Love Learn Lead – Melissa Schlies

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

Three Fantastic Reads For the New Year

What do you do, when things change? As I’ve shared before, change is not my sweet spot. As much as I want adventure and new experiences, every fiber of my being calls out for routine. It longs for the status quo. Even change I want, can be a challenge. That is why, last week, when Tony and I stayed home for the holidays—for the first time ever—it was hard to settle. For a few days following Christmas, it took almost as much effort to rest as it would have to work. Sometimes, slowing down feels more difficult than speeding up. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-01-06T20:29:59+00:00January 7th, 2021|Categories: Good Books, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Start Here|2 Comments

Three of My Favorite Reads From 2020 & Why Not to Be Hard on Yourself

Ever feel like you’re not reading enough? Or, if it’s not reading, perhaps you feel like you’re not listening to educational podcasts, exercising, or cleaning your kitchen floor. For some reason, there are random things in my life I always feel I should be doing more often. And I have a feeling I’m not alone. We all have things we feel guilty about not doing. Or at least, we feel guilty for not doing them enough. Only, not reading more is not usually a problem for me. I am the type of person who could be accidentally locked in a [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-12-17T02:08:05+00:00December 17th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, comparison, Good Books, Habit Making, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Routines|Comments Off

My Favorite Thanksgiving Links 2020

I know, I know—I said last week, that there’d be no more Thursday posts. But as we’re all getting ready for a tougher-than-most holiday season, I thought I’d share an updated list of all my favorite Thanksgiving Links to get us through this week! As I have shared before, hands down, fall is my favorite season. Give me the chunky sweaters, all the flannel, the apple picking, and the pumpkin flavored (almost) anything—I am here for it. Though many people think Halloween is the best fall holiday, Thanksgiving is my favorite. But this holiday that also typically offers an extra [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-11-19T20:17:24+00:00November 19th, 2020|Categories: Food, gratitude, Habit Making, Holidays, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead|Comments Off

How to Fight Loneliness (Because It Always Comes)

When I was a kid, I thought loneliness was sitting alone at the lunch table at school. Having no one to hang out with at recess. Or that temporary feeling I’d get when my closest friend was on vacation with her family. Little did I know, there are so many kinds of lonely, and as we go through life, we feel them all. There are so many kinds of lonely, and as we go through life, we feel them all. There is the kind of loneliness that comes when we leave home and realize for the first time, we are [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-11-04T21:52:15+00:00November 5th, 2020|Categories: Habit Making, Lead, Learn, Loneliness, Love, Love Learn Lead, Mental Health, Relationships, Self Care, Social Distancing|Comments Off

This Holiday Season, Don’t Be Afraid To Go Your Own Way

When most people think about Halloween, they think about carved pumpkins. Kids in costumes asking for candy. And, they probably think about almost everything spooky. I think about Chinese food. Now, I realize that may seem random. So I will explain. But first let me say, Holidays don’t always have to be what they’ve always been. This is something my mom taught us growing up. By doing so, whether she knew it or not, she created for us some incredible memories. And, it all began with Halloween. When I was a baby, my mom became a Christian. Not the go-to-church-every-Sunday [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-23T15:38:58+00:00October 29th, 2020|Categories: Change, Christmas, Creativity, Freedom, Habit Making, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Making Decisions, Social Distancing|Comments Off

This Isn’t the Season

Last week, on a cool fall morning, Tony and I walked down the streets of our new city. Though we’ve been here about a hundred times over the past fifteen years, I still say, “New” because we live here now. We’re no longer visiting. That day, we were heading to do our annual screening for our health insurance. When we arrived, we checked in with the receptionist. Then one at a time, we went into a small room where the technician drew the curtain. She measured our height, waist, and—the part I was dreading—our weight. But as she said my [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-22T00:39:09+00:00October 22nd, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, Body Image, Change, discipline, Failure, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Practice, Self Care|Comments Off

Five More Ways to Stay Sane During Election Season

Have I ever told you, fall is my favorite season? The beautiful colors the leaves on the trees turn mesmerizes me. The weather is finally cool enough to bake, which is convenient because I love almost anything baked with locally grown apples or pumpkin. And there is just something in the air that makes me want to walk downtown to the farmers market, or find a hiking trail nearby. Fall is fantastic. Only fall is also when, every four years, our country faces its most crucial election season. Yards are marked with candidate signs. Social Media is more politically charged [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-14T23:42:06+00:00October 15th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Balance, Conflict, Fear, Habit Making, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Making Decisions, Relationships, Self Care|Comments Off

Don’t Forget To Be Still

“When we feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for us to get everything done, when we wish for more time, we don’t actually need more time. We need more stillness.” —Christine Carter One of the scariest things to do, when we feel stressed, is to stop. To put down what we’re doing, and to cease our productivity. Only sometimes, what we need more than anything, seems to be the most counterintuitive: We need to take a break. Unfortunately, last week, I was reminded of this truth in one of the most inconvenient—yet effective ways: I pulled my [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-08T00:06:06+00:00October 8th, 2020|Categories: Balance, Habit Making, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Mental Health, Practice, Self Care|Comments Off

Five Things To Get For Your Fall Road Trip

Happy October, friends. We’ve finally reached the season for pumpkins, apple picking, taking hikes in the woods, and going on long drives in hopes of discovering something new. Though COVID has certainly effected our vacation plans this year, it doesn’t mean we can’t still escape our day to day lives. Even, if we’re only gone for a few hours. As I shared last week, for Tony and I, taking day trips have been huge in growing our marriage. Traveling has given us a shared perspective of our world and our lives. And in this social distancing time, you can be [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-06T15:46:19+00:00October 1st, 2020|Categories: Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Social Distancing, Staycation, Travel|Comments Off

A Single Person’s Bucket List (repost)

Three Fantastic Reads For the New Year

Three of My Favorite Reads From 2020 & Why Not to Be Hard on Yourself

My Favorite Thanksgiving Links 2020

This Isn’t the Season

Five More Ways to Stay Sane During Election Season

Don’t Forget To Be Still

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