It’s the last day of May and that means it’s time for us to share what we learned this month. It’s a little practice we’ve been engaging in here for over two years, where we spend a little time reflecting on the last month before we move ahead into the next.

At the end of this post, you’re invited to link up to your own list of what you learned this month – be it silly, serious, sacred, or just plain useful.

Let's Share What We Learned in May 2016

Here are 8 things I learned in May in no particular order:

1. When a yes is easy, pay attention.

When Claire Diaz Ortiz asked me to join her for her online Work By Design Summit, my yes was swift and easy – it was actually my easiest yes so far this year when it comes to work-related activity. It’s important to pay attention to those easy yeses as they can give a hint to what makes us come most fully alive.

I enjoyed this post on Twitter from someone who watched my interview with Claire from 32K feet!
Work By Design

You can still attend the summit, by the way. Just sign up here for free – my interview has expired but there are still many to come from other smart people. And if you want a lifetime all access pass, you can purchase that as well. With the pass, you can see my interview as well as over 60 others and watch at your own pace. Check it out!

 

2. Writing headlines before you have content helps you have content.

I read Stop Waiting for Last-Minute Writing Inspiration, a post by Ann Kroeker and ended up trying it myself. I didn’t come up with 50, but I wrote down 15 almost immediately and the hope*writers will have Ann Kroeker to thank for the new content that will be coming this summer.

 

3. The word is integral not intregal.

Oh dear. Here I go again, not knowing English. Until I saw the word written down this month, I didn’t realize I’ve been saying slash spelling it wrong.

Tieks good traveling shoes

4. I have found the most comfortable flats – my favorite airport-travel shoe.

I wore my Tieks by Gavrieli when I traveled to Chicago last week and they have now officially become my airport shoes. They are the most comfortable flats I’ve had and get more comfortable every time I wear them.

I wasn’t sure if I would love them the first week I got them because they left red marks on my toes and heels. But that has gone completely away and now they are my favorite. For traveling, they’re easy to slip on and off at security and I felt sure-footed as a I hustled on the moving sidewalk to my gate. Recommend!

 

5. You can save posts for later on Facebook.

How to Save Posts for Later on Facebook

I saw this in our hope*writers Facebook group this month. Thank you, Barbara, for this tip! One of my major problems with Facebook is if I see a headline I want to check out, I click it immediately for fear I’ll never be able to find it in my newsfeed again. But now, I can save it for later!

 

6. If you look like Kate Middleton, you can have a job looking like Kate Middleton.

professional kate middletons

 

Heidi AganI’m so uncomfortable right now.

I guess I have seen those photos where they staged Kate’s baby shower and had a fake Kate, Carmella, Kate’s mom and the Queen. I saw one once and was like They are looking rather…casual.

And then of course I realized it was just people dressing up to look like them. But I didn’t realize these were PROFESSIONAL LOOK-ALIKES. And they have real jobs doing this work. Google it, but don’t go too deep.

It gets weird is all I’m saying.

 

7. I have found my new favorite way to shop second-hand.

ThredUp you guys. Have you tried it? I just ordered clothes from there for the first time and loved it ALL. The clothes are second-hand which makes me happy. I’m only returning 2 things because they didn’t fit (returns are free shipping if you use store credit instead of a refund.) I am so impressed with them so far.

Here’s a portion of my last order:

Thred Up

If you use my referral link to shop at ThredUp, you can get $10 to spend. Just to give you an idea, for each piece I bought I spent an average of about $12. Some tops were only $5 and I bought a dress for $30. I am sending some of my own clothes to sell with them – we shall see how that goes.

 

8. “Within the Christian faith there are many different and acceptable ways of demonstrating our love for God.”  – Gary Thomas

I’m almost finished with Gary Thomas’ Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path to God. While Jesus is the only way to the Father, the book explores nine different expressions of worshiping and connecting with God depending on our temperament.

While it’s clear which temperaments the author has a special affinity for (as he seems to respect those more than the others no matter how much he tries to remain neutral in his writing), it’s been an informative resource for me and has helped me to appreciate how we can all serve one God in many different ways.

Meet us back here at the end of July where we’ll have a special What I Learned This Summer link up. Want to be sure not to miss it? Join the community to be notified when new posts go live!

This post includes some affiliate links which makes it possible for me to provide free content here for ever 10 years – thanks! I only ever recommend things I try and love.