Jess Lively

First of all, I’d like to share my immense gratitude for the success of the Business with Intention Workshop this Saturday in Chicago. Going into the workshop I had an idea of what things would probably be most important and helpful. But I think I massively underestimated the power of the in-person connection these women [...]

This week started hectic and stressful. Juggling Jess LC, MML, and BWI Workshops and consulting is a lot. So those normal hiccups that arise in any business, let alone three businesses, were getting me flustered pretty easily. But surprisingly the last two days have been calm and I feel like going into tomorrow I’m much more [...]

In my last post about career and purpose Karlita had a question about what purpose really means. In reading her comment, I realized that I think there are really three terms at play. But I usually just use two, and often in the wrong ways. To best describe the difference between career, purpose, and vocation, [...]

In the wake of my confession about my struggle with my relationship perfectionism, my gut tells me that there may be more people who struggle with this type of perfectionism in their career and purpose categories. So today, I’d like to get a little feisty and share what I really think about career and purpose [...]

  While on the phone last night with my good friend Emily, I found myself repeating a few times “it’s good and real” in connection to my relationship with Mr. Lively. As I noticed myself saying it, I connected a few dots and had a little a-ha moment. To be honest, coming into our relationship, [...]

  Last week I had two fantastic consulting calls. One of which, is a great example of how thinking small can lead to huge leaps forward in creativity, uniqueness, and purpose. On Friday, I worked with Flavia, a food blogger with a site called, Flavia’s Flavors. Below, she shares how our consultation helped her narrow [...]

Ever since last week when Mr. Lively and I found our next apartment, I’ve been thinking about the importance of “no’s” in life. While I would love to think that all of my wishes, dreams, and intentions will come true exactly as I expect and wish them to be, much of my life has been [...]

  Confession: the last two nights I have woken up at 3:00 or 5:00 am worried and stressed out. I toss and turn for a few hours, start feeling anxious, and wake up in the morning only to try to shake off the yucky feelings and begin the day tired. And for a while I [...]

This week has been filled with Jess LC, BwI Workshop, Biz in the City, and… finding our new home! Due to a string of extremely fortunate (though unlikely) events, we have landed on what seems to be our perfect new apartment home. In order to have this wonderful unit, we are going to have to [...]

Lately my days are getting more and more focused on the upcoming Chicago Business with Intention Workshop. Our supplies are all rolling in and looking quite lovely. I can’t wait to see the whole thing come together. Registration for the Chicago workshop ends on April 25th, and there are still a few spots left. If [...]

After yesterday’s Purpose Equation, I feel like I’m sensing more people are starting to “get” the whole concept of life purpose in a much more realistic and true way. It’s exciting. I feel like we as a community are going to make great progress once this is understood! And there is going to be a [...]

Over and over I’m finding myself getting feisty about the confusion and stress surrounding the idea of purpose. Really, it can all be boiled down to this equation.   Your talents and how you help people can change through the years. But the outcome will always be the same.  

A few people have mentioned over email or Twitter that they spotted my recent feature in the May issue of Woman’s Day Magazine. And thanks to Michelle, I now have a copy  of it myself! On page 66 you’ll see this mug staring back at you. Don’t worry, I had hair and makeup for this [...]

  Considering the extreme popularity of our Be Present prints, it’s clear: neon pink is popping in the home world. Here are two ways I’ve incorporated the color in my own home… without hearing a word of protest from Mr. Lively.   (My tulips are $5.99 from Trader Joe’s and the swans were snagged at [...]

Two travelling monks reached a ford in a river where they met a young lady of the night.  Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across.  One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders.  Together the monks strode through the river until they reached [...]

Today an MML reader and fashion blogger received a negative comment on her blog. The gist of it was that the reader was unhappy with the blogger’s new direction and wanted her to go back to her previous ways. In responding to the email, I thought it was universal enough to share here on MML. [...]

Whoa. What a week. It’s strange, the weeks where I do the most things actually seem to be the shortest. I suppose that’s because I have less time to sit down and get bored.* Anyways, above you’ll see some of the highlights from my week including thrifting with Kim last weekend at the Brown Elephant. My finds [...]

Lately, I’ve been working longer hours than ever before, but stressing less. How you might ask? That’s because Future Jess is working overtime. Yep, that’s right. I’ve cloned myself and the second Jess is living somewhere off in the future working hard for Jess LC and my personal life. My Future Jess is pretty awesome, [...]

Yesterday I read Words of Williams post about How a Baby Affects our Marriage and I thought to myself; dang, I wish I wrote that. Because you know what? I think sharing that post is the most helpful thing I can do for you today. Since I don’t have a marriage or baby, I  obviously [...]

Sometimes I need to be reminded of my own lessons that I share here on MML. Today was a great example. As I was running around trying to finish what felt like a million projects across MML, Jess LC, and BwI Workshops, I stopped for a moment to check my Twitter on the bus. What [...]

As usual, we have some upcoming Business in the City dates planned out over the next few months. Anyone is welcome and feel free to bring a friend. This one and a half hour meet up is a low-key way to meet full-time and part-time business owners or those with business ideas. We spend our [...]

When designing a life with intention, the first step is creating a vision for your life. But be careful, if you don’t take this step seriously and do it with authenticity, you could end up miserable (and annoying to be around). I should know. I made this mistake myself last summer. You see, I have always [...]

This week I’m thankful for a lot, but the launch of our Wells intentional prints has to be at the top! The response to the prints has been overwhelmingly positive and I’m so thankful that so many people are picking these up for their homes here in Chicago, across the country, and in Australia (one of [...]

I’ve been working from my home or in a studio apartment for the five years ever since graduating from college and taking Jess LC full-time. Over those years, I’ve grown to love working from home more and more. I love being able to spend time in a place that I love so much. And though [...]

download the full-size white wallpaper Now that April is here, it’s time for a new free MML wallpaper! This month I thought about quotes or sayings. But nothing seemed to stick. Then, I took a look at what I have to accomplish in my own life in April (subletting my apartment, prepping and holding our [...]

  One of the biggest things I’d like people to take away from MML is the belief that it is totally freaking okay (and normal) if you don’t know your purpose yet. I feel like there is a sense out there that there is something wrong – especially for those in their early 20′s – [...]

Once upon a time there was a collection named Franklin at Jess LC. This braille necklace series had intentions that were loved by many people. Eventually the cost for these pieces rose too high and needed to be retired. But all was not lost. Meet Wells. Over the several months I have been reinterpreting Franklin [...]

  As we roll into April, I’m getting the word out about the upcoming Chicago and DC Business with Intention Workshops. I am excited to say that though the workshops are filling up, there is still room in both cities to attend! This week I’m starting a three-part email series called Three Things I Wish [...]