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Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
Jessie Hanson
January 8, 2020
When someone starts a comment with, “It’s been one of those days…,” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? From my experience, that statement often leads to a rant about all the …
When someone starts …
When someone starts a comment with, “It’s been one of those days…,” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? From my experience, that statement often leads to a rant about all the things that went wrong and usually ends with a list of excuses for why that person either did or didn’t do something. Have you ever witnessed this? When my husband came home on Friday afternoon his first words to me started with, “It’s been one of those days…” I held my breath for a moment waiting for what he was going to say next. He finished his sentence with,” When everything…
Julie Dale
January 15, 2024
I must share with you that I was so excited and honored when I was asked to be the weekly columnist for Motivational Monday. In my high school years, as the assistant editor for the school newspap…
I must share with yo…
I must share with you that I was so excited and honored when I was asked to be the weekly columnist for Motivational Monday. In my high school years, as the assistant editor for the school newspaper, I had a column called “Stayin’ Alive” (yes, the Bee Gees were popular when I was in high school!) and I gave advice to students on how to survive high school. My role as your Monday Motivator is to give you advice and guidance as well, and fortunately I have accumulated quite a bit more wisdom since my Bee Gees days. Although I am many years out of high school, I remain a lifelong …
Julie Dale
September 11, 2023
It’s Monday…. let’s talk GRATITUDE! Who feels grateful that it is Monday? There has been research done that proclaims people actually feel more depressed on Mondays. One article I found wa…
It’s Monday…. le…
It’s Monday…. let’s talk GRATITUDE! Who feels grateful that it is Monday? There has been research done that proclaims people actually feel more depressed on Mondays. One article I found was literally titled “Scientific study concludes that Mondays suck!” Crazy, huh? Well, if you are reading this article thinking that you are going to be one of those statistics, it’s time to change that! Did you know you actually get to choose how you feel and how you respond to circumstances? You might be thinking, “yeah I know that” …. but do your actions reflect that you kn…
Julie Dale
August 21, 2023
Hello Everyone and Happy Monday! Are you ready for some motivation for this week? What if I could give you something better than just “motivation”? What if I could give you a tool that you c…
Hello Everyone and H…
Hello Everyone and Happy Monday! Are you ready for some motivation for this week? What if I could give you something better than just “motivation”? What if I could give you a tool that you can use every day to achieve your goals and vision for your life? If that sounds like something you would like, then keep reading! If you wanted to get in shape to compete in an event like a marathon, a century ride or a Spartan race, you would expect to train for at least 3 months, right? And you would probably expect that you would need to work out consistently throughout the week, right?…
Julie Dale
July 3, 2023
Hello Everyone and Happy Monday! Are you ready for some motivation for this week? What if I could give you something better than just “motivation”? What if I could give you a tool that you c…
Hello Everyone and H…
Hello Everyone and Happy Monday! Are you ready for some motivation for this week? What if I could give you something better than just “motivation”? What if I could give you a tool that you can use every day to achieve your goals and vision for your life? If that sounds like something you would like, then keep reading! If you wanted to get in shape to compete in an event like a marathon, a century ride or a Spartan race, you would expect to train for at least 3 months, right? And you would probably expect that you would need to work out consistently throughout the week, right?…
Julie Dale
June 19, 2023
If I asked you to think about someone you love, an image of that person comes to mind, right? You don’t think of that person’s name spelled out, you imagine what they look like. If I asked you…
If I asked you to th…
If I asked you to think about someone you love, an image of that person comes to mind, right? You don’t think of that person’s name spelled out, you imagine what they look like. If I asked you to think of a place you would want to go on vacation, you might begin to imagine a beach, or a ski resort, or some image in your mind of what that vacation would look like. Our minds think in pictures. Although this is a written article, as you consider these things you are imagining, you see a picture in your head, not the word “beach” or the name of the person you are thinking about. …
Julie Dale
January 23, 2023
We are officially in the holiday season! Have you thought about your holiday plans? Where will you go? What is on your wish list? Do you know what you will get for the special people in your…
We are officially in…
We are officially in the holiday season! Have you thought about your holiday plans? Where will you go? What is on your wish list? Do you know what you will get for the special people in your life? What parties will you attend, or will you host? What will you eat? Planning, planning and more planning! Think about how much time, energy, and effort we put into planning related to the holiday season. I am the first one to admit to many hours I have spent on Pinterest alone, searching decorating ideas, menus, and cookie recipes. Over 627 million results came up when I searched “…
Julie Dale
December 19, 2022
Humans are social beings. There are hundreds of scientific studies that prove this to be true. I believe that that our desire for social acceptance along with a desire to be loved, are the core intr…
Humans are social be…
Humans are social beings. There are hundreds of scientific studies that prove this to be true. I believe that that our desire for social acceptance along with a desire to be loved, are the core intrinsic motivators for most of our behavior. I love socializing which is one of the reasons I enjoy the holiday season so much. At a holiday party this weekend I met a woman who told me about a study that was done at the University of Kansas to determine how long it takes for friendships to develop. The article states: “In a new report published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationsh…
Julie Dale
December 12, 2022
I sat down to write my Monday Motivation blog I could not help but think about how motivated the Pilgrims must have been in 1620 when they boarded the Mayflower. They were seeking religious freedom …
I sat down to write …
I sat down to write my Monday Motivation blog I could not help but think about how motivated the Pilgrims must have been in 1620 when they boarded the Mayflower. They were seeking religious freedom and a new life in a new and unknown world. Did they know what they were signing up for? Did they know they might not make it there alive, or even survive once they arrived? Yet their desire for freedom was greater than any challenge that they would face on this foreign journey. Some of them gave up before they even got going. Originally, they were going to bring two ships, the Speedwe…
Julie Dale
May 23, 2022
I had the privilege of hearing Bert Jacobs, founder of the Life is Good company, share his story and wisdom. I was inspired and motivated and I would like to share some of those nuggets with you tod…
I had the privilege …
I had the privilege of hearing Bert Jacobs, founder of the Life is Good company, share his story and wisdom. I was inspired and motivated and I would like to share some of those nuggets with you today for your Monday Motivation. Many of us have heard that thinking positive thoughts is beneficial. What Bert and his brother John have created in their company, Life is Good, is far beyond just thinking positive thoughts, they have created an optimism movement! Their company did not initially start with that optimistic vision. In fact, by all business statistics their attempt at building…
Julie Dale
May 18, 2020
Those of you who know me, know that I am a sports nut. Having been an elite athlete myself, I appreciate all aspects of competition from the physical exertion to the mental component to the coaching…
Those of you who kno…
Those of you who know me, know that I am a sports nut. Having been an elite athlete myself, I appreciate all aspects of competition from the physical exertion to the mental component to the coaching tactics. I have never competed in a football or a soccer game, but I still get very emotionally involved as a spectator. Over the past three days, my favorite two football teams lost (CU Buffs and Broncos) and one of my favorite soccer teams lost (CU Women’s soccer) and one of my favorite soccer teams won! (Grace College Women’s Team) As a participant and a fan, we ride the ups and d…
Julie Dale
March 9, 2020
Hi Everyone, Happy Monday! This coming Wednesday is one of the best opportunities of the year to witness some of the highest levels of motivation and determination. The goal? CANDY! I am a f…
Hi Everyone, Happy M…
Hi Everyone, Happy Monday! This coming Wednesday is one of the best opportunities of the year to witness some of the highest levels of motivation and determination. The goal? CANDY! I am a firm believer that there is so much we can learn from children and by adopting a childlike mindset. For this week’s motivation I am going to borrow lessons that we can all learn from kids as it applies to the adventure of trick or treating. I cannot help but think of the sheer determination millions of children across the US put into action on Halloween. I don’t know about you, but I…
Julie Dale
October 29, 2018
It’s Thanksgiving week and as I sat down to write my Monday Motivation blog I could not help but think about how motivated the Pilgrims must have been in 1620 when they boarded the Mayflower. They…
It’s Thanksgiving …
It’s Thanksgiving week and as I sat down to write my Monday Motivation blog I could not help but think about how motivated the Pilgrims must have been in 1620 when they boarded the Mayflower. They were seeking religious freedom and a new life in a new and unknown world. Did they know what they were signing up for? Did they know they might not make it there alive, or even survive once they arrived? Yet their desire for freedom was greater than any challenge that they would face on this foreign journey. Some of them gave up before they even got going. Originally, they were going…
Julie Dale
February 17, 2018
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