Dreams and Schemes for a Legendary Life

Living With Goals

on August 14, 2023

3 Tips To Help You Succeed With Your Goals

I’m a very goal oriented person, but when one also has the goal of being a better friend, wife, daughter, etc., how you achieve those goals is sometimes in conflict with our work goals. Too late people realize that work was never the goal, right? I think this is what sends many people spinning into a mid-life crisis. So while I’m about to talk about how to achieve work goals, first and foremost make sure you are living in a way that is true to you. When you are with family, be with them one hundred percent. When you listening to your partner, listen one hundred percent. When you are playing with your child, engage one hundred percent. If you…Read More

12 Leadership Tips from the Queen of Quality

on July 31, 2023

From A Conversation With Martha Stewart

I’m not sure Martha Stewart would want me to call her the Queen of Quality, but “quality” is certainly signature to her brand, and I dub her that with all due respect for an amazing career which among other things, launched the “lifestyle” industry and continues to innovate it. I had the chance to see Martha in person for an interview and she won me over easily. Martha looked great, and was funny, engaging, forthright, and inspiring. No subject was off the table and she talked about everything with candor, humor, and the wisdom that comes from living a full life—every day. Here are twelve tips I took away from the conversation, expanded on by me. All of them are…Read More

8 Reasons To Be Nice To Your Mom and/or Dad When You’re 16

on July 17, 2023

Survival Tips for Teens

Let’s face it, teen years can be hard—on the parents that is. For teenagers, they get lots of new responsibilities and freedoms, and their parents are financing the fun. It really doesn’t get any better even if you have to take SATs. So teens, if your parents are decent people—you know, they don’t beat you, or lock you in the closet under the stairs—then let’s be real and give them a break. And if they’re not, this blog does not apply to you. Why you should consider being a more fun and engaging housemate… 1 – COMFORT: It just makes day-to-day life more pleasant for everyone. Be polite to them the way you would if they were a celebrity you…Read More

“Just Be Yourself” a.k.a. Worst. Advice. Ever.

on July 3, 2023

Discover the Teen Stress That You Just Made Worse

Until you’ve aged a little and accomplished some awesome things, and come to a place where you know you are fierce and can kill it in any situation, “being yourself” is really stressful. Especially if you want to be a lot more than “yourself.” As a teen, I never wanted to be myself. I wanted to be the “self” that fit in and was liked for being myself. If I was actually myself, I would have never engaged in conversation, or done extra curricular activities, or been responsible with my chores. I only did those things to appear normal, to have the hope of being a better ‘self’ someday, and so that my parents would get off my back and…Read More

Tips for Teens: Visioning Your Future

on June 19, 2023

4 Steps to Help You Become a Badass Version of You

The teenage years can be some of the best or worst of your life. Or you might just survive with a few good memories and not too much humiliation. But no matter where you are on the spectrum, this is the time to start determining and designing the kind of human you want to be. Yes, it’s up to you—no one else. Becoming awesome and being a badass takes intention – and years of it. If you don’t think about it now, you’ll more easily fall and follow, because you will be reacting to the world, not acting in the world. So what can you do to make the most of the awesome years ahead? You need to vision yourself….Read More

Why Not You?

on June 5, 2023

3 Attitudes that Hold You Back

Before I got my first publishing deal, I was attending conferences with zeal and trying to learn everything possible about the craft and business of writing. At one such conference there was a session you could sign up for, where in a small group, you would read the first ten pages of your manuscript, and an editor who acquired in your genre would give you notes. It was terrifying. I really wanted to throw up. The only comfort was that all the other writers were equally green – except for the one who went to drama school and couldn’t wait to perform her masterpiece. You know the one. We went alphabetically by title, so I was first. I read my…Read More

6 Tips for a Successful Summer Internship

on May 29, 2023

Six Tips for College Students to Excel!

Your first summer internship? Feeling nervous? Not sure what to expect? Hoping you like it? Hoping you don’t mess up? Hoping people like you? Hoping you make some good connections? Try not to worry too much. All the other interns feel the same way. And all their leaders know you have a lot to learn and hopefully won’t be throwing you in to sink or swim without a little orientation as to the temperature of the water. But here’s a few tips to help you out. Enthusiasm and a good attitude go a long way! Repeat that all day long. A smile will usually get a smile. Be interested in all the opportunities to learn around you. Be comfortable asking…Read More

The Power of the Purge!

on May 22, 2023

8 Reasons to Let Go of the Past

Moving. There’s nothing that stimulates a purge as much as moving does. It can be a lot of hard work—the sorting, the selling, the recycling, the giving away, and then finding the right spot for what is left. And it seems like there is always more that can be purged. But when it’s done, the benefits are many and ongoing. My advice…don’t wait until you move to make your home, and life, right again. There are things we hold onto for good reasons—believe me, I had a good reason to hold onto everything. There was always something I was going to use again, “some day”. But, paring your life down to what you need and enjoy every day, brings a great…Read More

16 Things Girls Need To Know About Guys Before They Turn 16

on May 8, 2023

The 16 for 16 List

They want you to think they are funny and cool as well as athletic and hot. But they’ll take funny and cool if the rest is not in their cards…yet. They don’t care that much about makeup—on them or you, but a welcoming smile that makes them think they are funny, cool, athletic or hot goes a long way. They can’t express it but they want to be accepted as they are—just like you—even when they can’t accept themselves. If boys see you value yourself and your dreams they will secretly and sometimes openly admire you. Men love confidence in a woman. Boys respect confidence in a girl and are often drawn to her for it, but can’t explain why….Read More

10 Things to Remember When You Are Stressing Over Exams

on April 24, 2023

Surviving Exam Season!

You are a student, you are stressed, and you feel the pressure put on my teachers, parents, and worse – yourself. It’s too much! It really is. Stop and take a breath. Give yourself a little credit. You are more than one exam, one grade, or one day in your life. Do the work you need to do, then get a really good night of sleep. And remember these basic truths! Education is a journey, not a race. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there, just that you keep going. Even if you fail, there’s summer school! No grade is worth your life, your health, or your sanity. Take it one test, one day, one hour at…Read More