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Born In Defiance

Lessons in humility: Climbing Kilimanjaro

Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa

My dad, Steve, stepmom Tami, and I were on a mission: to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in a fundraising campaign to raise $30,000 for the NRECA International Foundation’s rural electrification efforts in Africa and around the world.

Losing our beloved pet cat: Reflections on the fleetingness of life

Moby the cat painted effect majestic on stool

While we’ve been fortunate to have some wonderful pets in our lives, none have touched our hearts the way our cat Moby has. It’s why we were so worried recently as he become more lethargic, eventually stopped eating completely, and started to turn yellow in his gums and eyes on Friday before Memorial Day. It […]

How to navigate awkward conversations (yeah, especially that one time…)

embarrassed boy in awkward situation facepalm

I was taking my mother-in-law’s place at a local event when a stranger she knew approached me unexpectedly with a newspaper. It was a bit awkward. “You’ll be seeing Kathy soon, right?” the elderly woman asked earnestly, smiling at me. “Yeah, she should be home tomorrow,” I responded, returning the good spirit with a friendly […]

New Year, New Focus

Born in Defiance Luke and Samantha set new goals and focus for new year while in Detroit, Michigan on trip to Belles Isle graffiti tunnel in winter

Join us as we focus on home organization, health, and personal growth “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” These words from George Eliot are an accurate reflection of our thoughts for this year: No more putting it off… We need to start acting like the people we want to […]

The Power of Habit

One paper, published by a Duke University researcher in 2006, found that more than 40% of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions — they were habits. “Each habit has relatively little impact on its own, but when added up, our habits have an enormous impact on our health, productivity, financial stability, and […]

Pause. Then let this question destroy you.

Are you happy?

Consider your life right this moment. What you did today. What your last weekend consisted of. Where you’re sitting. Are you happy? Not the momentary, fleeting “happy” of endorphins, or “I just ate, so duh,” or even “today was a pretty good day” kind of feeling. I mean are you satisfied thinking of where you […]