Maybe you feel like you're falling into fall too.

Barely ready.

Rarely at your best.

And yet, there's a quiet, undeniable inkling that something is missing.

• Conversations in driveways and over casual dinners.
• Cheery hellos and neighbors helping neighbors.
• Pretense-free, faith-forming honesty.

Perhaps this dream has lain dormant for a while as you fit all the necessaries into your day-to-day. Perhaps you've never laid a finger on this desire for an old-fashioned kind of neighborhood, where kids play in the street and adults converse on porches. But the tumble from summer to autumn has you daydreaming.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Neighboring Tip of the Week
4. For your heart (and if you like, for your wall or dashboard or mirror), here is a manifesto to define the direction.

Maybe you're like me. You use your hands a lot. You type and wash dishes, tie shoelaces, and take contacts out every night. It all feels natural–unless your nails are too long. Then they click-click on the keyboard, and you take five tries to spell one word correctly to answer a text.

I'm clueless about nail salon lingo, so after my nails were way outgrown, I found a local spot with all the downtown vibes and nail techs who texted back to answer all my questions. They use gentle products, engage in genuine conversation, and do beautiful, meticulous work. I'm hooked.

But the beautiful nails–sculpted with hard gel to add length–came with a learning curve.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Daughters First Retreat

If meal-prep sounds exhausting . . .

If your quiet time is inconsistent (or non-existent) . . .

If you're already wondering how to clone yourself . . .

If you want meaningful moments in the midst of the busy . . .

If you long for authentic community . . .

If you wish you could just slow August down a tad . . .

This list of tips is for you.

They're practical. Easy to implement. Gifts from my actual life to you.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. This handy, 5-minute quiet time guide from Jennifer Dukes Lee is free to download!
4. I Don't Have to Hold it All Together by Nichole J. Suvar

Like shoes, our habits can help or harm us. Sometimes it's not obvious from the outside, but inside, we feel either weighed down or revived. That's our clue. Pay attention. Some shiny new habits might not be right for you, and some familiar ones may be past their lifespan.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. My word of the year, koinonia.

Even a former "most positive student" can hit a negativity streak. Even a well-practiced gratitude journaler can catastrophize. Even the most spiritual among us can spiral into negative self-talk.

Indeed, even the host of Begin Within: A Gratitude Series, who has a front-row seat to the life-changing nature of thankfulness, has days where the mind runs wild and the thoughts self-betray.

I want to step softly here because negativity can appear bristly, but there's a tender underbelly.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. To gently cultivate gratitude in your life, consider subscribing to Begin Within: A Gratitude Series. Every Thursday you'll get a new story in your inbox–real-life examples of what gratitude looks like on both mundane and downright hard days.

Self-sufficiency is a sludge of pride and survival. Sometimes it's our only option. Sometimes we make it our only option. I fall into the latter category.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

We can be incredibly artful about disguising our pride–me included. I'd rather you see diligence and dependability, and not dig deep enough to trace them back to pride. I would prefer to convince you that I'm always capable and composed, so you don't question why I reach for this consistency. I want you to see me as selfless and sweet-natured–never stubborn or snappy or overly sensitive–and assume pride never drives me to curate your impression of me.

But the truth is, pride can slide into our best of intentions, subvert our peace, and sandwich itself between us and other people. It hides inside of lies that sound incredibly convincing . . .

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

Self-pity is not neutral. All the while we maintain composure and let self-pity subside at its own pace, it's wreaking havoc on our mental health. It's time to go on the offensive and reclaim the ground self-pity has stolen.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Recite Scripture verses to actively oppose self-pity:

• 1 Corinthians 10:13
• James 5:13
• Romans 12:2
• Philippians 4:13
• Galatians 2:20

Where do you feel the pressure to be on par with someone else? To prove yourself worthy? To pretend your way into confidence?

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Find two summer's worth of Enneagram blog series HERE.

I've got a thing with control. I like to paint it as a virtue because self-control sounds less harsh. Like less of a problem. But it actually isn't.

Your need to feel in control might come out in different ways than mine. Perhaps you vocalize more than internalize. Perhaps you extend your controlling efforts externally rather than internally. But it's the same thieving trio–fear, pride, and shame–eroding your peace, dimming your light, and keeping you in a rut.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.