No one ever expects to suffer from depression. It’s not one of those inevitable life events, like turning 30 or losing someone you love. Even if you live through something that you know could induce depression down the road, there’s no way of knowing if or when it will hit you…and how hard.

Bad things happen every day to good people. It’s not fair, and it makes no sense, but unfortunately that’s the way the world works.

Rather than focusing on negativity, I want to talk about courage. Take two recent examples of tragedies – the Boston Marathon bombings and the three girls who were held hostage in Cleveland for nearly a decade. While those are sad, scary and tragic stories, there are also many examples of heroism and courage amid the darkness. I think if we find ways to highlight strength, perseverance and courage when bad things happen, it makes those difficult pills a little bit easier to swallow.

Well, the #littlebabies are finally here! Nolan James Little (4 lbs 2 oz – top) and Evan William Little (4 lbs 11 oz – bottom) were born at 10:34 a.m. and 10:35 a.m. on February 22 at 33 weeks and one day. They are simply amazing and are doing so well despite being born early.

Think back to your first week at your current job. You were probably some combination of excited, nervous and anxious. You were so ready to get started and show off all those skills that landed you the job in the first place. But at the same time, you were worried about making a good impression and not making mistakes. You wanted your team and boss to know they made the right decision by hiring you, and you couldn’t wait to prove yourself.

Sound familiar? I know I was in that exact position when I started at both the PR agencies I’ve worked for. I was eager and excited to tackle every task that came my way, but I was also a bit apprehensive about vocalizing my opinions and thoughts because I was “the new girl” (I was WAY too apprehensive for too long, but that’s a topic for another post!).

The way we choose to approach life’s circumstances has the ultimate impact on how we handle the situation, as well as the end result.

Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar: You have something big coming up that you’re really excited about. It’s something positive that you’ve been looking forward to for a long time. As the big day gets closer, excitement starts to change over to anxiety and nervousness. You start thinking and worrying about all the things that could go wrong that could destroy this big moment. You start doubting yourself. You can’t get the negative thoughts out of your head. You can’t fall asleep at night because you keep thinking about all the “what ifs.” You know you’re putting unnecessary pressure on yourself, but you can’t help it. Know what I’m talking about?

Big news broke this week – Lance Armstrong finally admitted to doping. He spoke with Oprah in an interview that’s airing this Thursday to talk about his confession and (I’m assuming) apologize to his millions of fans and supporters. I saw on the news today that Oprah said she he didn’t come clean in the way she thought he would and that her and her staff were surprised and riveted by some of his answers to her questions.

Last year, I decided to trade in New Year’s resolutions for a bucket list, thanks to inspiration from a few of my PR pals. I’m sticking by my commitment for 2013 and every year moving forward.

Everyone operates differently. If resolutions work for you and you actually stick with them and achieve them each year, then good on you. Keep up the trend. But, if you’ve determined resolutions aren’t your cup of tea, I highly suggest making a bucket list. Rather than creating new resolutions each year, you can slowly chip away at crossing those items off your bucket list. Some you may achieve the following year. Some you may not achieve for decades. That’s OK. At least you’ve established a list of important things you want to accomplish in life. Keep that list close by, and make sure you’re making as much progress as possible each year.

I am not a judgmental person, and it takes a lot for me to not like someone. There are two types of people who irk me the most – people who are snarky for snark’s sake and liars. Let’s focus on the liars. My dislike for someone goes deeper if I see them benefitting (personally and/or professionally) from their web of lies. At my very first PR agency internship, I learned quickly that the owner was a chronic liar. I learned even more about her lies to gain business when a friend of mine worked there years after I did. It made my blood boil.

We live in a world of immediacy where the crazy busy phenomenon has become the normal way of living. There’s no arguing that. We expect things now, and we put pressure on ourselves to move at warp speed. Being the first (or one of the first) person to do something is an accomplishment.