You know what day of the week I feel bad for?  Monday.  Why do we as a culture tend to dread this day so much?  There have been a ton of studies around anxiety, depression and sadness with the results claiming to actually prove that Monday’s have a negative effect on people and their health.  Have you ever noticed how drastically people’s behavior changes as the work week progresses?  Monday mornings are generally quiet and funeral like.  There’s an abundance of somber expressions as people walk quietly around mourning the loss of another weekend with an IV of coffee required to sustain their energy levels throughout the day.  As the week progresses the overall mood seems to improve.  Tuesday people find their smiles and start to become human again.  I think Taco Tuesday lunch specials have something to do with that.  Nothing says cheer up like chips, salsa and a couple of tacos.  Wednesday’s and Thursday’s are a blur.  You’re in your groove and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Plus Happy Hour specials are usually pretty great on Thursday’s.  Why not celebrate the quickly approaching weekend a bit early?  And then it arrives….FRIDAY….the highly anticipated end of the work week!  The coffee room is full of bagels and donuts, people linger around talking with each other, you go out to lunch and blink twice and BAM it’s closing time.  Hello weekend!!  You spend Saturday and Sunday running around like crazy, trying to pack so much in to those two days because who has time for fun or chores during the work week?  Sunday night reality sinks in and Monday morning the vicious cycle starts again. 

Any of this sound familiar?  Well, the good news is that you can actually cure the poison associated with Mondays.  Better yet, it’s free and doesn't require a prescription or a trip to the doctor.  The antidote is gratitude and the directions are simple.  After your alarm goes off and before you actually get out of bed on Monday morning think about 3 to 5 things that you are grateful for.  It might be helpful to write them down in a journal or as a note in your cell phone so throughout the day you can look back and remember what you’re grateful for.  Maybe you’re grateful to be up early enough to see the gorgeous sunrise or for the ability to have spent a weekend with your family.  Whatever you’re grateful for is entirely personal and up to you.  Try this exercise every morning and notice how your ATTITUDE changes as a result of focusing on your GRATITUDE.  You might also want to try doing this at night before you go to sleep.  Reflecting on what you are thankful for, what lessons you have learned throughout the day, or even what you want to dream about are great ways to head off to dreamland on a positive note.  A better night’s sleep can do wonders to improve your energy level, which can lead to a more productive work day, which means less stress.  Less stress generally means more happiness.  And when your life is full of happiness who knows what amazing things can happen?!

~ Angie

No....not THAT "F" word!  I'm talking about something much more powerful, dangerous and crippling.  F-E-A-R.  Fear.  It can start with a simple, innocent thought and quickly multiply like a diseased cell in a petri dish, slowly taking over your mind, your beliefs and your ability to make sound choices.  Fear can be all consuming, causing you to make snap judgments, act irrationally and stop you cold in your tracks.  Take scary movies for example.  Say you watch a scary movie at night while you're alone in the house.  (First mistake).  Half way through the movie you need a snack. As you make your way through the quiet, dark house you suddenly notice every creak in the floor, the shadows look somehow menacing, the trees outside your kitchen window seem threatening and cold.  (The diseased cell has entered the petri dish).  As you make your snack you're trying to convince yourself that you're being ridiculous.  Suddenly you hear a thud behind you as the refrigerator door slams and you jump out of your skin.  You freeze momentarily as you think "wait, did I open the refrigerator?  If it wasn't the refrigerator door what WAS that noise"?  Looking at the cold bottled water in your hand, your mind is temporarily eased.  "YES, I did open the refrigerator.  Whew"!  Snack and cold drink in hand, you make your way back to the living room....perhaps a bit more briskly than the walk to the kitchen a mere 5 minutes ago.  Settling back into the couch, wrapped up in your favorite blanket you once again feel safe, secure and brave enough to re-start the movie.  How is it possible that the movie is MORE scary now?  You jump and scream your way through the next 45 minutes of terror and are relieved when it's finally over.  Now it's bedtime.  After turning on multiple lights, checking under your bed and in the closet to ensure you are alone in the house you attempt to get some sleep.  (The fear has officially taken over and you are no longer in charge.)  The noises the house makes at night are SO LOUD.  You make a mental note to have the furnace looked at.....those clunky noises coming from the basement MUST mean there's a heating and cooling issue, right?  The shadows play tricks on you.  Tossing and turning you just can't get to sleep.  Every time you close your eyes you swear you are going to be attacked by the creature from the movie.  And now.....you have to pee....Great!  Damn water!  Trying to hold it only makes you have to go more.  Eventually out of pure desperation you leave the safety of your bed and sprint to the bathroom turning on every light along the way.  Of course you look behind the shower curtain and in the linen closet and make the rational decision to pee with the door open.  You can't take the chance of closing the door and giving the creature a strategic advantage.  Miraculously, somehow sleep finds you.  You awake the next morning ready to conquer the world.  YOU SURVIVED!!!!  That's how easy it is for fear to enter our life and completely take over.  So how do you conquer fear and remove it from your life?  Well, the short answer is you don't and that's a good thing!  Truth is a little bit of fear is good for you.  Let fear teach you something about your inner self.  Let fear motivate and empower you......but do not let it control you!  YOU are in charge of how you choose to learn from and react to fear.  Become aware of what happens when you are afraid.  Notice the thoughts you have.  What physical symptoms are occurring?  Do you have a faster heart beat, sweaty palms, weak legs?  Take the time to tune in to yourself and notice what's going on.  A lot of times doing this will help take the edge off.  Ask yourself if what you are afraid of is real or if you are afraid of the story you've made up around the real issue?  Most times, we react to the story - the idea that a scary creature could be lurking under the bed - and really the only thing under your bed is dust bunnies.  Don't be afraid to talk about your fears with a loved one or close friend.  Getting another persons perspective on an issue is a great way to shed light on your fears.  We might not like to admit it, but all of us are afraid of something at some level.  Holding it in and ignoring it isn't going to make it go away.  Deal with your fears as they occur.  And who knows?  Maybe next time you watch a scary movie you can pee with the door closed. 

~ Angie

"Friends are the people in your life that make you laugh louder, smile brighter and live better"


I have no idea who said this but I came across their quote recently and decided that they are right.  My girlfriends are amazing and I love each of them for many different reasons.  One of these incredible women is getting married TOMORROW and I am ridiculously excited for her!!!  Earlier this week a couple of us got together for dinner and drinks with the bride to be to start celebrating a little bit early :)  Of course at some point we started talking about what we were all wearing.....what dress, with what shoes and jewelry.  At the end of September in Michigan, Mother Nature can often provide you with three different seasons in one day, so planning ahead with multiple outfit possibilities is crucial.  Between you and me, I have been dreading the decision of what to wear.  I've been carrying around an extra ten pounds or so all summer and just don't feel like myself.  (That's what three months of drinking wine and not much exercise will do to a waist line).   I LOVE shoes and for weddings I typically wear a really fun high heel and a short, classy LBD (that's Little Black Dress for you non dress wearers).  However, no matter the weather I'm leaning towards a long flowing maxi type dress instead of wearing a shorter, more structured one and feeling like a stuffed sausage all night.  I mentioned this to my girlfriends and they told me I was being ridiculous, that I looked great in my skinny jeans and that if I've gained 10 pounds they don't know where it's at.  I said something back and then got told "Geez, can't you just take a compliment"?  That got me to shut-up.  I help clients deal with their body image issues all the time and here I am having issues of my own!  Thank you friend (you know who you are) for calling me out on my BS.  I needed that conversation to take place to get me re-motivated to work out like I'm used to, to stop feeling bad about it and just get moving.  


We all carry extra baggage around that weighs us down and without us knowing it, changes our internal belief system.  My baggage happens to be 10 pounds which internally I believe makes me look and feel like a beached whale.  Because of this internal belief, I've convinced myself that I need to hide my perceived fat rolls and only wear baggy, comfortable clothes.  My friends helped me realize that the rest of the world does not see me this way and I need to just get over it already.  In order to hold myself accountable, I decided to give myself permission to receive a compliment because I'm beautiful inside and outside - ten extra pounds or not.  And I'm giving myself permission to start working out again because it's not selfish to schedule "me" time.  This example might be silly, but it's something we can all relate to.  What baggage do you want to get rid of?  What's holding you back from being the best YOU?  Give yourself permission to let something go......actually writing it out helps make it real.  Try it and see how you feel!  Better yet, see how many permission slips you can write for yourself over the next month.  Letting go of old beliefs can be addicting :)


~ Angie

If you’re new here, you might not know that I’m a high school History Teacher.  Last week was 9/11 and I talked to my class about what happened in our country in 2001 and the significance of those events.  Other than feeling a bit older than my students (they were infants when the tragedy happened….Ugh) the anniversary of 9/11 always reminds me of how grateful I am to be alive and have the privilege to live in a free society.  At the end of the lesson I asked each class to write or draw what freedom or being free means to them.  (This was after an hour and fifteen minute lesson packed with personal stories, pictures from the memorial, and a short video on 9/11).  What surprised me the most was how many of my students said, “I don’t know what to write!”  After some contemplation, my conclusion as to why they said this was that they were born being free and have always been.  They have never had to think about what it would be like NOT to be able to go to school and learn, what it’s like to live in a war torn country, or in the case of those who perished in New York that horrific day; just being able to wake up once more to share in the joys and miseries of life.  

Why is it that when we lose something dear to us is when we think about the blessings that we have in our lives?  We are so busy working towards the “next thing” that we forget about enjoying the journey along the way.  If we aren’t careful we will miss the things that are really important in our lives - like the relationships we build with family and friends, experiences that enrich us, and just being.  After hearing my students struggle with what freedom is to them, got me thinking about what freedom means to me.  That day after school I decided a break was in order.  Angie and I dusted off the kayaks and paddled around Lake St. Clair.  It was awesome and this is one of the things I do to feel free.  There is nothing like being surrounded by water on a 90 degree September day just chilling, looking at the clouds, and breathing in fresh air.  The fact that I have the ability to do the things that make me feel free just makes it even better.  I am for grateful for the country that I live in, my wonderful family, and the gift of freedom.  My question to you is:  What is YOUR definition of freedom?  What does it mean to be or live free? Let us know below.....

Jaime B

Allow me to formally introduce you to our two German Short Hair Pointers Kona on the left and Molly on the right.  It's no secret that I LOVE these dogs.  One look at my personal Facebook page will show you that :)  These guys bring so much joy and happiness into our lives and they are always teaching us something.  I find this completely ironic because aren't the humans supposed to be the teachers?  Fellow dog owners can relate to this I'm sure.  One of my favorite doggie lessons is captured in the video below.  We are driving around with both dogs in the backseat.  You can see Kona with his head out the window, ears blowing in the wind, tongue flopping all over the place and he doesn't have a care in the world.  He's in his happy place.  He's not thinking "Oh, man this is going to mess up my hair" or "Does this make my face look fat?".  Nope.  He could care less what anyone else has to say.  He's living in the moment, having fun and doing his own thing.  

Such a powerful lesson if you stop to think about it.  Why do we so often let what others think hold us back from doing the things that we love?  Deeper yet, why do we believe that what they think will actually hold us back?  More on belief systems later!  For today I'm curious, when is the last time you really let your guard down?  Let go of all your inhibitions and just had fun - real laugh till you cried and your cheeks hurt kind of fun?  Take a minute and tell us about it!

~ Angie

Ahhhh - the annual first day back to school!  Facebook is plastered with early morning pictures of nicely dressed kids smiling brightly, wearing new shoes and sporting their favorite outfits.  Thanks to Pinterest many of these kids are holding homemade creative colored chalk signs announcing things like "First Day of Kindergarten 2013"  or "My Senior Year!" or "Mom Please Stop Crying!".  Parents clinking coffee cups congratulating each other for surviving another summer.  Bank accounts everywhere rejoicing and loosening their belts as they prepare to fatten up a bit as school aged kids won't be needing all day daycare for a while.  For many reasons and from many perspectives, there is an undeniable energy surrounding this day.  

As a kid I remember being ready for school to start in July.  I was bored and couldn't wait to see my friends again.  The night before school started was always torture!  I was forced to go to bed early.....didn't my parents realize that it was still light outside and I was too excited to sleep?  Somehow, miraculously my eyes would close and I would drift off to dreamland.  The next morning I would wake up with the excitement of Christmas Day.  Getting ready and eating breakfast was accomplished in record time.  I felt like a Pepsi can that had been shook up and was ready to explode.  Finally THE day was here!  It took a while, but eventually that fizzy feeling would lose the bubbles and turn into flat pop (soda for those of you down South).  A few weeks into the new school year everything seemed like a routine.  School, dinner, homework, bed.  School, dinner, homework, bed.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  Don't get me wrong - I loved school - but there was nothing quite like the first day excitement.....except of course the last day of the year before summer vacation!

That got me thinking today.  Why do we believe certain days should automatically hold more happiness than others?  What if we treated every day like the first day of school?  Why not celebrate the 124th day with the same pulsating energy as the first day?  After all, everyday is truly a gift.  Every. Single. Day.  When we get wrapped up in the humdrum routine of life it's easy to take tomorrow for granted and to hold on to the past too tight.  We forget how important each minute is, what a blessing each day is.  The sooner we learn to let it go and to enjoy the moments as they occur the happier our lives will be.  Do yourself a favor and take 10 minutes every morning to quiet your mind, center yourself and think about what you are grateful for.  Set your intentions and decide that today is going to be a day worth celebrating! 

~ Angie