It’s 7 p.m. on a Saturday evening in Norman, OK and our crew, four friends in our forties, are on our way to meet our other sorority sisters for dinner on Campus Corner. I yawn. Several times. “Are you gonna make it through the night?” Melissa asks. I nod, stifling another yawn. “Yeah. I just…
Category: get real
3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Stick (and How to Fix It)
With the scent of a new year on the winds, we resolve to change a few things so that life will be so.much.better. New Year’s Resolutions sound really good while the champagne is going down, but then we wake up with a reality hangover and say, “I promised WHAT?!” Because research shows that only 8…
Unpack Before You Pack
The last three years I’ve been a nomad Mermaid. I’ve moved three times in addition to going back and forth between my current home and that of my husband’s while we wait for his house to sell and we can buy a house and live together full-time – with room for my kids. So you…
Loaning You The Courage
Pretend I’m your neighbor, but instead of borrowing sugar, you ask for some courage. How much you need? A half a cup? A pint? A barrel? Sure. Just a sec. As a brand strategist and storyteller, I trade in courage. Courage to have the difficult conversations. Courage to let go of what isn’t working for…
Hard Habits and The Voice in the Trees
I have a long list of bad habits. When I was a kid suffering from anxiety, my habits included nail biting, hair chewing, plucking the hair from my eyebrows, and, worst of all, obsessive compulsive thoughts about my loved ones dying, which is how I would go to sleep at night. My “nightmares” were when…
Life Sucks or Rocks Based On This One Thing
“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” ― Martha Washington The first First Lady is talking about attitude. It’s so easy to be miserable when life isn’t going our way – and happy when things are. But being cool when things get sticky…that’s the real…
5 Big Lies Women Tell Themselves
Vita allegre. Joyful living. His eyes danced with excitement and awe and insatiable curiousity. Not just for America. For life. I ached to feel that again. This is why I gave him a ride. This is why I rented my late husband’s studio for scraps. I hoped some of da Vinci’s joy would rub off…
Get Real: Rudolph and the Land of Misfit Toys
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is more than a story about a reindeer born with a deformity (a glowing red nose) that ends up saving Christmas. It’s a metaphor for misfits everywhere. Along with Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz, Rudolph has spiritual meaning we can apply to our journey. Hermey: [musically] Why am I…
Thanks + Top Advice from Team Get Real
Happy Thanksgiving! In counting my blessings this year, in addition to family and friends and servant hearts, I’m so thankful for the great advice and quotes I got all year from Team Get Real (counselors, friends, wise famous people). If you are in a place where you are seeking clarity or simply trying to expand…
Get Real: The Four Agreements
What if you had four simple ways to live in peace and increase your happiness? Don Miguel Ruiz gives us a guide in his international bestseller, “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom.” I recall how helpful the book was back in my early days of co-owning an ad agency ten years ago….
Malena Putnam | Brand Strategist/Storyteller 