A few years ago, I started doing something with my son Emmett when a disagreement would unintentionally snowball.

Usually, it was when we were rushing out the door in the morning to get to daycare and work on time.

I would get frustrated with him for not listening. He would get upset because I was getting mad. I would yell. He would cry. I would feel guilty . . . and so on.

Things would totally get off track and it took longer even to get out that door.

One day I made up the idea to "hit the reset button". We both agreed to press an imaginary air button and start over.

That symbolized we were letting go. Letting go of who was right and who was wrong. Letting go of hurt feelings. Letting go of anger and frustration.

It was giving us permission to start over (and for a determined five-year-old to save face).

That simple mental trick made a big difference.

It can instantly put you in a frame of mind to let go of the unnecessary drama. To let go of unproductive thinking and...

This week I am feeling VERY behind. And it’s only Wednesday!

Projects are taking longer than planned, I have a couple of big workshops that I need to put together, and random issues keep coming up that are distracting my time and attention.

At the end of the day yesterday, I looked at the three important tasks I had planned to do for the day . . . and not a single one was done. Or even started. Whaattt?

I felt like I was doing stuff all day long, but didn’t make any progress on what would move the needle. We all have our days where we get off track without intending it to go that way.

It's what you think and do in those moments that make all the difference.

One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is thinking that “being busy” and doing more and more makes them productive and equals success.

Whether it’s at work or at home.

I get it.

Everyone seems to tell you this and you see it all around you. Just ask someone how they are doing and you’ll hear “I’m really busy and have so much to do!”

You might even find yourself saying this and buying into the belief that doing more means you are being productive, and that will lead to you accomplishing more and, therefore, being more successful.

It’s almost like you feel lazy and unproductive if you aren’t doing something.

And pretty easy to fall into that trap.

But let me ask you: Does everyone who is really busy attain the success they desire? Are they reaching their goals quicker? Are they completing projects on time and having the results they want?

And even if they look successful, are they really? What’s it costing them? Their...

You likely have a lot on your plate. Things are busy at work. And at home.

You’re ambitious, driven and striving toward the next "thing" .

You push yourself, have high standards and likely feel like you have something to prove.

Somehow, you’re juggling all the balls (but silently worrying you’ll drop one).

You might feel like success equals how many hours you’re putting in, or how many activities you have your kids in, or just how busy you are.

It’s almost like a badge of honor.

I get it. I used to wear that badge proudly.

But what if that isn’t the badge to be striving for?

When my kids were a few years younger, there was this 18 year-old girl working at the daycare most days when we picked the kids up.

She would tell me often how she thought my husband and I were the perfect "powercouple".

We’d be in our suits, smiling, strolling in together to daycare and she thought we were the perfect example of what it was like to have a successful career and...

Maybe once or twice a year, I’ll get the urge to go back to a corporate career.

As a business owner now, one thing I’ll commonly hear in the entrepreneur community is that we “broke free from the chains of the 9-5 world” . . . not always that dramatic, but you get the point.

I’ve never felt that way.

Absolutely, there are benefits now that I could not have had in my corporate career, and I love the path I am on now, yet there are things I miss about it and, if I went back, I’d appreciate a whole lot more.

We can sometimes get caught up in the “grass is greener” on the other side. Yet we don’t always take the time to really appreciate what we enjoy about things right now. From experience, the grass isn’t necessarily greener . . . it’s just different .

Here are 10 things I miss about my corporate career. By sharing them, my hope is that those of you in the corporate world might appreciate them even more.

1....

If you are like many busy professionals, you might be doing alright or ‘fine’, but feel a bit stuck in the grind, and like you’re ‘going, going, going’ . . .

Yet feeling like you're accomplishing little and not moving forward on your goals (or not as much as you'd like to be).

And, when you are always on the go or overloaded, this can be a serious roadblock to your inner happiness and focus.

You are definitely not alone. One of the most common stressors professionals face is a busy workload. 

When you are continually expected to do more with less and you feel spread thin. The pace is moving fast and things keep shifting or unclear, and it’s hard to keep up. 

You might be ruled by "urgent" requests that fill your inbox, and you’re unable to put those aside to focus on what’s truly important, even when you know you should.

And if you’re like I used to be, you are driven and don’t want to let people down, so you...

You might have the best intentions with your day to get something accomplished, be upbeat and calm, and leave work on time, but other people can derail your efforts, leaving you frustrated, impatient and behind.

When someone is not delivering on their end and you are left to pick up the pieces so you can meet a deadline, adding more to your plate and longer hours.

Or when a manager or employee is hard to work with and aren't meeting your expectations. They don’t ‘get’ what’s really going on and you don’t feel heard.

You seem to have the same conversations over and over (and over) again.

When you are always putting other people’s needs before your own because you don’t know how to say no or ask for what you need (without them getting upset).

You might feel like others are not being accountable and doing what they say they will, and it reduces your confidence in them or even your company.

It can often feel like you have done everything you can...

Ever find yourself having a day where you are so "off" – nothing seems to go right, you’re annoyed with everyone, you’re feeling down and no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to pull yourself out of it?

This was me the past few days. Which is unusual to happen for that long (a few years ago, it was not that uncommon). 

Me and the kids live out at the lake for the summer and, just last week, I was thinking to myself how it’s been the best summer and pretty stress-free. 

The kids have been getting along, no broken limbs this year, I’ve been working on projects that are enjoyable so work feels easy, lots of summer fun and nice weather.

And then the weekend rolled around and my mood took a serious nose dive.

I’d lose my s&*t with the kids over pretty small things – like them getting upset for losing at a game of Sorry (ever notice the hypocrisy when you yell at your kids to stop yelling?) or running...

This past weekend we were at a big family golf tournament. For the first time, all the kids – from 6 to 14 years old – played too, even in the pouring rain!

Carter who is 11, has gone out a few times before and is really starting to love golf. Emmett, on the other hand, doesn’t care much about the game. But getting to drive a golf cart? Now that’s exciting!

Each kid had experiences this weekend that reminded me just what a difference your confidence can make in how you perform in a situation, and ultimately how much you enjoy the experience and are willing to keep going.

Confidence is 100% something you have control over. It’s not just for a chosen few or only available to you in certain situations.

It’s a choice you can make in how you think about yourself in any moment.

Now with Carter, to build up his confidence with the game, my husband let him tee up on the fairway, re-hit whenever a tee shot went in the bushes and praised him when the shots...

Rebecca thought she was “fine”. It was just busy life, after all, and she had no choice being so busy with her new demanding Director position. 

Still, she was feeling run down, constantly worried about letting someone down, complaining about work more than she would like, and feeling guilty for missing time with her kids.

On the outside, she seemed on top of things and could get everything done. But no one ever saw how she was really feeling on the inside.

Rebecca read books on time management and productivity, yet didn’t stick with new habits and often thought she must be different or these tactics wouldn’t work for her because of her situation. 

She had the best of intentions and tried to do things differently.

Rebecca tried to cut back on her back-to-back meetings to give some breathing space to get her work done, but people kept booking up her calendar.

She tried to get a better morning routine going so she wouldn’t feel like she was...