@Tisha Castillo shared a powerful poem on LinkedIn this morning, and I wanted to share it here. 👉 The Dash by Linda Ellis I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.​ He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears. But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years.​ For that dash represents all the time that they spent life on Earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.​ For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.​ So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. ​If we could slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand how others feel.​ Be less quick to anger, show appreciation more, and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.​If we treat each other respectfully and wear a smile more often, remember that this special dash might only last a little while.​ So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash? I will post this in our "Motivation Corner" (yes! We have a motivation corner. If you haven't discovered it yet, you can find it under the "classroom" setting.)

What's Your Choice of Day/Time? These will be held in CST timezone.

Whenever you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or need a quick mental reset, try this easy grounding exercise. It brings your focus back to the present moment and helps calm your mind. How To: 1. Look Around and name 5 things you can SEE. It could be anything—your coffee cup, a picture on the wall, the sky outside. Take a moment to see each item. 2. Focus on 4 things you can FEEL. This might be the texture of your shirt, the ground under your feet, or the feeling of your breath. 3. LISTEN for 3 sounds around you. They might be distant or close—just let them come to you. 4. NOTICE 2 things you can smell. If nothing strong is around, you may need to take a deep breath or imagine your favorite scents. 5. ACKNOWLEDGE 1 thing you can taste. You can take a sip of tea, bite something, or notice the taste in your mouth. This exercise takes only a few minutes and can be done anytime, anywhere. It’s a quick way to bring calm and focus back to your day.

This is a lesson some learn very late in life, and some never get comfortable with. Knowing yourself deeply helps you to embrace all the parts of yourself and show up as you are. You can truly align with yourself once you can accept things you consider 'negative' traits (like being bossy or controlling). It's part of what makes YOU .....YOU!

I have been purposely FORCING myself to not work weekends but I struggle with it.