I find myself wondering why everything feels like it’s an emergency. In this world of social media, everything is instant.  We are accustomed to getting things immediately and have grown to expect that with the touch of a finger, we will have answers.  There are many good things about quickly receiving answers, but doing something quickly does not always mean it is done most efficiently.  Expectations are that things will be dropped in a second to accommodate every hiccup in life.  Being flexible is a huge asset in life, but unnecessary chaos in life spells disaster. My children…

We all have opinions on just about everything we do.  Daily, we make judgments that are not necessarily based on facts.  The key is how we use those opinions.  There are many positive ways we can use opinions.  We can compliment someone on their style of clothing, the design of their home, their work ethic, their knowledge or expertise, etc.  We use opinions to formulate what team we are going to join, which school we choose, and countless other decisions we make.  We take those opinions along with the facts and statistics we have gathered and make a decision.  Unfortunately…

Appreciation is something that I enjoy giving to those around me.  I find that when appreciation is given, it makes me feel like I have given a gift.  The most amazing part of this gift is that it is free.  It is something that all of us can give if we choose.  It is something that can make someone feel very special and appreciated, yet sometimes we decide to withhold that appreciation.  Why?    When it comes to those closest to us, our family, appreciation is easy to give and easy to withhold.  We know what our family members are proud…

Listening is a skill that can be finely tuned throughout your lifetime.  Often, it takes great patience to be a good listener.  Most of the time, people who are good listeners have intentionally worked at improving that skill.  Listening is something most of us do regularly.  We listen to others regarding things they are excited about, things they are worried about, things that make them happy, sad, mad, etc.  We know that we do a great deal of listening, but do we hear what the other person is really saying?  Are we genuinely listening?  It is not easy to be…