Courage – Page 5 – Melissa Schlies

What Holds Us Back In Friendships

Friendships are never easy. In middle school they’re all about safety, and having people to sit with in the cafeteria so you aren’t labeled an outcast. In high school, the social groups are pretty well established. But there is still the possibility of fall outs, decimating entire groups with one betrayal. Then in college, the whole deck is shuffled and we start again. The good news about college is that if you didn’t meet your BFF in high school, you get another chance. And this time, any friends you make, may share more of your values and be headed on [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-04-24T14:09:52+00:00April 29th, 2019|Categories: Courage, Friendship, grief, Rejection, Relationships, Uncategorized|2 Comments

Two Things Brene Brown Has Taught Me About Criticism

Growing up, there were a few circumstances that sent my family spinning into survival mode. Being the middle child, I quickly learned to cope by trying to make everyone and everything all right. Something, I couldn’t actually do. But by watching out for my younger sisters, being good, and taking care of things around the house, it seemed I was able to manage things. That somehow, for my family, I was able to lessen the blow. These skills I developed at home served me well at school too. By learning what was expected of me and performing it, I was [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-04-24T13:52:40+00:00April 25th, 2019|Categories: Courage, Failure, Fear, Good Books, Identity, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Rejection, Uncategorized|4 Comments

What Holds Us Back: The Fear of Criticism

"What will people think?” Sometimes, what is holding us back is as simple as these four little words. Seconded only by “What will people say?” The power that these two small questions have is incalculable. Because, no matter where we were born, what our family was like, or where we went to school, we all know the sting of criticism. And it is our natural response to try to avoid the pain. Only what happens when the thing you know you’re meant to do, the thing you should do, or the thing you can’t stop dreaming about—could put you in [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-04-18T14:50:53+00:00April 22nd, 2019|Categories: Anxiety, Calling, Change, Courage, Failure, Fear, Freedom, Hope, Making Decisions, perseverance, Rejection, Success, Uncategorized|4 Comments

Five Ways I Manage Anxiety

In celebration of her fortieth birthday, last month author Sarah Bessey shared forty important things she’s learned in her life. One thing she said that struck me was this: “Being a responsible adult is the most underrated form of self-care.” Then she went on to explain by listing all the “boring” tasks of adulting like going to bed at a decent time, exercising, keeping a budget, etc. Sometimes, the greatest thing we can do for ourselves is to live a more disciplined and routine life. To commit to practices that don’t necessarily bring us the most joy, but in the big [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-04-11T13:27:54+00:00April 11th, 2019|Categories: Anxiety, Courage, Fear, Food, Habit Making, Health, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Routines, Uncategorized|Comments Off

What Holds Us Back: Anxiety

For me, it feels like someone has reached in and grabbed my heart. I can’t breath very well, and panic fills my insides. From what I’ve heard, for others, their palms get sweaty, their mind races, they even start shaking. All their worries spill over from their emotions into their physical body. There’s little control and it takes a lot to calm down. Anxiety For many of us it is a constant hum in our day to day lives. It’s stress on caffeine. Though some of us have found a way to bring it down to a decaf level—it’s still [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-04-03T19:37:48+00:00April 8th, 2019|Categories: Anxiety, Courage, Fear, Hope, Mental Health, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Love Learn Lead April 4, 2019

If January is the time for new resolutions, April is the month to pick them up again, and take action. Spring is here. The weather is better. The darkness of winter is over. And though there may be April showers, there is no time like the present to work toward those goals that won’t leave you alone. You know, those goals that slip into your thoughts when you’re driving in your car. The ones that give you a tinge of shame when something in a conversation reminds you of how far you have to go to accomplish them. Or the [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-03-25T20:16:17+00:00April 4th, 2019|Categories: Change, Courage, Fear, Hope, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Success, Uncategorized|Comments Off

What is Holding You Back?

A little over a month ago, I got the Winter Blues. I was tired of the grey skies, cold weather, and being inside. Only, it felt like it was more than that. Just as the winter seemed never ending, so too did a few circumstances in my life. Being inside day after day, only seemed to accentuate my situation, and I just wanted an escape. So, I turned to beach reads. You know, those books you’re supposed to read while you’re actually sitting in the sand, on the beach, in the sun? The ones that take place in dreamy summer [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-03-25T20:03:05+00:00April 1st, 2019|Categories: Change, Courage, Freedom, perseverance, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Riding The Fung Wah With Friends

I can’t tell you what woke me up that day. It wasn’t the noise on the bus, because a lot of the other passengers had fallen asleep along with me and my friends. And I can’t say I felt the bus jerk as it moved between lanes as if it was the size of a sports car, and not a large bus for transport. All I know is at some point on our way to New York City, I woke up to find our bus moving at warp speed down the highway. The world outside was a blur as [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-03-11T17:48:52+00:00March 25th, 2019|Categories: Courage, Friendship, Uncategorized, Waiting|Comments Off

Failure On The Ski Slope

I had done this before. So why was I struggling so much to even get on the lift? It was New Year’s Day. My friend from high school and her boyfriend had picked me up from my grandparents house in Boston, where I was living at the time. Then we drove up to New Hampshire to go skiing for the afternoon. The previous spring I had graduated from college, and now I was working in a university bookstore in the city. My friends were scattered around the country, and my life was not going to plan. So having my friend [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-03-01T19:23:21+00:00March 11th, 2019|Categories: Anxiety, Courage, Failure, Success, Uncategorized|6 Comments

A Cold & Broken Hallelujah

The train moved through the dark subway tunnels of Boston, before entering Park Street Station. This was my stop. I got off the train and made my way to the stairs. Rather than heading up to fresh air, and the sun setting on Park Street Church, I descended further to where I’d catch the Red Line Train. As I reached the bottom of the steps, on the platform between the tracks, I saw a man playing a white electric guitar. Crooning into a microphone, he stood with a small amp at his side. An open guitar case lay at his [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-03-01T16:41:24+00:00March 4th, 2019|Categories: Calling, Character, Courage, Hope, perseverance, Uncategorized, Waiting|Comments Off

What Holds Us Back In Friendships

Two Things Brene Brown Has Taught Me About Criticism

What Holds Us Back: The Fear of Criticism

Five Ways I Manage Anxiety

What Holds Us Back: Anxiety

Love Learn Lead April 4, 2019

What is Holding You Back?

Riding The Fung Wah With Friends

Failure On The Ski Slope

A Cold & Broken Hallelujah

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