Courage – Page 6 – Melissa Schlies

Learn: 5 Tips I’m Learning About Self Care

It was a Tuesday, and we were in Tuscany. We had driven over an hour to the small medieval city of Montalcino known most for its Brunello wine. Only the last thing on my mind was wine tasting or the way the sun warmly reflected off it’s streets made of stone. I had to pee. We’d found parking in a lot below the wall of Montalcino which meant we had to climb the steep hill leading up to the city gate. As soon as we arrived, I told Tony the first thing we had to do was find a bathroom. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-02-25T15:47:42+00:00February 28th, 2019|Categories: Adulting, Balance, Courage, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Mental Health, Saying No, Travel, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Love: 5 Things I’ve Learned About Love & Dating

The other night, Tony and I were telling each other about some of the dates we went on in high school. I shared a time I went on a date with a guy even though I knew he wasn’t good for me. And he talked about borrowing his mom’s mini-van to pick up a girl for a dance, which reminded me of my first real date with a boy. He too picked me up in his mom’s mini-van. We were so cool. But I can still remember how nervous I was on that first date. Or how I used to search [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-31T22:53:33+00:00February 14th, 2019|Categories: Adulting, Courage, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Being a Grown-Up

Perhaps I watched too many Disney movies as a kid, but I used to believe that if I did all the right things, my life wouldn’t be hard. As if pain only comes to those who get into trouble. As if struggle is a choice. But then, I found myself pursuing a career with little room for women. I found a lump and thought I might have cancer at twenty-three. When I finally got a job in my career field, I moved to another state and learned that beginning a new life in a new town isn’t so easy. And [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-31T22:43:24+00:00February 11th, 2019|Categories: Adulting, Courage, Failure, gratitude, Hope, perseverance, Purpose, Rejection, Success, Uncategorized|2 Comments

Learn: If We Could Do These 5 Things As Adults

Do you want to know what I think is the hardest part of becoming an adult? All of us, every single one of us, has been let down by an adult in our life. Whether we were kids, teens, or even in our twenties or thirties—we know someone older than us who didn’t act the way we thought they should. Who didn’t act the way an adult should. Very often, it can be tempting to let other’s failures become our excuse for why we aren’t the human beings we should be. How often do we hear people say, “My dad [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-31T16:46:33+00:00February 7th, 2019|Categories: Adulting, Calling, Character, Courage, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Purpose, Relationships, Success, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Adulting 101

When you were a kid, and people used to ask you who you wanted to be when you grew up, do you remember what you’d say? Did you say you wanted to be a fireman or a doctor? Or did you say you wanted to be a mom or a dad because your parents were just that cool? Better yet— Does any of your old answers match up with who you are today? When I was nine I remember saying I wanted to be a fashion designer. Something must have changed though, because I went on to wear mostly jeans [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-31T16:09:12+00:00February 4th, 2019|Categories: Adulting, Anxiety, Balance, Courage, Hope, Identity, Success, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Lead: Making Space for Change

“The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.” —Seth Godin So many of us seem to react to life more than we prepare for it. We do what we’re told. We wait for permission. We color in the lines. And we put off the dreams, goals, or lifestyle changes we know will rock the boat. Even when they’re the things we think about or long for the most. Why do we do this? Deep down we all know—it’s because it’s scary. It’s risky to put [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-24T12:57:04+00:00January 24th, 2019|Categories: Calling, Change, Courage, Faith, Health, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, perseverance, Relationships|Comments Off

Spring Cleaning In January

In early December, Tony and I did all the things most people do around Christmas. We picked out our tree then spent an evening decorating it, with Christmas carols playing in the background. We laid our nativity out on the top of our bookshelf. We gift shopped—mostly online. We made our travel plans to Wisconsin to see Tony’s family. And then, we started gutting our apartment. No, we didn’t move. Nor did the time of year make any sense, but as I like to call it, “The Urge to Purge,” crept up on us until we could no longer ignore [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-10T20:26:06+00:00January 21st, 2019|Categories: Change, Courage, Faith, Hope, Marriage, perseverance, Preparation|1 Comment

Starting the Year Less Than 100%

Confession: January is one of the hardest months for me to institute change in my life. Part of the reason why, is a lifestyle choice. Well, kind of a lifestyle choice. Let me explain. For almost fifteen years now, I have lived away from family. Then, I married someone who also moved away from where he grew up, This means that every Christmas, I travel. During the time of the year where I am most likely to eat foods I know weaken my body, and to fill my schedule limiting time for rest, I get on an airplane with a [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-10T16:41:44+00:00January 14th, 2019|Categories: Balance, Calling, Change, Character, Courage, Failure, Fear, Health, Hope, perseverance, Success|5 Comments

All That Didn’t Happen in 2018

Last January, Tony and I took a ride down to Baltimore early on a Saturday morning. We found parking, then walked to the Barnes and Noble at Inner Harbor. There, we ordered hot beverages and set up shop in the cafe. Armed with the pdf of a Dream Guide I found online, we began plotting what we wanted 2018 to look like. Other than a break for lunch and a quick walk in the sunshine, we were there all day. We reflected on 2017, going over what routines or goals worked and what didn’t. We named and even redefined [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2019-01-05T21:09:13+00:00January 7th, 2019|Categories: Balance, Change, Courage, discipline, Purpose, Success, Uncategorized|6 Comments

The Hardest No

“…The very things you think you need most desperately are the things that can transform you the most profoundly when you do finally decide to release them.” —Shauna Niequist Sometimes, the hardest no’s in our lives are the ones we have to tell ourselves. They’re the ones that often begin with a whisper, “I am not going to have dessert this week.” “I am only going to have one drink.” Only they’re ignored when the stress gets too much, or everyone else is having another. We don’t listen to the whisper, so we say it a little louder to ourselves. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-11-19T12:18:46+00:00November 19th, 2018|Categories: Balance, Courage, discipline, Failure, Health, Hope, Making Decisions, perseverance, Saying No, Uncategorized|1 Comment

Learn: 5 Tips I’m Learning About Self Care

Love: 5 Things I’ve Learned About Love & Dating

Being a Grown-Up

Learn: If We Could Do These 5 Things As Adults

Adulting 101

Lead: Making Space for Change

Spring Cleaning In January

Starting the Year Less Than 100%

All That Didn’t Happen in 2018

The Hardest No

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