Fill up to Spill out

As a healthcare provider, I frequently hear people say that they just aren't motivated when it comes to exercise or other healthy lifestyle goals.  They want to make some changes, but just don't feel excited about it.  This lack of motivation has been even worse during the middle of a pandemic.  Feelings of overwhelm, frustration, and uncertainty have consumed a lot of people's minds during the last 6 months.  Finding motivation is a struggle.  A lot of people just don't feel that motivated right now.   So how do you find the motivation to do the things you want to do and know you should do when it's difficult?  I'll share what's worked for me!     1. Understand your "why."  Why do you want to make the change?  Why do you want to do the thing?  What would it look like if you actually accomplished what you are wanting to do?  Your "why" is important, and if it's a big enough "why," you will stick to your plan.  You wil...

Like the name of my blog and social media accounts, Fill up to Spill out, I am always in pursuit of what fills us up so we can spill out to others.  Not just what makes us happy, but the things that truly fulfill us so we can be a kind human and serve others for the glory of God.  Not things that give us fuel when times are easy, but things that truly give us life when life is different and challenging.  When life is uncertain, like we are experiencing right now.   What's filling you up during this crazy season of change and uncertainty?  What's giving you life so you can keep living life with courage and kindness?  What's keeping you calm and allowing you to look ahead with hope and positivity?  What are you putting into your cup that's serving you so you can live your purpose?   I'll share with you what's going into my cup each day.   1.  Coffee... coffee goes into my cup each morning.  First I drink the coffee, then I do the thin...

Life is full of different seasons, and we often have to grow and adapt with each season of life.  Just like farming, there are seasons of planting, growing, and harvest, but there are also difficult seasons filled with drought or storms leading to sadness and hardship.  But no matter the season, we still have a purpose, and the world needs our unique, beautiful purpose.   Everyone has a purpose and when we lose that sense of purpose and people to share it with, we often become unfulfilled.  We NEED purpose, and we NEED to continue cultivating it no matter what season we are walking through.   2020 is not like we imagined it would be.  Many have lost jobs, changed jobs, or are working in a job that has required more out of them.  Everything is different.  Most things are hard.  There is fear and uncertainty, tension and division, anxiety and frustration.  There is loneliness.  There is loss of purpose.   Identity ...

I have always been someone that does things the hard way and learns things the hard way as well.   I often take on huge projects and pursue big goals just so I can figure out how to do them and ultimately accomplish them for myself.  I believe that I can do hard things even when they sometimes end up overwhelming me.  This independent, hard-working, driven (and yes stubborn and crazy) side of me gets things done and doesn't give up, but it also sometimes results in disappointment and frustration.  Instead of asking for help or seeking counsel from others, I do it the hard way - the long, painful hard way, only to find out there was a much easier way.  I live and learn, become stronger and smarter, but sometimes in the absolutely toughest way.  But that's how we grow, right? I am also this way when it comes to people.  I like to believe that all people are good.  I seek out the good while overlooking certain things that bother others and sho...

What an absolutely crazy time we are living through right now.  6 months ago, we were excited about a new year and a new decade, reminiscing over the last 10 years and looking forward to next.  We were making plans, filling up calendars, setting goals, and vision casting for the future.  We were definitely not planning for a global pandemic, an economic crisis as a result, or the protests and in some cases destruction and looting over racial injustice and inequality.   The last 3 months have been different and challenging and emotionally exhausting for many.  Over 100,000 people in our country have lost their lives due to COVID 19, millions have lost jobs, businesses have been forced to close, everything has gone virtual, masks have become the newest accessory, social distancing has become the new "norm," and we continue to live in a country where racial injustice and hate still exists. Never in my life have I gone 3 months without physically going to chu...

Last year around this time, I came up with this crazy idea of writing my very first book.  My pastor was in his final year of battling cancer, and one thing he would often tell us was to never leave this earth without sharing our story and our testimony.  In fact he would jokingly tell us that if he was the one to do our funeral and found out we had never shared our testimony with anyone, he would thump us on the forehead.  He definitely had a sense of humor, but he was also so good about being transparent and encouraging, showing us not only how to live well, but also how to die well too.  He shared painful lessons of sin and forgiveness, growth and change, fear and faith, bitterness and God's love during the 20 years I knew him.  He taught in a way that was both challenging and inspiring, and we adored him.   I've always been a lover of books and reading other people's stories.  There's something about reading someone's personal journey through l...

We all have questions and concerns about Covid 19 whether we are being directly affected by the virus itself or the way that the world is responding to it.  For me, besides the fear of losing my job or my job as I know it, my 2nd greatest concern is what this is doing to our kids. We are all experiencing loss during this pandemic, and our kids are no exception.  They too feel the personal loss of life the way they knew it.  We as parents are not only navigating life through our own feelings of loss, but also taking on our children's emotions as they experience loss. Loss of school, teachers, friendships, sports and activities, church, community, awards and accomplishments, graduation and celebrations, events they had been looking forward to, routines and structure.  Our kids are also experiencing great loss. What is this doing to our kids?  Will they look back on 2020 and remember the loss, hardships, stress, fear, change, and uncertainty?  Or wil...