Uncategorized – Melissa Schlies

When You Feel Behind & It’s Already Fall

In January, when we were all praying this year would be better, I committed to practicing yoga at least three times a week. I needed a physical way to release all the stress my body was carrying—but also, I was out of shape. And rather than begin with an intense exercise regimen that may be hard to maintain, I decided to slowly build back the strength I had lost in 2020. Soon, yoga became a morning routine I looked forward to. It helped me start my days with purpose. Emotionally, I was calmer. And the more I practiced, the stronger [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-09-16T10:22:58+00:00September 20th, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Anxiety, Balance, Change, comparison, Conflict, Failure, Habit Making, Routines, Uncategorized|Comments Off

The Real Secret To Our Marriage (repost)

As we're talking about building routines in marriage this month, I'd thought I'd re-share this post on what makes the foundation of our relationship strong--our beliefs. Naming our beliefs and values are one of the first steps in building healthy routines in marriage. Do you remember, in high school, wishing you had the answer key to a hard exam? Even though you knew cheating was wrong, there was a part of you that wished for an easier way. For me, it was always my chemistry exams—which is ironic as here we are talking about a different kind of chemistry. That [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-05-27T20:10:17+00:00May 31st, 2021|Categories: Faith, Friendship, Habit Making, Marriage, Relationships, Routines, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Instead of Setting New Year’s Resolutions, Start Here

About eight months ago, we all began looking forward to 2021. About two months ago, a few crazy people on my social media feed started talking about their New Year’s resolutions. Only, now we’re a few days into 2021, and things aren’t looking that much different from 2020 yet. The pandemic isn’t over. Many of our same struggles from last year remain. And we’re still grappling with a world that looks so much different from how it did a year ago. With a new year, many of us want to begin moving toward a new life, only this hard [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-01-05T16:48:16+00:00January 4th, 2021|Categories: Habit Making, Making Decisions, perseverance, Practice, Preparation, Routines, Self Care, Social Distancing, Start Here, Success, Uncategorized|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

Why We Train (Repost)

Taking a break from our normal routine to reshare a few stories from trips we’ve taken—for all of us missing our usual vacations. There is something about climbing a mountain that makes you feel as if you can conquer the world. It could be the sense of accomplishment you get when you realize you’ve reached the peak, or perhaps it’s the view. Whatever it is, it’s a good feeling. The surprising part of this experience however, is that the mountain we climb doesn’t always have to be big for us to feel it. It doesn’t always require poles or [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-01T15:17:48+00:00September 10th, 2020|Categories: Body Image, discipline, Habit Making, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Travel, Uncategorized|Comments Off

How to Find Focus In the Middle of a Pandemic

Friends, we’ve reached the end of August. Though much of this year has been spent at home, social distancing, it’s hard to believe how quickly it’s passing. I don’t know about you, but I usually plan projects, trips, and events to help pass the time. Only this year is proving that time moves independently from all activity. Today, we’re closing out this month’s conversation about building routines, by talking about something we often don’t account for: How hard it is to build routines when you can’t focus. So much has happened this year that it’s been difficult for any [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-08-31T09:46:02+00:00August 31st, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|Comments Off

On Not Being A Mom on Mother’s Day

In a few days, in the US, we will celebrate the women who gave us life. If we have become moms, we ourselves will be celebrated. Only, if we are women “of a certain age,” who haven’t become moms, these celebrations will most likely bring up some rarely talked about, conflicting emotions. The one’s that make us wonder why somehow we’ve found ourselves outside this component of the circle of life. The sadness that has come from experiencing a separation between us and our sisters and friends who have become moms. And personally, for me, the reminder that I may [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-05-08T18:01:56+00:00May 7th, 2020|Categories: Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Uncategorized|6 Comments

A Social Distancing Survival Guide for Everyday (Free Download)

They say, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Right now, we’re all feeling the truth of this statement in a way we’ve never experienced before. It's amazing how much of our lives have changed in such a short period of time. Not only has the pandemic caused us to give up the majority of our social interaction for the foreseeable future, but it has also cost us many of the crucial components of our everyday lives. We’ve had to say a lot of goodbyes. Some forever, and some for an unknown amount of time. Some as [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-06T16:03:08+00:00March 30th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Anxiety, Change, Courage, Depression, Fear, grief, Habit Making, perseverance, Routines, Social Distancing Survival Guide, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Love Learn Lead March 5, 2020

One of my favorite feelings in the world is when I open the oven to take out something I’ve baked—and it looks and smells awesome. Whether it’s a batch of cookies, a loaf of bread, or a pie, there is an incredible feeling of joy and pride that surges through me. Which makes me wonder, What do you create that makes you feel this way? As we live in a culture where everything is graded, measured by “likes,” or easily compared to a million other people’s similar attempts, it can be hard to believe our work is good. To celebrate [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-04T23:59:42+00:00March 5th, 2020|Categories: comparison, Creativity, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Practice, Preparation, Uncategorized|Comments Off

In 2020, Start Here

The few days right after New Years are always interesting. Like geese migrating with the change of a season, some of us flock to the nearest gym, where every treadmill or elliptical machine is taken. While others of us suffer through what I like to call the Holiday Hangover. It’s that exhausted, “What just happened” feeling we get when the alarm goes off for our first day back at work. Or, getting back into our pajamas as soon as we come home from said job, because we just can’t. And sometimes, if we’re truly unlucky, the Holiday Hangover includes [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-26T16:32:23+00:00January 2nd, 2020|Categories: Adulting, Change, Habit Making, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Preparation, Routines, Start Here, Uncategorized|Comments Off

When You Feel Behind & It’s Already Fall

The Real Secret To Our Marriage (repost)

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

Why We Train (Repost)

How to Find Focus In the Middle of a Pandemic

On Not Being A Mom on Mother’s Day

Love Learn Lead March 5, 2020

In 2020, Start Here

ABOUT ME

RECENT POSTS