Health – Page 9 – Melissa Schlies

Things I Learned in 2018

We did it. We’ve made it through 2018. For some of us, it was one of the best years of our lives. For others of us it was the worst. And for most of us, our year falls somewhere in the middle. But for me, the beauty of even the hardest years is being able to stand on this day—the last day of the year—and see the good. Every December 31st, I take a few minutes to catalogue the year, even if only roughly in my journal. I list all of the big moments; the trips, milestones, events, etc. I [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-12-22T23:44:39+00:00December 31st, 2018|Categories: Health, perseverance, Success, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Christmas lights

When I was a kid, after Thanksgiving, I would always beg my parents to set up our Christmas Tree as soon as possible. This meant going out and searching around a cold lot with my dad and older sister to pick out the best looking tree. We’d bring it home, Dad would put it in the stand, then we’d hold the light cords as he carefully spiraled them around the tree. One year, after stringing the lights, my dad got up on a ladder to put the tree topper on. Only, there were too many branches at the top, so [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-12-04T21:08:04+00:00December 17th, 2018|Categories: Anxiety, Balance, Christmas, Health, Saying No, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Love: My Favorite Books 2018

Read to the end to find out how to win one of my favorite books! Recently, I heard someone use the word “intimate” to describe the experience of reading. Think about it. Usually, when we read a book, we tune out the rest of the world. We put down our phones. We stop our busyness. And in many cases, we go to a quiet place, sit, and give our full attention to the words of someone we’ve never met. For a few hours—or a number of small moments over a few days or weeks—it’s just us and the book. Now, [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-12-06T02:10:35+00:00December 6th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Good Books, Health, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Uncategorized|1 Comment

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

No-vember

My favorite word growing up was, “Yes.” If you think about it, your’s probably was too. It was the answer we wanted for every good question: “Mom, can I ride my bike with my friends?” “Yes.” “Dad, can we go out for ice cream?” “Yes.” “Mom, can I stay up late?” “No.” (bummer) “No” just doesn’t have the same happy ring to it as “yes” does. Especially because it usually means we’re not getting what we want. But “yes” isn’t only our favorite answer, for many of us, it is also our favorite reply. In High School and college, yes [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-11-03T14:15:37+00:00November 5th, 2018|Categories: Courage, Fear, Health, Making Decisions, Saying No|4 Comments

The Hero’s Journey

Ever notice that many of our favorite books-turned-movies all follow the same formula? Katniss, Harry Potter, Frodo—the story is always the same. Sure their lives and situations look different, but their journeys, not so much. At their core, each of these stories is about a normal, seemingly everyday person faced with an impossible quest. But why are we so enamored by them when we aren’t faced with the arena, becoming a wizard, or the daunting task of destroying an evil ring before it destroys us? What about the hero’s journey speaks to you and me? All this month, we have [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-10-18T18:45:26+00:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Acceptance, Calling, Character, Courage, Failure, Fear, Health, Hope, Mental Health, perseverance, Success, Uncategorized, Waiting|3 Comments

Gratitude: An Antidote to Anxiety?

I grew up about a mile from the ocean. Not the always sunny, tropical, palm trees in my backyard type of ocean. Rather the New England, the water is always cold until August ocean. But still, I grew up near the beach. A good part of my childhood summers were spent playing in the sand, and racing with my sisters to prove who was daring enough to dunk first in the icy salt water. There’s something about growing up near the ocean that gets inside you. Even, I would say, becomes a part of you. And yet, growing up, I [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-10-08T15:13:20+00:00September 24th, 2018|Categories: Anxiety, gratitude, Health, Hope, Mental Health, Routines|6 Comments

Love Learn Lead September 6, 2018

How do we step back to take a good look at our lives, when life doesn’t seem to stop? When there’s always so much to do? And when it feels as if there’s never enough time? On Monday, I compared our lives to the peaches Tony and I picked last month. If I didn’t watch them closely—didn’t refrigerate or freeze them in time—they’d spoil. All of us have relationships, commitments, or aspects of our job that if we don’t inspect every now and then, could go sour. Or worse, go away completely. For example, how many of us put off [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-08-20T15:59:54+00:00September 6th, 2018|Categories: Balance, Change, discipline, Health, Lead, Learn, Life Coaching, Love, Love Learn Lead, Routines, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Step Back September

About a month ago, Tony and I went peach picking. We drove to a local farm, and bought a box big enough to fit a whole half a bushel of peaches. Then, we trudged through the wet and muddy orchard to where they were picking that day. It had rained hard the night before. Every time we’d reach up and pick a peach, all the trees’ leaves would shower water down our arms and onto our heads. But we weren’t deterred, and we came away with close to seventy beautiful peaches. What did we do with all of them, you [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-08-20T15:52:46+00:00September 3rd, 2018|Categories: Balance, Change, Courage, discipline, Health, Making Decisions, Routines, Success, Uncategorized|3 Comments

Why We Need To Ask For Help

We all know what it feels like to be down. We’ve all had days, or even weeks of feeling low. We know the sting of disappointment, and the ache of loss. If we’ve lived on this earth for more than a decade, chances are we understand pain. But what do we do, when the pain becomes too much? When I was twenty-seven, I woke up one day to the deepest ache my soul had ever experienced. I told a friend that it felt as if someone had shoved me into the depths of the darkest waters, and was holding me [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-23T16:06:48+00:00July 30th, 2018|Categories: Courage, Health, Hope, Mental Health, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Things I Learned in 2018

Christmas lights

Love: My Favorite Books 2018

The Hardest No

No-vember

The Hero’s Journey

Gratitude: An Antidote to Anxiety?

Love Learn Lead September 6, 2018

Step Back September

Why We Need To Ask For Help

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