Married to Michelle

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll recall that I posted about a brownie that I ate when I should’ve been training. If this story sounds unfamiliar because you’re not following me on Instagram, please pause and follow me on social media. Here’s the link.  I’ll wait:  https://www.instagram.com/p/BgoxqrWB4vz/?taken-by=michelletaylorwillis ...Okay, I’m done waiting.  Where was I? Oh, yeah, that damn brownie.  I should not have eaten it.  I had a race coming up, goals in mind, things to achieve.  But I work hard, and deserve to take a moment and indulge in brownies.  As do you.  We can live in the moment, but we don't have to live for the moment.  Sometimes we do things we shouldn’t. Sometimes, we don’t have everything together.  It’s life. It’s okay to stumble and to figure your way out.  But where we get lost is letting these little (or big) setback keep us from moving forward.  We get stuck in our mistakes, and become held hostage to our own faults and weakn

0 Likes I’m a huge believer in speaking things, saying them out loud. Why is that? Well, for a couple of reasons. 1. A psychological connection happens when you say something out loud as opposed to saying it in your head 2. The Bible talks a lot about saying things out loud (confess with thy mouth, yada, yada).  There's got to be something to it. Even if you don't "believe," a lot of the tenets make sense. I use this a lot with my kids. I tell them all the things I want them to believe about themselves. Since they started talking, at night when I put them to bed, I’d say the following: I am a Soldier of God One day, everyone will know my name (In a good way, of course) I am the leader, (not the follower) I am the victor (not the victim) I am the owner of the business (not the employee) Once I drilled it into them, I’d have them say it with me, or I’d say the first few words, and they'd  finish the sentences. The beautiful thing abou

I don’t usually participate in Lent (for no particular reason), but I do practice regular bouts of sacrifice. At the beginning of the year, my husband and I usually do a spiritual fast consisting of water, juice and Daniel's fasts.  Throughout the year, if I need to connect spiritually, or if I need to give my body a break, I'll engage in a fast as well.  Spiritual connection is usually my main motivation for a fast, especially if I'm doing extended water fasts, maybe seven days or more.  God and prayer is the only way this chocolate-loving heathen can get through several days with not even a bite of avocado.  Seriously, though, I find fasts a great way to practice discipline and prove to myself that most things, anything is possible.  I started off with juice fasts, because my mom has been drinking fresh juice every morning for as long as I can remember, at least thirty years.  It's to the point where she carries her juicer with her, even when she travels and stay

We’ve all heard about how it’s hard to get things going. But once they get going, boy do they go.  The thing we have to do is 1) get going, and 2) keep moving.   You've seen Finding Nemo, right?  Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.  You know why you keep swimming?  Because when you stop, you lose...you guessed it, MOMENTUM!  Let's examine this for a bit.  How does Newton's First Law of Motion go?  An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion.  Why is this?  Because if you've never done anything, then chances are you won't.  But if you've done some things, chances are you'll continue to do so.  Key takeaways here: 1. Do something 2. Once you start, don't stop moving.  Kinda like, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."  Just keep going. I was watching a training video on YouTube recently about how to become a more effective swimmer.  The trainer was describing how if you're moving swiftly through th

Ok so when you read this title you think, this is gonna be heavy. It’s not. It’s just about a realization I had recently. Whether you believe in the Bible or not, Proverbs has some really good life lessons, for adults and kids alike. Now, I’m not claiming to be the most Godly person out there, so don’t go throwing this stuff back in my face if I present “not so God-like the next time you see me. Haha. However, I do believe he’s out there and I think he and whoever came up with the Bible had some cool stuff to say. And, Proverbs is an awesome example of that. For instance, take the one about of you hang out with food, you become one. Or, A wise man will hear and increase learning. Duh. Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Yep. Or, spare the rod, spoil the child. That’s a doozie. (Some people aren’t into spankings. I get it. But when it’s done controlled and out of love and not anger, with instruction, it can be useful.  But another post for another day) :). How about listen to your

When I was younger, a friend used to tell his son to use his words. The toddler would cry, point, and whine when he was trying to communicate something, and his dad, would say, ”Use your words.”  When I started having kids, I began to say the same thing. We want our kids to be able to express themselves. And, we want them to do it using words. We are trying to encourage them to move out of that baby stage and into the big boy and big girl stage. Fundamentally, though, when you think about it, how often do  we  really use  our  words?   Communication is key.   My kids use “like” all the time, as did I (and still do, if I'm honest). We counted one time and in a one minute conversation,  my 11yo used like like twenty-one times (see?).  This is an intelligent kid who clearly ranks at the top of his class, but he can’t always find the words he wants. I myself drive my friends crazy, because I don’t always use my words. I say things like, “you know,” or “like” or “uh.”  I do this fo

I was discussing my work, kids, travel, life, etc. with a friend of mine the other day (Stephanie).  She doesn't have children, but she was remarking about all the things I do, and how I still had "perfect" (her words, not mine, as indicated by the quotes) my kids were.  I do, though, have pretty amazing kids.  I do not deserve them.   Anyhoooooo, she said, "You know, Michelle.  Your cup is full.  Therefore, you have more to pour into your children's lives."  Wow!  I never thought about things like that.  I mean sure, I give my kids alot of myself.  But as mompreneurs and dadpreneurs, employees, whatever the case, we sometimes get lost between trying to be great parents, and trying to be great at life (business, fitness, friendships, etc.).  Do we lose one to gain the other?  Can we be great at both?  Are we sacrificing our kids to pursue our own greatness?  C'mon.  I know I'm not the only one who has those (and other, even deeper) thoughts.  But St

Someone broke into my car right after the new year. Here's the quick rundown.  So, we had another snowmaggedon in the ATL. That means 1 inch of snow, and the city gets shut down. I happen to live in a treehouse: literally. There are 43 steps to get to my house.  Subsequently, the driveway to my house is like going up a roller coaster ramp.  There’s a pic here, just so you know I’m not exaggerating. That being the case, the hubs and I decided to park a car at the bottom of the hill when snow and/or ice come, so we don’t get stranded in the house and can’t get out.  Smart, right?  Well... Some bad a#% kids (in the snow and ice and everything), decided it would be a great idea to break into my SUV.  My favorite car ever.  And, take everything out of it.  And, leave their Swisher Sweets Grape wrapper inside.  All of the driver side windows were destroyed, knocked out. They tried to get in through the trunk, so they broke the latch that makes it available to get in and out. They to

Your mind is a powerful thing to waste. Remember those commercials?  Except they said "terrible thing." Which is true, but I think powerful is so much more, well, powerful. We've all read those stories of the people who willed things to happen, or the people who visualized their dreams and watched then materialize. That's not all hokie pokie stuff, you know. It's real. Not only have I seen it work on others lives, I see it in my own. My friends know this, as they ask, "How does life seem to just work out for you?" Or "How did you pull that off?  I've heard you saying that that's what you wanted, and now you have it!"  I'll be the first to admit it's weird. My husband is even to the point now where he doesn't ask questions; he just rides the wave. But here's my point to all of this: your mind is the driving factor here, not your flesh. Whatever you tell your mind to do, your body will follow. For instance, when you s

I heard this term from one of my new publishers during a training I facilitated in December. He coined it (thanks, Kevin), and used it to relate to how long our magazines are able to stay in the homes of our readers.  I said to myself, "Self, what's the stickiness factor of our resolutions?  How long do we keep these around before we completely give up?" It's the beginning of the year.  I know it's February now, but it's technically still the beginning, right?  So, the question is:  how many of you are still in the routine of working out however many times you said you would?  Or how consistent have you been with any of those new goals, for that matter.  Have you fallen off, yet?  If you have, consider this: Maybe you made your goal too broad. If you've never worked out before, you're probably not gonna be able to sustain working out for an hour for 7 days a week. You know the best way to eat an elephant?  No, not with a knife and fork. One bite at

Yes, I know. Like a year. But, I've been busy, ok?! It's not easy running magazines, helping a sales organization, mothering 100 kids (4), training for races (I use training loosely), yada,yada, yada.  Seriously, as much I have a voice, it's been speaking 15 million other places, and certainly not on my blog. But, I'M BACK, BABY!  I think that's from a movie, just can't remember which one. Couple updates: I sold my magazines, and have taken a corporate position. I know what you're thinking: sellout. Not true. I'm still tied to my entrepreneurial roots. And, this position will allow me to spread my wings a bit. It's like I'll get a taste of a semi-startup, which I've always wanted to do. The company is almost 10 years old, but I liken it to like a second round stage, going next level with funding and rapid growth. Speaking of growth, professionally I've been rocking it; personally, not so much. I only competed in one race last

I personally had never heard of Marcel Cerdan, which is weird since I have such a love of French culture.  But if his fighting was any indication of the quality of food that this restaurant was affectionately named, then he must have been giving TKO's.  Upon entering this establishment, I felt something in my gut.  That, "This is gonna be some good eating" feeling.  And boy was I correct.  The dark, rich, look of an old-timey, Tony Soprano steakhouse enveloped the place, while the smell of genuine leather and dimly lit reflections of dark liquors boxed the bar in.  Now, I was there with my business partner for a casual lunch, which was still great, but this is a place for all the lovers in the house!  The ambiance begs for the whispers of "I love you," and the French music makes you constantly remind yourself that you're in Atlanta, not Paris.  Matter of fact, I'm still hearing one of Eartha Kitt's classics, "C'est si Bon," ringing in

I'm writing this post out of sheer disappointment and anger.  I know it's a new year, new you, yada, yada, yada.  Ok.  Here's the situation: my parents went away on a week's vacation.  Oh, flashback, sorry.  The real situation is this:  I asked the kids to clean up their messes in the keeping room.  There was a huge pile of toys that had been dumped out of a basket (they had the bright idea to use a woven basket for a sled in the snow), and the toys needed to go back in the basket. On the other side of the room was another basket that had been emptied (for another sled--damn kids), and there was a mess there.  My instruction was for them to clean up the mess.  The 9yo says, "Mom, Triston actually didn't dump this out.  I made the mess on my own."  Wow!  So I say, " Way to take up for your brother.  Thank you!  No worries, just clean it up, please sir."  Good parenting skills: check.  Then, Triston says, "Mom, Braedon actually dumped every

If you look on my pics, you'll see the images of my Christmas turkey, from raw to cooked.  It's crazy, but don't you get nervous making that bird?  Making sure there is enough seasoning, that it's not undercooked, not overcooked, that it doesn't get burnt.  Man!!  Lucky for me, lady luck is always on my side, and mine turn out just fine.  But this year was the first year in about two that I actually made the turkey from frozen.   I've been doing smoked turkeys (from Publix--they taste JUST LIKE HAM), and fried turkeys, so needless to say, I was a little out of practice.  Honestly, my plan was to do a smoked turkey and a fried turkey.  But when I got to the big Pub, they were out.  OUT!  How are you out on smoked turkeys, two days before Christmas?  It's not like I waited till the last minute.  Geez.  Anyway, I was relegated to a frozen turkey.  I just picked one.  Not paying attention even.  To this moment, I still don't know the exact weight.  But, I&#

Ever have a morning where you wake up and so much crap happens that you think: either the day is going to be awesome because all the bad things are out of the way, or it's going to be the worst day ever, so brace yourself?  That happened to me not too long ago.  Follow me on this: First, this chick (I use the term loosely, as she sounded about 80) called me screaming, saying I was calling her at 2, 3 and 4 in the am, and how she was going to report me.  To whom, the phone police?  Whatevs.  I tried to rationally explain that I was not calling her, there must be something whacky going on with the phone lines, and that I'd be happy to help her figure out what the issue was.  But, she continued screaming, and then she conferenced in some guy from maybe her telephone company as she was explaining to him the same thing. Ever tried having a rational conversation with an irrational person?  We know what the bible says about that, so I finally hung up and went on with my day. I load

Which do you want first?  I always take the bad news first.  That way, you always end on a high note!  So, the bad news is I was almost killed on the Silver Comet Trail.  The good news is I’m still alive.  Well, almost may be a stretch.  I had a goal in mind, as I’m training for my first ½ Mary at the beginning of the year.  I was at the 10 mile week.  I had to get it done.  So, what do I do?  I head to a very popular trail here in my parts.  At 5pm. In the fall.  To do a 10 mile run.  Even if I were a super sprinter (which I clearly am not), it would have been dark before my 10 miles were up.  Ok, this trail is long and beautiful and sunny in the day.  At night, it’s like the road to death.  Like I imagine if I ever went to space and saw a black hole, this is what it would look like.  I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face.  Literally.  Since I’m black, that’s an even harder feat, seeing as how there’s absolutely no contrast.  It was so dark that my phone flashlight was of no he

That's a loaded question.  I'd like to say I'm just your old run of the mill, wife and mother.  Shuttling the kids back and forth to school, going to work, coming home, cooking and starting it all over again the next day.  That would be not quite the whole story.  A good part of it, nonetheless.  I am married.  To a pretty cool dude. I have four kids--all boys.  You will learn much more about them as we continue to develop this virtual relationship.  I still kinda want a little Michelle, but there's something to be said about another chick in my house stealing all of the hubby's attention.  I publish a luxury lifestyle magazine in Atlanta, and I am a motivational/public speaker, primarily to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial women.  That's what keeps food on the table.  Now for the fun stuff: I am a triathlete, I speak (relatively) fluent french, I am board Chair for the only french-speaking theater in the US, my baked treats rival that of your grandma'

By 2050, French is slated to be the number one most spoken language in the world. I know it seems unbelievable, but it is absolutely true.   Look it up. So, if you or your kids have any desire to be relevant, socially, economically and globally, French is where you want to be. Here are a few reasons why: It sets you apart, and differentiates you from everyone else.  At his time in America, you can throw a stone and hit someone who speaks Spanish (or someone from a Spanish-spewing country for that matter).  But, who wants to be like everyone else? Speaking French makes you available for things that are not open to the “normals.”  Like, jobs around the world.   French is the common language in many countries outside of the US. It sounds really cool. Need I say more?  It makes you smarter.  Learning languages is like music. It activates brain centers that stimulate memory and intellect. So if you want to be the smartest person in the room... It makes you more