I spent a recent weekend without major plans and went with the flow. And it turned out to be a wonderful weekend, where I felt present and alive. Sometimes we become overly focused on one or two endeavors only, and we neglect the other parts of our life that also bring us joy. Its important to change up the routine once in a while to see if there is something else that may need our attention.

Nancy has travelled the world and thereby became a person that looks at life with a more open mind. Today, when she faces challenges, she takes a step back and is not afraid to experiment with techniques and approaches, some of which she shares with us. Nancy pays close attention to herself and the way she shows up i the world. Her thoughts have inspired me to be more mindful and I hope you have similar takeaways from this enlightening conversation with my friend.

We need more of those rare friends. What makes them rare is not that they barely exist, but that we don't see them. Because they are different from us, we don't notice them. Yet, we need them. They may not make us feel warm and fuzzy like our other friends, but they challenge us and make us feel better about ourselves in the long run.

Its not easy to apologize but it also not a one-sided quest. Both the person trying to repair the hurt and the one accepting the apology have to be committed to make it work going forward. Lets learn how to get better at apologizing and accepting an apology.

Meet my friend Susie Wyshak and learn how to connect with people. We spent a wonderful afternoon talking about everything from chocolate to money, Toastmasters and how to talk to strangers. Susie is full of ideas, insights, and got me thinking about different approaches on how I connect with others. Allow yourself to be inspired to step a little bit outside of your comfort zone. You can find Susie at foodstarter.com and connect with her there. Enjoy.

If we treated our loved ones the way we treat an exquisite piece of chocolate, I believe our relationships would improve. The presence and the mindfulness that we bring when we savor food is the same we need to bring to the exchanges with the people in our life. Because without continued effort, those relationships lose spark and we lose interest.

I am a direct person and I never thought I had a problem saying what I want. Until I began listening to my friends. And I learned that I may be direct, but I am not clear. Directness is often emotionally charged and therefore not well received. Being clear with our needs however, is much harder. Lets discover what is holding us back from saying what we want and learn to get better at it.

Every day we are presented with a multitude of opportunities for self-reflection. But we miss many of them because we are distracted or don't pay attention. When we take some time to examine them, we turn inward. Many of our beliefs and behaviors have been shaped by others and we have them autopilot. When we look closer, we may notice what is not working and no longer effective and change it for the better.

Will this matter? This is a question we need to ask ourselves more often - when we get frustrated with minor occurrences or when we don't get what we hoped for. Will this matter tomorrow, a year from now? This is a question that helps us distinguish the small stuff that we often sweat from the big things we need to shift our focus to.

We decide over what bother us. As much as we want to blame the other person or the unfavorable circumstance, which may have triggered us, we are in charge of the response. And quite often, the best response is to not do anything. Instead of wasting valuable time and energy on trivial matters, we should spend it on those that do matter.