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...

Feeling insecure? Guess what . . . so are most other people.

Especially when it comes to a fear of failure.

When you have a mile-long to-do list and you’re worried you will drop a ball and not get everything done.

When you’re going into a big, important meeting and you’re so nervous it won’t go well.

When you want a new job, but you’re scared to even apply because what if you aren’t good enough to get it?

Or when you’re scared to try something new because you might fall flat on your face. Or you do fall flat on your face, and declare yourself a failure.

Sound familiar?

The fear of failure can feel like a huge weight you carry around with you. It might be something you struggle with once in a while or every single day.

I get it. I used to struggle with this all the time.

A couple of months ago, that fear came out again in full force.

This spring, I had the opportunity to do a couple of speaking events on my biggest lessons in life –...

What important is left unsaid when you’re worrying what others think?

When you don’t speak up in a meeting because someone might think it’s a stupid idea.

When you don’t say ‘no’ to something, even though you know it’s not a good use of your time.

When you don’t set boundaries with your boss and you’re responding to emails when hanging out with your family at night.

Often when I’m working with clients who want to slow down or speak up, common themes that come up are “I can’t say anything” and “everyone else is putting in long hours and I have no choice”.

I will dig deeper and ask “so what’s really keeping you from what you want?”

99% of the time it comes back to worry about what people will think . . .

They might think I am not a team player. That I can’t handle the demands. That I am not good enough. I am weak because I don’t want to put in more hours . . . ...

What if everything you have today was gone tomorrow?

Many people go about their day without truly appreciating or being grateful for what they do have right now. 

And, spend a great deal of time feeling stressed and angst about small stuff that doesn’t really matter or what they don’t have. 

I know I definitely used to do this. Is this you too? 

When you truly feel the emotion of gratitude – not just the act of thanks, but really feeling it – your energy changes, you feel happier, and you are more resilient and respond better to stress.

Gratitude is the simplest, most powerful feeling you can cultivate – and everyone has the capacity to do so. It puts the focus on what you are receiving and good things around you.

Now, it is easier to be grateful when things are going awesome, but what about when things aren’t as good as you’d like?

When you feel disappointed you aren’t getting the promotion you...

Summer is my most favorite time of year and we spend most of our time at the lake in July and August (in fact, me and the kids move out there!)

People sometimes say to me "It must be nice to have a job where you can slow down and have so much time off". 

I tell them that it’s a CHOICE.

It comes with saying no to a whole lot of things . . . even opportunities like a $40K contract because the company wanted in-person work to start during summer (and even though the money would have been great and we could pay off some debt).

It comes with being laser-focused when I do my work in the early summer mornings for two or three hours before the kids get going and we jump into beach days (I swear I get more done this way than some full work days).

It comes with letting go of what other people think when they say "If you were really dedicated to your business, you would say 'yes' to X or keep momentum and not slow down".

It comes...

Late May, I spoke at a Young Leaders retreat at Elkridge resort in Northern Saskatchewan. The location was quiet, peaceful and beautiful nestled in the forest.

The event was SO awesome! Because it put the entire focus on leaders taking care of themselves so that they can better the organization.

I had the privilege of speaking on my biggest life lessons going from close-to-burning-out to thriving (in my corporate career and business).

What would I go back and tell my old self and other young leaders . . . and let’s face it, leaders at any stage in life who are struggling too?

I didn’t hit rock bottom or have something really bad happen for me to wake up, and I know I could have just as easily continued down the path I was on.

But I have figured out a few things that make a huge difference in how I show up as a leader, as a parent, and as a person.

As a result, I am accomplishing far more and enjoying life, with way less stress. It’s now what I am trained in and...

I used to be a control freak. Everything had to be to my high standards and my way of doing things – because it was the “right way” of course <wink>.

I quickly learned that approach doesn’t get you very far when leading others, whether at work or as a parent. 

When you let go of control and empower others to think for themselves, you open up a whole new level in yourself and them. 

PLUS, it is WAY easier when you don’t always have to be the one with all the answers or doing all the work!

A recent trip to the grocery store is a great example of this . . .

We are always on the lookout for opportunities to teach our kids (Carter – 10 and Emmett – 8) about independence and responsibility, so I threw out an idea . . .

“Why don’t they handle the grocery shopping this weekend! A FIRST!”

The boys responded immediately: “YES!” (To my surprise). 

And then it hit me: “Oh s#%*, now...

Every coaching session or workshop or even a speaking event, I’ll ask the people in the room: “What’s a win?” No matter how big or how small.

And, I’ll ask myself this question every single day, ESPECIALLY on the days when things seem hard . . .

When I’m feeling the pressure of everything to do. When I’m feeling frustrated because someone is not doing what I expected them to do. Or when I am doubting myself in a moment.

“What’s a win?” is a simple and powerful question that changes the lens through which you see things, the more you reflect on that question daily.

I have had a number of clients in the past week who, when asked about their “win”, provided responses like:

• “I am feeling happier and not overwhelmed, even though things are still ‘crazy busy’ around me”
• “I am patient and not getting triggered like I used to, because I feel happy, even though the same challenges and...