and make the juice worth the squeeze — Life handed me lemons, so I made lemonade, lemon cake, lemon drops, and I even used the rinds to make lemon art. So the joke is on you, life… - Emilyann Allen That’s the spirit, right? At least I think so. Although there’s no denying that there have been times…

Maybe you don’t always need to chime in. — Highly charged emotions on everything from politics to diets can get us tangled up in squabbles we didn’t necessarily bargain for. Leaving us thinking, “I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.” “But I want to speak my truth”, you might think. “People need my two cents on this issue”, you…

It might be time to figure out if you’re the tool. — I don’t start arguments. In fact, I barely have the stomach for a heated debate. It’s just not me. Which explains why I find the person who has a real hankering for hot, verbal entanglements so off-putting. Let’s refer to them as hammers. The worst part about this tool is…

What you see, matters. — The broken windows theory, defined in 1982 by social scientists James Wilson and George Kelling, drawing on earlier research by Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo, argues that no matter how rich or poor a neighborhood, one broken window would soon lead to many more windows being broken. In essence, broken…

I see you, bully. — Public Service Announcement: Honesty isn’t the best policy. Especially if you’re a bully. There are way too many factors to consider before you spew out what you claim is just the truth and then sheepishly apologize with “I’m sorry, but you want me to be honest, don’t you?” Sly move…

But of course, you will. — You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve even said it. But is anyone really not taking it personally? I hesitate to ever say those words. To me, if it occurs to you that someone might take something to heart, then they probably will. So save it. In The Four Agreements, one of…

What to do when you’re stuck in monotony and it’s bringing you down. — Mark Twain: “Do something every day that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule of acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.” Creating habits is all the rage. But if you’re stuck in a state of monotony, that won’t get you off the couch to…

Recognize them before it’s too late. — There’s such a thing as being too busy. Firing on all cylinders day after day will take its toll and before you know it, you’ll not only wear out, but it can actually change you. You need balance. Burnout in life happens when there is a lack of balance between…

No matter how much you dread it. — Like most people, I’ve had to stare down a few things I’ve dreaded doing. The kind of thing that makes you want to bury your head under the covers and hide, while simultaneously coming up with the perfect excuse to stay there. “Do I have a fever?” “I think my…