When I was a young girl, my dad unassumingly gave me one of my life’s mantras … during a grocery shopping trip. We had arrived at the grocery store but we were still in the parking lot, doing laps in my his truck. After maybe the third lap, I was getting annoyed. What is he doing? This is taking so long! Before too long, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Dad? Why have we passed so many empty parking spots?” My dad answered immediately. “I don’t want any of them. Don’t ever settle.”

Don’t. Ever. Settle.

Don’t. Ever. Settle. Three little words. One big idea. I don’t remember exactly how old I was when my dad planted this idea in my head. I don’t even remember if I replied. But this moment has been replaying in my head ever since then. Now, this isn’t my only mantra. But it’s a big one for me. I know what I want and nothing else will do.

Now, I’m not glorifying this. It can be a little hard to swallow. However, I do think there’s great power in knowing that I hold this belief. The id...

Did you make a New Year’s resolution?

New Year’s resolutions are a hot topic in January, and they are so controversial. While some are religious in their resolution-making; declaring, “new year, new me!” Others strongly oppose it: “I don’t need an arbitrary date to make a change.” This is a healthy debate where both the pro-resolution and the anti-resolution camps make strong points. 

Personally, I’m all about New Year’s resolutions. I think it’s fun to chase a new goal and take on a new challenge. January 1st is a memorable point in time, but it’s man-made. Your “new year” can begin whenever you decide you’re ready to change your life. You don’t have to wait for a particular day to make a change. Start today!

My most memorable resolution

In the fall of 2015, I realized I was tired of feeling so tired. A busy private practice surgeon, from Monday to Friday, I was usually away from home for 12 hours at a time. As a mom of two awesome boys, then 4 and 5 years old, after tucking them ...