online course

The Worst Thing Ever

When we struggle When things that happen (or don't) in life and we look at our role in the unwanted outcome, stress & overwhelm take over. Assigning blame doesn't help; It just makes the pain increase. We lose sight of the actual facts of any situation when we are drowning in all of the negative emotions that cloud our judgment. It’s as if our FEELINGS become the negative story tellers. Is that really an objective, helpful, constructive voice?  Are you living your worst case scenario in one area of life that casts shadows on all other topics, too? When we're talking about our personal photo collections, this is a perfect example of how the lack of clarity guides us directly out of success mindset and deep into a mental torture chamber.  When we are full of grief, regret and stuck there, often we discover more layers of  “worst case” scenarios unfolding. If you've ready any of my blog before you know I'm no stranger [...]

The REBL(TM) in Me

Ever have a time when you're smiling on the outside, but screaming on the inside? It was like a tropical storm in my head; Wind swirling around, large objects tossed around, smothering any sense of peace and adrenaline was at an all time high. Upset, hurt feelings, raw emotions raked the back of my mind. But they were there to prompt me to practice what I preach. HERE'S HOW IT STARTED Wednesday: A grumpy text message from a friend who wanted to unload on me... I decided to get my family going before reading more. Notifications waiting for me- The tuition check money was withdrawn TWICE rather than once.   I walked away and let the dog out. Headlines of collections for the family who's home had burned down, a sob stuck in my throat as I prepared food for the pets and put the kettle on for tea. Urgent interruptions from family members- not all important The technology that wouldn't cooperate Thursday: The dog [...]

My Fire Story

The one time I felt completely hopeless, my house was burning with all of my memories inside…. It was an absolute nightmare smelling something on fire but having NO IDEA where the smoke and flames were coming from. I began checking items like my computer, cords on the baseboards, and that’s when I smelled something. I ran down the hall. Smoke seeped through my child’s bedroom carpeting, but no sign of flames to be seen.. I sprinted down the stairs to find 5-foot flames licking the side of our garage refrigerator.  It was right next to the car with a tank full of gas, the snowblower and a full tank of fuel.  Holy S$&%, I needed to act quickly Shoes, daughter, scooped up the cats into a suitcase … We got out FAST, grabbing my cell phone and then dialed 911.  Then the smoke detectors started wailing … like nails in my ears. Trucks, sirens, helmets, smoke, commotion, adrenaline. I held my daughter on [...]

ICYMI: A new lease on life!

Confessions of a Control Freak (COACF-recap) ICYMI - The past few weeks have been full of pain. Just kidding! Quite the opposite.  The “Confessions” or “COACF” series was intended to create honesty, vulnerability and authenticity here in our safe space of photo lovers.  I’m clearing out a lot of emotional and habitual clutter to make room for so many wonderful things to happen. Here’s a recap or remedies we’re relishing: Self-compassion is a shortcut that allows us to welcome positive change Finding trust means letting go of old beliefs that get in the way Trading in perfectionism for joy means letting go of a lot of head clutter And the list of small, measured changes that make the greatest impact over time! Life is precious, memories are priceless and when we share our best memories with those we love, new wonderful stories are created … It’s like the butterfly effect!  Wikipedia says the butterfly effect is when a small subtle change can cause much greater [...]

Confessions of a Control Freak – Letting in Joy

Do you know why babies laugh? I believe it’s because they have no restrictions, filters, or hesitation to keep them from filtering out a joyful response. When I hear baby laughter, I can't help but smile or often laugh along. They snap me out of my trance called “adulthood” and remind me of my natural joyful state. I LOVE THAT.  But over the years, we build layers of skin formed by our experiences, influencers and systems that were designed to make us productive members of society. Things don't always go the way we like, or we don't take criticism lightly and we go to extremes to avoid all faults and opportunities just to be criticized. And the result for me is: perfectionism starts to take over. Have you ever considered that the more room we make for perfectionism, the less space there is for joy? Time to clean THAT closet out; let’s get a little messy for the sake of letting stuff go that [...]

Confessions of a Control Freak; Trust

ARE YOU A RULE BREAKER? Do you remember when we were kids and we would forget our homework, then make up an excuse… whatever it took to cover our tracks, or maybe it was hiding a bad grade from parents? You know… the one that they had to SIGN? Then the feelings of failure were enough to try to cover it up… then there were consequences for that?!? UGH painful lessons in earning trust! Control Freak part 2 here; Let’s talk TRUST.  Apparently I collected trust issues through the years. Anyone else? Maybe that’s why so many folks don’t trust technology. There are so many excuses, things we have to sign without understanding, then updates cause us to not trust something we don’t fully understand.  TRUST is where I’m finding the most opportunity for growth in myself right now; Self-trust, trusting others, trusting technologies, trusting nature … It’s an enormous concept.  One year from now I imagine myself reading this, thankful for how far [...]

The Perpetual Worry Wheel

Are you stuck on the ‘worry wheel’ of emotions about losing your family photos to the next natural disaster?  Do you find yourself overwhelmed when it comes to managing and protecting your family’s stories? Insurance can never replace your lost or unprotected photos from the next hurricane or tornado. You can’t put a price tag on family memories no matter how amazing your home insurance policy is. If you’re afraid of losing all the precious memories you’ve created over the years, and don’t know where to start, you’re not alone. This is why it’s so important to have help organizing your family’s memories so they are not lost or forgotten and can weather any storm. After 2 decades of working directly with families protecting their treasured memories, I developed a system that I want to teach you. If you’re sick of worrying about losing memories and want to protect them, you may just need Digital Peace; A self paced online course (with live support)  [...]

Go to Top