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The Best Marital Advice I Received: Your Partner Is Your Ally Not Your Enemy
A very long time ago, when my husband and I were newly married, a wise woman in our church gave us some advice that turned out to be THE statement I return to over and over in the ups and downs of marital bliss. Sitting on the couch, at a small group, the guest speaker that week was a fascinating woman that grasped my attention from the get-go. She and her husband had been married for what seemed like forever at the time, and they served as elders in our church. Though they offered up a plethora of good tips that night, one statement from her mouth resonated with me.…
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Servant Leadership Works Best When Embracing Vulnerability
Servant leadership is a long-standing concept. Some of the best leaders practiced it, from Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to Herb Kelleher, the Former CEO of Southwest Airlines. For the longest time, the focus was on the growth and success of the company or an organization. However, servant leadership focuses on the people who build the organization. And believe it or not, servant leadership works best when embracing vulnerability. I’ve seen several TV shows, and one of the recurring episodes involves a team member getting promoted. It’s all joy and celebration until the character realizes they must be in charge of the very people they worked with at the…
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Male Friendships: Why They Are Confusing for Women
I have always found male friendships interesting. Male bonding is nothing like when women get together. When women meet, there’s a lot of sharing, advice-giving, empowerment, and overall satisfaction. When men meet, I see none of those things. They often sit quietly and drink or watch stuff with the occasional comment or joke passed around. Can you call that a friendship? Well, as crazy as it may sound, yes, you can. The bond of brotherhood is simple yet complex. No, men will not hug and cry together, but they would go to war for each other after being friends for a couple of days, no questions asked! When I’m bored,…
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My Faith Has Faced Challenges, Here’s What I’ve Learned
As societies become more secularized and individuals embrace diverse worldviews, many find themselves questioning or abandoning their faith altogether. As a Christ follower and an international digital nomad, I’ve found myself grappling with unique challenges and uncertainties. Growing up in the Bible Belt surrounded by like-minded friends, family, and communities provided a sense of security and belonging to my faith. However, as I’ve ventured beyond familiar borders and encountered diverse cultures and beliefs, maintaining my faith has become more of a challenge. I never thought it would be, but there’s something about being the outcast that forces you to shine a light on what you believe, to search, and to…
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Work Life Balance Tips For Men
One of my favourite rom-com tropes usually comes out around Christmas. All the Hallmark films are about the big city girl who has to move back home or to the countryside to find her next big project or deal with something difficult. She is a workaholic, of course, with no time for anything, not even love. But all that changes when she meets a strapping man. He is loved by locals, the animals, and just about anything that can breathe. He shows her the true meaning of life, that there is more to life than working. She lets her tightly held ponytail down and finds parts of herself that she…
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I Can’t Forget This One Conversation
It was a simple conversation. One that I’ve had many times, and one I’ve heard other people have. However, this one was different. It was brief, fleeting in fact, but I still remember it. It was a conversation I witnessed between two elderly gentlemen as I made a routine run to the grocery store. It’s interesting to me how oblivious we can be to the impact of our conversations. They didn’t know I heard them, likely will never know I’m writing this now. It was one in a million conversations they had that week. The gentlemen were obviously acquaintances, perhaps even dear friends. However, the first gentlemen spoke with a…
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Everyday Strategies to Lead by Example at Work
I cannot tell you how many times I heard the phrase ‘lead by example’ from my teachers, family, and friends growing up. It would always come in a teaching moment, I think when I would go along with what others said. I was never sure if they told me this to inspire me to be a leader or to reduce the number of kids getting into trouble. Even now, whenever I hear ‘lead by example at work, too,’ I’m still not sure if it’s inspiration to lead or keep the peace at work. Despite this, I’m going to focus on this phrase from the leadership perspective. Leading by example at…
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How to Volunteer for Charity Work: Servant Leadership in the Community
In a world where kindness and compassion seem to be lacking, volunteering for charity is a great way to spread some hope. Whether it’s coaching youth sports, organizing a church event, or aiding in disaster relief efforts, the act of giving back enriches not only the lives of those being helped but also the hearts of those doing the helping. At the core of this noble endeavor lies the principle of servant leadership – a philosophy that emphasizes serving others as a core tenant of a good leader. In this article, we’ll explore how you can uplift those around you and serve your community with some tips on how to…
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Male Confidence: How Changing My Approach Changed My Husband
Male confidence is tricky territory! Deeply ingrained societal norms place an enormous burden on men to be invulnerable — a warrior impenetrable to the worries of the world. They’re expected to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, let harsh comments roll off their back, and solve any problems that arise by throwing hands. While some of this mess is finally changing, this was the reality of my husband’s raising. Healthy self-esteem doesn’t come naturally for my fella, and it didn’t take me long as a new wife to realize that much of his confidence was tied up in how he thought I perceived him. A Tale of Two Opposites… I…
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The Friday Before Easter
As I start to write this, it’s a little after 5am on the Friday before Easter. Often in the past it seems I have hurried through this day. Certainly I know the symbolism this day brings within Christianity, but it can still be easy to internalize it as “This is just the Friday before Easter”. I got up a little earlier today partly because it’s a busy day, but also because I wanted to have enough time to get through a book I’ve been reading. Bear with me here, I’ll get to the point. It’s a book by Jordan Peterson titled “12 Rules for Life an Antidote to Chaos”. If…
