Whatever you decide to do with your next year, remember that when we create goals and habits that align with our values, they will be easier to stick to and return to whenever we fall off track. 

For me, "less is more" means trading in my worries about how the house is decorated, for the experience of decorating our home with my daughter, even if that means that some ornaments may be sacrificed in the process.

You might wonder, what can storytelling do for my company? In today's world, where customers demand transparency, it may be time to bring your company's history into the present.

We all have a story to tell. And, if there's a story inside of you that you want to share with your family and friends, or maybe with the world, then this is your sign to start writing it now.

While I absolutely love books—from the smell of the ink to the feel of the paper between my fingers as I flip through the pages—a book isn't the only way to share your family's stories. 

Here are a few unique ways to preserve your family's history and memories, some of which you're probably already doing. 

If you've always wanted to put together a family history book but weren't sure how to get started, then this is the DIY guide for you. However, it’s important to note that making a family history book is an incredible undertaking, and your book project could take many months, or even a year, to complete.

Our daughter is incredibly fortunate that her grandparents are able to spend so much time with her. I never had that with my grandparents, nor did my husband. However, because she’s still so young, I often wonder how much of them she’ll remember when she’s older.

This type of listening is called Empathetic Listening, and it allows us to build trust, resolve conflict, and connect with the person who's speaking. I've always admired the people who can do this. When I think back on my own life, I remember exactly who these people were.

As a young girl, Mother’s Day was only ever about my mom. But, now that I have a family of my own, Mother’s Day has become about all moms. It’s a day to be celebrated and an opportunity to express gratitude to my mom, my mother-in-law, and all mothers.

So much is lost in war. War is about much more than a country's politics; it's about the complete annihilation of a peoples' culture and heritage.

I’ll be honest with you, these past three years, and even now, as I type this (amid so much uncertainty in the world), my husband and I have spent a lot of time grasping for stability and some sense of control over our lives. But (and no surprise here) that hasn’t gotten us very far.

This is something that I say to myself a lot. I don't have enough time to grow my business. I don't have enough time for my family. And most of all, I don't have enough time to take any "free time" for myself.

Every year I start with a list of goals and aspirations. This year, instead of a list of goals (ok, I have some of those too), I've decided to focus on a single word, on an intention, and a feeling: that of connection. 

This weekend, we drove into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with my Father in Law to cut down our Christmas tree. This annual tradition is something that I remember well from my childhood, which is why I wanted to share it with our daughter this year.

If this task has been collecting dust on your to-do list, then I challenge you to get started on it today. If you choose to accept it, your mission is to dig out all of those old albums and boxes of photos and finally organize your family’s photos.

Have you ever wondered whether you truly know your own family’s secrets? Or maybe, you have secrets that you keep from your children and the rest of your family?

We all operate on autopilot at times, whether at work, at home, or in our relationships with our spouses and kids. Being together 24/7 for months has triggered survival mode in many of us, and autopilot is an easy default. I don’t know if absence really makes the heart grow fonder, but independence is essential for growth, and growth allows us to thrive.

With so many resources publicly available these days, including DNA testing, ancestry websites, and access to government record collections, we’re able to learn more about ourselves and our family’s history than ever before.

While there are many reasons we tend to surface-listen, the most common ones are that we’re not very interested in the conversation topic, we’re distracted by other things (our phones, our kids, and even hunger), or we’re short on time.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about values and what we value most in our family. Values are the foundation for what makes us who we are. Every family has them, whether you put emphasis on them or not.