Category: Life & Living

Many of us believe that the subject of one’s mental health is only attributed to those individuals who’ve received a clinical diagnosis from a licensed professional. But the truth is that mental health issues do not discriminate, and struggles are often easily identifiable in so many of us today. According to MentalHealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” Over the last few years, we’ve all struggled on some level with how we think, feel, and act – not to mention how we’ve managed stress.  A global pandemic has infiltrated the normalcy we all take for granted while pitting neighbor against neighbor in what has become…

From board rooms to classrooms to living rooms all across the country, a topic that continues to ignite conversations with little resolve is why Americans don’t want to work? The answer most people respond with when posed with such a question is that Americans are lazy and complacent living off government assistance programs. Businesses continue to blame labor shortages for slowdowns in manufacturing and ultimately how quickly and efficiently they can get their products into the hands of consumers. I’m certainly not denying that struggle is real and is impacting our global supply chain. But the question of why Americans don’t want to work is more complex than many realize — including me. In fact, it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a recent article in The Washington Post that I began to…

As a little boy, I always dreaded when it was finally time to remove the band-aid covering my scraped knee or cut elbow, which was a pretty common occurrence. My mother would lovingly apply antiseptic to clean the wound before covering it with the plastic and gauze tab to help protect it from infection. The band-aid felt comforting and even provided a feeling of safety, like the armor of a superhero shielding me from unpleasantries. But sooner or later the band-aid needs to come off This often raised my anxiety level and induced my brain to retreat into a state of fear. That fear over the excruciating pain caused by removing the band-aid was admittedly based more on false truths spread around by older classmates or friends and had little…

“Doing the right thing isn't always easy - in fact, sometimes it's real hard - but just remember that doing the right thing is always right.” - David Cottrell, Business Author. Many of us go through our lives doing the right thing regarding finances – abiding by rules, being responsible, and even respectful of what money represents. Growing up, my grandfather always tried to instill in me the importance of financial responsibility. His perspective was undoubtedly the result of the economic disparities he witnessed during The Great Depression and in the years that followed – forever cementing a mindset that few of us possess today to appreciate money, not take it for granted. While some of us commit to financial freedom, making the necessary sacrifices to achieve that goal, others…