RESOURCES from 4word
Three Things You Need To Know About Anxiety
Renee Johnson Fisher of devotionaldiva.com is happily married, has a fulfilling career as a Christian speaker and author, and she’s got a great smile. But as she bravely shared here last week, Renee is plagued by anxiety and panic attacks. Her words got me thinking this week about… Read More
Loving the Family you Married
Ever notice how many orphans there are in romantic comedies? Okay, maybe not actual orphans, but at least one of the main characters always seems to be (by choice or fate) alone in the world. If they have family, you rarely meet them. The script writers do this… Read More
Romance at Work: Is It Risky Business?
Should you date someone at work? Maybe! But it depends. Are you a bright, career-minded woman with a job you like at a solid company? Your workplace may provide access to more like minded single men than your extracurricular activities do. This is especially true if you’re working… Read More
Spiritual Truths For Working Moms
Are you mom enough? That’s what Time magazine asked this week in a controversial cover article. The article focused on a certain style of parenting called “attachment parenting,” but I’m more interested in the approach than in the subject matter. That question is the worst kind of conversation… Read More
Maternity Leave
How do you answer questions about returning to work after having a baby? This week a reader we’ll call Gloria, wrote in with just that question: I've just had my third baby. I guess you could say I have maternity leave down to a science. I have family… Read More
Home for Dinner
The COO of Facebook leaves work every day by 5:30 to have dinner with her kids, and she thinks you should too. How great is that? I love so many things about this clip. First, it's refreshing to hear women talk frankly about their balancing choices. Note that… Read More
Prayer and Happiness
Would you say you’re pretty happy? Research shows that only around 50% of Americans would answer yes. This was true in 1972, and the percentage has remained roughly the same since, despite dramatic increases in our average standard of living and gross domestic product per capita. So, we… Read More
A Loving Conversation About “Working” Moms
Why so much anger over “working” moms? A CNNpolitical strategist named Hilary Rosen made a comment about Mitt Romney’s wife Ann that touched off a firestorm of talk about work and motherhood. In short, Rosen claimed it was inappropriate for Mitt Romney to laud his wife as a… Read More
Sponsorship; the Key to Work Success.
Is it okay to use relationships to get ahead at work? I’m not talking about anything illicit or even romantic. Just whether or not it’s ethical to trade on friendships, or even build friendships with the intention of using them to your advantage. According to the research, most… Read More
God and Finances
Are you sick of hearing about money yet? Since we spent the past two weeks looking at long-term financial planning and learning to communicate lovingly about money, I thought we’d round it out with a look at the spiritual side of money management. It’s so much more than… Read More
Love and (talking about) Money
It’s a quiet evening, Chris and I are sharing glasses of wine and take-out from one of our favorite restaurants. Seated close together at the kitchen table, we compare notes on the papers we have spread out in front of us. We’re deep in conversation, sometimes laughing, sometimes… Read More
Money Matters: Planning Ahead
Thinking about retirement? I know it’s hard to take retirement seriously when you’re significantly closer to starting your career than you are to ending it. Nevertheless, it’s not too early to think carefully about your financial goals. Lets be honest, it’s not as exciting as, say, a beautiful… Read More
Alone in a (Church) Crowd
Feeling isolated at church? I go to a great church, one where I feel spiritually fed and uplifted every Sunday. But even though my church does a lot of things right, there have been times when I feel like people there, including the church leadership, just don’t “get”… Read More
Love In a Time of Deadlines.
What happens to relationships when work must take center stage? When you’re juggling work, relationships, and faith, balance is always the goal, but there will be times when one area of your life has to take precedence for a time. When a major work deadline requires investment of… Read More
How to Shine At Your Next Work Meeting
What’s your meeting strategy? Don’t have one? You should! You REALLY should! In the working world, every meeting—big or small—offers a chance to put your best foot forward. Knowing how to handle yourself well in a meeting can distinguish you among your peers and it’s a great way… Read More
Ask Diane: Ugly Words at Work
Does your boss curse at you? How about your coworkers? For one young woman who wrote to me this week, suffering profanity has become a regular part of the business day. For the purposes of this post, we’ll call her Claire. She’s been working at a small company… Read More
Single… without the Gift of Singleness
Now in my mid 40s, I’ve been single longer than I ever expected. And I do not by any means have the “gift of singleness” that so many have politely attributed to me. Hearing that always cracks me up and makes me wonder where I can return that… Read More
Wanting the Love of a Man
I think one of the hardest challenges of being single is the gnawing desire to just be loved by a man -- this feeling that we are just outright missing out on amazing love that could be ours if only we had this wonderful man to love us… Read More
Hijacking Valentine’s Day
So, how do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Or maybe I should say, “The Valentines season.” This time of year has a way of driving people to extremes. You rarely find anyone who says they’re ambivalent about Valentine's day. And you certainly can’t ignore it! The store shelves… Read More
Work: Performance Reviews are Your Friends (I Promise)
Nervous about your employee review? No question, it can be daunting to sit down with your boss and frankly assess your job performance, but it can also be incredibly beneficial, especially if you prepare ahead of time and approach it with the right attitude. When I was just… Read More