last Friday, melissaschlies.com quietly turned four. I hadn’t planned on mentioning it. After all, who celebrates four years? Typically, anniversaries are commemorated in fives. Not only that, but I thought I’d be further along in my writing journey by now. When I hit “publish,” on my first post, I had big dreams. Mostly of writing books. But also of creating a space on the internet to help others grow, find hope, and also, pursue their purpose. And, to some extent, I do feel we’re beginning to do that last part. Only sometimes, when we have big goals, it makes it [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-30T22:32:02+00:00October 5th, 2020|Categories: Courage, Creativity, gratitude, Hope, perseverance, Success|Comments Off

Say Yes To Hard Things

Our canoe made a soft scraping sound against the sand as we arrived on the shore of our next portage. Quickly, we jumped out and lifted the canoe slightly, to drag it onto the small beach. We attached our paddles to the inside, and then began to unload. Tony helped me lift my first pack onto my back. His brother, Mike, and our sister-in-law, Wendy, had arrived a few minutes before. Wendy was already loaded up, and heading down the trail. I grabbed a bucket and a folding table, then followed her. I walked as fast as I could, swatting [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-17T14:02:29+00:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: Beauty, Courage, perseverance, Travel|Comments Off

Hope, For When Life Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

In Northern Ireland there sits a cylindrical building on the side of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. It’s known as Mussenden Temple and once was the library of a great lord. With windows all around it, inside there are magnificent views of the sea from almost every angle. And when we decided to explore the North on our second trip to Ireland, Tony and I put it on our “must-see” list. Only, when we went to visit, it wasn’t the Temple that stuck out to us. That morning, it was the usual damp, foggy weather we’d grown accustomed to in [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-13T14:24:58+00:00September 14th, 2020|Categories: Change, Character, Conflict, Courage, Hope, Travel, Uncategorized|Comments Off

The Surprising Way to Keep Living in the Midst of Difficult Change

About twenty-five hundred years ago, the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus said, “The only thing that is constant is change.” It makes me wonder what he would have thought of 2020. The year in which the only thing besides change that seems constant, is the spread of COVID. We still haven’t seemed to rid ourselves of it, so the changes to our daily lives have been endless. “The only thing that is constant is change.” --Heraclitus In our state alone, the rules of social distancing have been modified numerous times. Just last week, I learned I’ll have to take a COVID test [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-29T22:59:30+00:00July 30th, 2020|Categories: Change, Courage, grief, Health, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Self Care|Comments Off

Three Things To Do When You Want To Escape Your Life

Growing up, there was a common theme that ran through many of the movies I watched and books I read. The main character or hero was presented with a choice: Go follow your dreams OR stay where everything is familiar and always wonder what would have happened if you left. In ninety-nine percent of those stories, the hero left home. "Go follow your dreams" OR "stay where everything is familiar and always wonder what would have happened if you left." The protagonist said goodbye to all she knew, and set out on her own. Sure, in many stories, she came [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-22T23:05:02+00:00July 23rd, 2020|Categories: Change, Character, Courage, Depression, Freedom, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Making Decisions, perseverance|Comments Off

How To Find The Courage to Stay, When You Just Want to Leave

Friends, many of us are finding ourselves in uncomfortable places with all that is going on in our world. Many of us want to make a change that may not be what’s best for us. That is why as a part of this month’s series on Change, I’m re-sharing this post—one of my most read to date—about learning how to stay even when it’s difficult. May it give you courage to stay, if you are right where you need to be. “We want life to have meaning, we want fulfillment, healing, and even ecstasy, but the human paradox is that [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-16T23:37:46+00:00July 20th, 2020|Categories: Change, Courage, Faith, Hope, perseverance|Comments Off

Is It Possible To Find Career Contentment?

Simon Biles, The Lies We Believe About Rest, & An Announcement

What Sourdough Bread is Teaching Me About Growth and Loss

A Single Person’s Bucket List (repost)

On Turning Four, and Celebrating Small Wins

Say Yes To Hard Things

Hope, For When Life Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

The Surprising Way to Keep Living in the Midst of Difficult Change

Three Things To Do When You Want To Escape Your Life

How To Find The Courage to Stay, When You Just Want to Leave

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