Use the 80/20 Rule to Supercharge Your Life

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 33: Use the 80/20 Rule to Supercharge Your Life

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll continue to keep it simple by exploring the 80/20 rule and how it can supercharge your life. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

Use the 80/20 Rule to Supercharge Your Life

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Thousands of books on wellness topics have been written throughout the ages, and if you tried to adopt all their practices, you would need a thousand lifetimes. There’s a better way to improve your wellness—applying the 80/20 rule—and you can do it in your lifetime.

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, was derived from the work of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. It states that approximately 80% of the results (outcomes) are driven by 20% of the actions (inputs).

When you apply the 80/20 rule to your life, it can be a game changer. For example, the 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of the benefits of spirituality can be attained by embracing just a few essential tenets, the most vital 20% of spiritual practices. Similarly, 80% of the benefits of taking care of your body can be realized by simply adopting the most vital 20% of physical wellness practices. The 80/20 rule encourages you to keep it simple by focusing your valuable time and energy on what’s most impactful (also known as “the vital few”).

What It Means

What are some basic steps you can take to have a positive impact on your wellness? Steps that don’t require taking out a second mortgage or freeing up hours from your schedule each day?

For example, if you want to improve your physical wellness through exercise, which approach should you take? You could buy thousands of dollars of exercise equipment, do extensive research on exercises, and start an elaborate exercise regimen that takes a couple of hours each day to complete. And, sometimes, that may be a direction you want to take based on your health needs or passions.

But, for ordinary circumstances, if you apply the 80/20 rule and keep it simple, perhaps you start out with a routine of a 30-minute walk each day. Then, after a month, expand your routine by including strength exercises a few times a week using barbells that you store in your closet. A month after that, you can complete your exercise habit trifecta by establishing a habit of doing ten minutes of mobility exercises when you wake up. If you took this simple approach, you would get about 80% of the benefits of physical wellness with 20% of the effort. For most people, that can be enough.

When you keep it simple, you’re more likely to build healthy habits. Your change adoption muscles strengthen. You become motivated and inspired by the results you experience. You won’t want to go back to your old ways.

Your Call to Action

How can you apply the 80/20 rule to your life? Which one habit can you start this week to move your wellness forward? Do you want to meditate each day to reduce stress? Start a daily walk? Eat a tasty salad of colorful vegetables for lunch?

Whichever habit you start, mindfully engage with how it makes you feel physically, mentally, and spiritually. When you savor the positive results, I’m confident you’ll want more.

Have a healthy week!

Release Your Inner SAGe

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 32: Release Your Inner SAGe

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

Our focus this week is on a foundational component of the Wellness Ethic: striving to be a Self-Actualized Genius (SAGe).

Release Your Inner SAGe

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

According to the American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, people are motivated by five needs: (1) physiological necessities (food, water, shelter), (2) safety, (3) love and belonging, (4) esteem, and (5) self-actualization, the highest state. A self-actualized person realizes their full potential in life. As Maslow wrote in 1943 (please excuse his antiquated masculine prose): “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be.”

To expand upon this concept, a self-actualized person—or Self-Actualized Genius (SAGe) in Wellness Ethic-speak—prioritizes thriving in their life. Wellness, to the extent that it can be influenced, is the natural outcome.

What It Means

Your SAGe represents your best self. It is your internal guiding force that nudges you to promote well-being. When your SAGe steers your life, you:

• know your life purpose and move forward in that direction with passion, confidence, and resilience.

• tend to your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

• feel connected to the universe and develop loving relationships.

• have a positive, value-centered approach to life that honors your autonomy and authenticity.

• choose love-centered responses to your circumstances.

• pursue experiences that bring love, happiness, and fulfillment to your life and the lives of others.

• minimize suffering because you understand that impermanence is an inescapable reality of how the universe works.

• accept the perfection of your imperfect existence.

I wrote The Wellness Ethic to guide you in activating your Self-Actualized Genius to boost your wellness so you can thrive in an unpredictable world. When you nurture your inner SAGe, you’re better equipped to bring more happiness and fulfillment into your life. You keep a life-affirming perspective on the stupid things that happen to all of us. Simply put, you put yourself in position to get the most out of your life, no matter what happens around you.

Your Call to Action

Be a SAGe this week. It won’t be perfect—none of us ever achieve perfection—but keep that objective at the forefront of your mind. You can start by looking at the bulleted list above. Which attributes are already a part of your life? Continue doing them. Which ones could you improve upon? Focus on those and move forward.

Should you start going on a daily walk? Do you need to bring more love or joy into your life? Should you focus on creating healthier relationships? Take action, even if it’s a baby step at first. Just move forward towards realizing the promise of your life. It’s how you thrive.

Strive to thrive this week! Be a SAGe!

The Simplicity of 10,000 Steps

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 31: The Simplicity of 10,000 Steps

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

Our focus this week is on staying active every day. As Lao-Tzu said many centuries ago, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I’ll take liberties and modify his profound quote: “The journey to well-being begins with a single step.”

The Simplicity of 10,000 Steps

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Counting steps is a popular approach to ensuring you stay active. Gotta get my 10,000 steps in! How many times have you heard something like that? You see people on a virtual team meeting bouncing up and down as they walk on a treadmill, or constantly checking their devices to see how many steps they’ve recorded for the day. They’re participating in one of the best examples of gamification on the planet—counting the number of steps you take on an app as you march toward your daily step target.

What It Means

The concept of counting 10,000 steps per day originated from a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer, and it became the conventional wisdom exercise target for healthy living. However, a recent cohort study published in 2021 determined that people who took just 7,000 steps or more per day had a 50% to 70% lower mortality risk than those who took fewer than 7,000 steps.

So, should you target 7,000 steps a day? That’s a healthy intention. You may also consider increasing your daily step target to achieve other benefits, such as weight loss or weight maintenance.

I like the concept of counting steps. It promotes being active throughout the day. Many smartphones and apps can count the steps for you, so tracking is easy as you move about, and their gamification features can be motivating. Soon, you’ll park farther away from a store to get more steps in. You’ll take the stairs instead of an elevator. You’ll find creative ways to keep your steps streak alive.

Your Call to Action

Be active each day. Make it a habit. Do you want to incorporate a thirty-minute walk into your daily routine? If that’s too much, start at five minutes and build up over time. Soon, you’ll look forward to the peaceful ritual. Your physical fitness and energy levels will improve. You’ll boost your mental health (fresh air, nature, sunshine, and physical activity are nourishment to your mental well-being). Consider sharing the walking routine with your family or friends.

Have an active week!

Embrace Your Life Purpose

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 30: Embrace Your Life Purpose

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll explore why you were born into this world. As Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

Embrace Your Life Purpose

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

When you understand why you were born into this world—your life purpose—and align your life accordingly, you find meaning in what you do. Work no longer feels like “work”—it’s a vehicle to express the love inside of you. In your personal life, you seek experiences that manifest love. Purpose becomes the nourishment that fuels your burning desire to positively impact yourself and your world through your love-centered actions.

When you are purpose-driven, you lean into your day with an intrinsic motivation that propels you forward in alignment with your vision of a satisfying life.

Your life doesn’t have to be world-shaking to live it on purpose. Do what you were put on this planet to do, and your life will fall into place. You’ll realize its meaning, to feel and share love.

What It Means

To discover your life purpose, you must be in touch with who you are. What are your values? What are you really good at (your superpowers)? What do you love? The thread connecting the answers to those questions will lead you to your purpose—what you were meant to do in your life to generate love.

The values you hold are the ideals that define your character and guide your conduct. What fundamental beliefs are core to your Self-Actualized Genius? Not what you think society expects, but what you feel in your heart. Your values could include sacrifice, integrity, accountability, compassion, balance, humility, resilience, equality, loyalty, freedom, and more.

To identify your superpowers, think about what you have excelled at in your life, both personally and professionally, even during your childhood. If you asked a family member or a friend, what would they suggest? Your superpowers could include caregiving, learning languages, sports, mechanics, analytics, intelligence, writing, programming, problem-solving, building things, creativity, leadership, and others.

Another way to connect with your life purpose is to think about what you love. When you live your life on purpose, you manifest love. That is why purpose is so important. To get underneath what you love, consider ordered love. I was first exposed to the concept of ordered love in David Brooks’s book The Road to Character. Ordered love refers to prioritizing the things we love in our lives according to their authentic value and moral significance. When you think about your career, security, family, friends, health, adventure, spirituality, giving back, integrity, and other life priorities, how would you rank them in terms of what you love the most?

Once you have your inputs—your values, superpowers, and what you love—you’re ready to create a life purpose statement. Though there is no standard format for a life purpose statement—you should use the style and format that resonates—I’ll offer a simple framework to get your mind thinking about your purpose.

Life Purpose Statement: I [what you do to impact the world] through my [how you do it].

Here are examples of life purpose statements utilizing the framework:

• I exist to help young people realize their potential through my empathy, wisdom, and mentoring.

• I free animals from suffering through my compassion and activism.

• I was born to make the world beautiful through my artistic talents.

• I bring justice to those in need through my advocacy and legal acumen.

• I am devoted to saving our planet for future generations by doing my part and leading others to do the same.

You may have noticed that these life purpose statements don’t detail exactly what a person does to achieve their purpose; instead, they provide a theme for one’s life. They point in a direction mainly in the person’s control. The statements recognize that there are many ways to live a life on purpose.

Your Call to Action

Have fun and create a life purpose statement. Yes, it can be fun. List your values, superpowers, and ordered loves. That alone can lead to reflection and opportunities for growth. Then, pull it all together by crafting your life purpose statement.

As you examine your life purpose, determine how well your everyday existence is aligned to your vision. How about your profession? Your personal life? Your relationships?

Take action on the opportunities you see. It will take time, step by step. But every step forward increases the satisfaction in your life. It’s how you thrive.

Have a purposeful week!

Excel at Building Healthy Habits

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 29: Excel at Building Healthy Habits

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, our topic—building healthy habits—can help you move forward in practically all aspects of your life.

Excel at Building Healthy Habits

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Science has shown that 45% of what you do is habitual. Your SAGe wants that 45% to work for you. Becoming a master of your habits, rather than your habits mastering you, requires a mindful approach to habit building. Which habits can you create, expand upon, or eliminate to promote wellness? Which habits can you do in the morning, afternoon, or evening to further your intentions?

What It Means

To excel at building habits, consider stacking your habits. One of the most effective ways to build a habit is to incorporate it into an established routine. Do you want to start practicing yoga? If you have already cemented the habit of exercising each morning, practice yoga after you exercise. Soon, yoga will become a natural extension of that morning routine.

Use instigation habits to make habit adoption easier. An instigation habit is a preparatory action or a cue that reduces barriers to completing a desired habit. For example, you could prep healthy meals on Sunday for the upcoming week (instigation habit—preparatory action) to make it easier to eat healthy (desired habit). Or place a book on your nightstand (instigation habit—cue) to remind you to read at night (desired habit).

Practice habit substitution. Substitute a good behavior for an unhealthy one. If you have a habit of drinking alcohol when stressed, meditate instead. Rather than spending hours on social media when bored, engage in a fulfilling hobby. Soon, you will form a good habit and crave its positive reward.

Another best practice is to commit to regularly engaging in a good habit, even if it’s brief due to other commitments. That’s how I approach exercising. My daily routine lasts about ninety minutes. Some days, usually because of work overload, I may exercise for ten minutes, but I’ll keep the habit going.

And for those times when life takes over, if you break your streak of engaging in a good habit, learn from the experience and try to avoid missing the next day. If you feed a negative streak, it will crave another fix, and then another one after that. Before long, you will have developed a bad habit.

Be patient as you build your habits. It’s acceptable to start small and build up over time. The key is to establish a reliable routine of action.

Your Call to Action

Which positive habit do you want to introduce into your daily routines? A daily walk? Meditation? Repeating positive affirmations? Stretching? Whatever it is, the more intentional you are with your approach to habit building, the greater your odds of success will be.

Have an outstanding week!

Feel Connected to the Universe of Existence

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 28: Feel Connected to the Universe of Existence

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, our topic—feel connected to the universe of existence—will help you unlock the happiness that is always present if you seize it.

Feel Connected to the Universe of Existence

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

What is your frame of reference when you think about your place in the universe? Do you see yourself as an individual who is independent of others? Do you view yourself as a member of a tribe, and that forms your identity? Or, and this is provocative, do you envision yourself connected to all living things, an interdependent collective consciousness?

When you feel connected to the universe of existence, you recognize that you are an integral part of a greater whole. You love life, care for all living things, and strive to alleviate suffering. You understand that life isn’t just about you; there’s a bigger picture centered around creating harmony with humanity and nature to propagate love in the universe.

What It Means

When you’re woven into the fabric of the universe of existence, you connect with the beauty of the mysterious, interconnected ecosystem whose inhabitants must love one another to survive. In this grander scheme, your life matters. Yet you are one human among billions. You are one human among trillions of other life forms, ranging from the smallest amoeba to the tallest redwood. Does that humble you? It should.

Your Call to Action

To feel connected to the universe of existence, a starting point can be to connect more deeply with the love in your relationships. Feel a sense of empathy, affection, and unity toward those who are in your orbit. Embrace each person’s vibrant essence. Then, expand your loving horizons throughout the rest of the universe of existence by doing the following:

• When you walk in a crowd, be an astute observer and imagine the people around you having lives filled with family, friends, and dreams. They’ve experienced joy and hardship. They deserve love in their life. They’re just like you. Connect with their humanity. Feel love within you.

• When you walk in nature, observe the birds flying. Listen to their cheerful chirps. Imagine their tiny hearts beating. See the butterfly flapping its colorful wings as it bobs in the breeze. Or a spider weaving its life-sustaining web. Every living thing has a purpose in this symbiotic ecosystem and must work together in the circle of life to thrive. Connect with that oneness. Feel love within you.

What will you do today to feel connected to the universe of existence?

Have a joyful week!

Surrender to the Ways of the Universe

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 27: Surrender to the Ways of the Universe

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, our topic relates to surrendering to forces that are out of your control. It can be a path to inner peace.

Surrender to the Ways of the Universe

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

You embrace your life purpose. Your life purpose is your tour guide to living a fulfilled life. You love the universe of existence. You approach each day with kindness as you bring love to yourself and others, giving Earth a bounce to its orbit. Then, life tosses a curveball and throws you off balance. That’s when “surrender to the ways of the universe” enters the spiritual game and helps you pick up the spin on the ball to put it in play.

When you surrender to the ways of the universe, you choose to release the need to control the natural flow of life. You trust that events will unfold as they are intended. By accepting your lack of control over the natural order, you liberate your mind and spirit to focus on what you can always control: your thoughts and responses to life. Surrendering provides a path to inner peace.

What It Means

A key aspect of surrendering to the ways of the universe is accepting that impermanence is an inescapable truth that reflects the nature of existence as it is, not necessarily as you would like it to be.

THE LAW OF IMPERMANENCE

Sunrise and sunset. Birth and death. Changing seasons. Evolution. These are just some examples of nature’s impermanence. But look at your life’s progression—employment, relationships, finances, health, where you live . . . Do you notice anything in common? Yep, more impermanence. More change. That’s what the Law of Impermanence teaches us: Everything changes. Everything has a beginning, middle, and end.

When you embrace the Law of Impermanence, you surrender to the truth that change is constant. That wisdom becomes an integral part of your empowering worldview, a worldview that chooses to flow with the current of change rather than trying to paddle upstream to reach a past-tense reality that is no longer there.

For a Self-Actualized Genius, surrendering to impermanence can mean:

• As the SAGe grows older, they may fondly reflect upon their youth, but they accept their advancing age as unavoidable. They find joy and meaning in the present and evolve their life based on their reality.

• When a loved one passes away, the SAGe understands and accepts that life has a beginning, middle, and end. They grieve, for that is a loving and natural response, but they emerge grateful for their loved one’s time on earth as they move forward in their own life. Their suffering recedes as a result.

• As relationships evolve in a SAGe’s life, the SAGe evolves with them. The SAGe recognizes that the most meaningful relationship is between two people who keep their love flourishing as they grow throughout their unique but overlapping life journeys. The SAGe also acknowledges that some relationships run their natural course and go dormant. That can be okay, too, if that’s what is meant to be.

• When the SAGe experiences something positive, they are grateful for their blessing but understand that their status quo is not permanent. Therefore, they are careful to moderate their attachment to what they have today because they know it will change tomorrow.

• When the SAGe experiences down periods, they understand that all things pass because all things change. This helps them shorten the suffering cycle because they know their present state is not permanent.

Your Call to Action

Are there situations in your life that are out of your control? Would surrendering to that reality bring peace to your life and help you focus on what you can always control: your thoughts and your actions? If so, work on surrendering to your circumstances through meditation, journaling, walking in nature to gain perspective, or talking with a friend, counselor, or life coach.

Have a peaceful week!

The Art of Framing

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 26: The Art of Framing

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, our topic is the art of framing, which is the process of developing a healthy perspective toward challenging situations. A life-affirming attitude positions you to move forward in your life with positive energy.

The Art of Framing

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

The art of framing starts with understanding that your experiences have no inherent meaning. They are neither good nor bad. Experiences are blank canvases devoid of sense until you add form, texture, and color to make them consequential. This empowers you to frame whatever happens to you in a productive light. You choose your reality by how you perceive your situation. Effective framing slams the door on negative perceptions in favor of a productive perspective that serves you. Like a vampire, negativity can appear at your door, but its destructive power is only unleashed if you invite it in.

What It Means

There is a two-step process—get underneath the truth and create a productive frame—that you can use to frame what happens in your life to help you choose the best response.

The first step—get underneath the truth—challenges you to sort through the noise to expose the essence of what has happened, not necessarily what you wish had happened. Ask yourself these questions to see if the truth emerges:

• What objectively happened, and why did it occur (root cause)?

• What was my contribution to the situation?

• What was in my control? What was out of my control?

• What did others contribute to what occurred?

• How would the most loving, nonjudgmental version of myself—my SAGe—want me to feel about what happened?

By understanding the truth, your framing and responding efforts become grounded in reality. You avoid setting unrealistic expectations or chasing after red herrings. You align yourself to serve the true needs that emerged from what transpired, whether it’s the need to repair a relationship, address a health issue, give someone constructive feedback, or even focus on your own growth.

The second step—create a productive frame—inspires you to nurture a positive mindset that interprets what has happened through a life-affirming lens. You bring out the best within you—your values, optimism, and love—and allow those virtues to shape how you perceive your circumstances so you can move forward with positive energy. Here are examples of positive and negative frames:

REJECTED AFTER INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB

• Positive Frame: Although I didn’t get the job, I got to practice interviewing. I learned about my strengths and development needs, and I’ll apply what I learned moving forward. Sometimes it’s a numbers game. I am talented. I will find the right job!

• Negative Frame: I’m not talented enough when I compare myself to other applicants. There are hundreds of people applying for each job. It’s impossible. I’ll never get the job I want.

Your Call to Action

Identify a situation in your life that is challenging you, whether it’s related to a job, a relationship, your health, or something else. Apply a life-affirming frame to your circumstances and let that guide you as you choose your best path forward.

Have a positive week!

Appreciate Your Mona Lisa Moments

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 25: Appreciate Your Mona Lisa Moments

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll cover the moments in your life that may seem ordinary on the surface but are quite extraordinary if you engage your senses. In my upcoming book The Wellness Ethic, I call them your Mona Lisa moments.

Appreciate Your Mona Lisa Moments

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

When I saw the Mona Lisa in person years ago at the Louvre, I was taken aback by the alluring beauty of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting. There had been so much hype about the masterpiece that I almost expected it to be a tourist trap—you see the artwork, check the box that you saw it, take the obligatory selfie, and then move on. But that wasn’t my experience. Like millions before me, I was mesmerized by the mystery of her expression and how she flowed seamlessly into the distant countryside. I thought about Leonardo’s Renaissance genius and was thrilled to experience his immortal gift firsthand.

As I think about my enchanting visit to the Louvre, I’m struck by the notion that I encounter at least a dozen Mona Lisa moments each day if I’m open to such experiences. They’re experiences that can entrance my senses, fill my heart with love, and make me appreciate being alive.

What It Means

To illustrate this concept, I’ll share examples of my everyday Mona Lisa moments:

• My wife and I live in a house with a wooded backyard. A stray cat, whom I named Christopher McFluffer (he looked like a McFluffer), appeared one day and demanded that we become his caregiver. He wasn’t willing to negotiate. So we feed him every morning and evening. We have no choice—he’ll stare at us through our windows with needy eyes until we do so. He now hangs out on our his stone patio throughout the day, basking in the sun, safe from predators. If we travel overnight, we arrange for a cat sitter to tend to him. We’re lucky to have an opportunity to make a difference in the life of a stray cat. It brings us joy.

• When my wife and I moved to South Carolina, we visited art galleries in downtown Charleston. It was a sensory explosion that hooked me. I’ve been fortunate to purchase several paintings from gifted artists. Each day, the paintings fill my spirit with inspiration.

• During my early morning walks around my neighborhood, depending upon the time I leave, I may experience a gorgeous sunrise, deer stampeding in front of me, a full moon illuminating the night, terrified toads hopping out of the way of my duck-like feet, or even a water moccasin on a sidewalk daring me to come just a wee bit closer. I love nature, except nature that injects venom into human bloodstreams.

Your Call to Action

Each moment in your life can be a Mona Lisa moment if you appreciate what the universe offers you and mindfully engage your senses. Doing so helps you feel love in the present. What are your Mona Lisa moments?

Have an extraordinary week!

Better Sleep, Better Life

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 24: Better Sleep, Better Life

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll cover the essentials of sleep. When you get better sleep, practically all aspects of your life improve. Sleep is that important to your well-being.

Better Sleep, Better Life

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

I can’t control my sleep patterns, and that irks me. I’d love to hop into bed at 8:00 p.m., shut my eyes, and experience peaceful, bear-like hibernation. In my dream scenario, I’d fall asleep once I hit the sack and wake up seven or eight hours later, bright-eyed and ready to seize the day. If I could reliably get that much uninterrupted sleep each night, my life would be transformed.

But nooooooo! I often fight with my racing mind before falling asleep; sometimes it takes an hour. If the thought of discomfort enters my brain, I obsess over it until I give up and roll over. This overly dramatic process can include a loud sigh, and, at times, the covers get pulled off my wife (regrettably, I maintain). I have learned that such actions result in painful retribution.

My problems don’t end there. Most nights, I wake up once or twice to go to the restroom (old age, argh!). Or I must deal with needy cats who don’t understand that animals aren’t supposed to walk on other animals, especially when the other animals are trying to partake in peaceful, bear-like hibernation!

I need to improve my sleep.

What It Means

Getting enough sleep is essential to healthy living. You can exercise, eat well, and work with your doctors to stay healthy, but if you don’t get enough sleep, your health and ability to function throughout the day will suffer. A benchmark sleep target for adults is seven to eight hours a night, though some may need more or less.

But achieving perfect sleep every night is an unrealistic expectation—too many variables are out of your control. However, improving the quality of your sleep is a worthy pursuit. Here are six sleep practices that can help:

• Avoid sleep inhibitors. Some habits impair your ability to sleep, such as consuming caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine in the evening (or even in the afternoon), taking a long nap or a nap later in the afternoon, going to bed hungry or after overeating, and using electronic devices close to bedtime (devices are mentally stimulating, and blue light can suppress melatonin production, which regulates sleep-wake cycles).

• Establish a sleep pattern and ritual. Go to bed at the same time every night. Your body will adjust to the schedule and recognize when it’s time to start feeling tired. As part of your routine, clear your mind of stressors—practice meditation or yoga, read, or take an Epsom salt bath. Then, wake up at a consistent time to help regulate your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm). By doing so, you’ll feel more refreshed in the morning, and you’ll find it easier to fall asleep at night.

• Experiment with the tools and techniques of the sleep trade. What room temperature and level of darkness work best for you? What about your pillows, blankets, and mattress? Should you experiment to see if a change will improve your sleep? Have you tried sleep apps? Or gadgets like a cooling headband, an aroma diffuser (lavender and chamomile can be helpful), a white noise machine, or an eye mask? As you experiment, consider tracking your results in a sleep journal.

• Have a plan B. What options do you have if you can’t fall asleep? You could try sleeping in another room. The change in scenery could help. Or drink a cup of chamomile tea or a warm glass of milk. Reading a book until you feel drowsy can be effective. Sleep supplements, such as melatonin, are an option, but first consult with a doctor to ensure you avoid adverse drug interactions and other potential risks.

• Consider well-timed naps and de-stressing activities as part of your rest strategy. A short, early afternoon nap when tired can help you feel recharged. It can also relieve stress. The same benefits apply to de-stressing activities that you do during the day, such as walking, practicing yoga, and meditating.

• Seek medical help when necessary. If poor sleep plagues you, bring it up with your doctor. They may suggest simple remedies, or you may have a sleep disorder requiring specialized attention.

Your Call to Action

As you work on improving the quality of your sleep, remember to be patient as you embrace experimentation. Accept that perfection will elude you like it eludes billions of other humans. But you can move toward better sleep. And when you do, practically all aspects of your life will improve. Sleep is that important to your well-being.

Have a restful week!

Partnering with Wellness Experts

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 23: Partnering with Wellness Experts

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll cover the basics of partnering with wellness experts. Are you playing an active or passive role when you work with the pros?

Partnering with Wellness Experts

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

A common mistake when working with health and wellness professionals is to take a passive role. After all, they’re the experts, right? They are, but it is your life. It always serves your interests to be an active partner when you work with an expert.

I’ll give an example. During my daughter Emma’s vicious odyssey battling headaches, we worked with many terrific experts. But we also dealt with a doctor who doubted whether Emma felt the pain she described. His cynicism angered me. Another doctor had no interest in diagnosing the root cause of her condition. He said we would probably never find out. He simply prescribed pain relief medication. We switched doctors in both cases.

My wife and I quickly learned we needed to be in the driver’s seat regarding Emma’s health. And in typical fashion, Emma soon relegated us to backseat drivers as she grabbed the steering wheel to navigate her own life.

What It Means

Following are some principles that can help you forge a productive partnership with health and wellness professionals:

• Recognize that you are your best health advocate. Experts care. But they serve many people—they’re not thinking about you constantly. You have the benefit of serving one primary person, yourself. Don’t settle for anything less than getting the care you need. Be a respectful yet dogged advocate for your health.

• Trust the experts, but verify. Research your symptoms and condition. Write down your questions and get them answered when you engage with the pros. Get a second opinion when necessary. Your due diligence will help you make informed health decisions based on the best available information.

• Evaluate the service you receive and make a change if necessary. Some experts are better than others. Switch to someone new if the care you receive falls short of what you need. It may take multiple experts to diagnose and treat a complicated medical condition.

• Control what you can; surrender to what you can’t. Move forward by choosing your SAGe-inspired, expert-guided response to your health condition.

If you take these common-sense approaches to your partnership with the health and wellness community, you’ll put yourself in a position to get better outcomes.

Your Call to Action

How are you engaging with wellness experts? If you’re not taking an active role to the level you’d like, consider how you can be an active partner moving forward.

Have a healthy week!

Be Positive About Positive Thinking

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 22: Be Positive About Positive Thinking

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll turn our focus to positive thinking. You have a choice: Do you want to be a positive or negative person?

Be Positive About Positive Thinking

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Let’s think about positive thinking. We’ll start with the enthusiastic entrepreneur who takes a leap of faith and courageously launches a business because they believe in themselves and their vision. How about the motivated sports team that defeats Goliath because they confidently refuse to accept the limiting beliefs of their doubters? I still get goosebumps when I see highlights from the inspired 1980 US Olympic hockey team’s improbable march to the gold medal, especially the final minutes of their fearless victory over the USSR hockey juggernaut. Positive thinking gives you optimism and determination to overcome obstacles and perform at your best. It empowers you.

What It Means

Positive thinkers have an optimistic attitude that good will come into their lives, and they spin a positive frame when it doesn’t. Positive thinking plays a vital role in change adoption. You are more apt to move forward when you believe you can do something. You are more resilient when facing obstacles because you know you can overcome them.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. —Vince Lombardi, American football coach

When you have a negative mindset, you often don’t get past “go.” Why bother trying when you know you’re going to fail? Or, if you muster enough courage to give it a shot, you’re more likely to bow out at the first sign of trouble. After all, you knew it was too difficult, so you fulfilled your prophecy. Negativity is the foil of ambition.

Your Call to Action

Illuminating each moment of your day with positivity will improve your life. Making positivity your modus operandi (MO)—how you operate—is well within your grasp. Here are three ways you can make positive thinking a habit:

• Use visual management and affirmations to remind yourself to be positive. Place a note with the word “positivity” on your computer, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator. Create an affirmation and repeat it often, such as: “I am a positive thinker who sees my world through an optimistic lens.” Be positive about being a positive person.

• Surround yourself with positivity; limit exposure to negativity. Spend time with positive people; limit time with those who are not. Read inspiring books. Watch uplifting movies. Go on a news fast.

• Ask for support. A friend or a family member can keep you honest by pointing out when you’re being negative. A life coach or a therapist can help you maintain a positive outlook as you work through challenges.

The more you focus on positivity, the more positive your life will be.

Have a positive week!

Purge the Dispiriting Virus from Your Relationships

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 21: Purge the Dispiriting Virus from Your Relationships

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, our focus is on proactively addressing negativity in your relationships.

Purge the Dispiriting Virus from Your Relationships

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Wherever you’re at, the dispiriting virus is constantly wrestling with your SAGe for control of you. The dispiriting virus wants you to live in the depths of despair. After all, misery loves company. When you love the universe of existence—when your life force is saturated with love—you choose better company, and your life takes off in wonderful and unexpected ways.

Relationship Translation: Recognize when negativity from a relationship is overwhelming your spirit, and address the issue productively.

What It Means

Practically every meaningful relationship in your life will have negativity in it from time to time. That’s the nature of human interaction—it’s complex and sometimes messy. But the more you proactively address issues before they fester, the healthier and more rewarding your relationships will be.

Here are a few ways you can bring more positivity into your relationships:

• Accept that relationships will have negativity in them occasionally. Don’t let it crush your spirit.

• When a relationship has issues, take responsibility for your opportunities, apply your growth mindset, and learn from the experience.

• If a relationship breaks down, utilize your emotional intelligence and partner with the other person to resolve the conflict.

• Establish relationship boundaries when necessary.

• Seek the support of a third party to mediate difficult issues with others.

• When necessary, respectfully scale back or end a toxic relationship as an act of self-love.

Your Call to Action

Take a look at the important relationships in your life. Are there any issues that are festering? Are there opportunities to strengthen love by rooting out negativity and finding mutually satisfying paths forward? If so, partner with the other person and find those paths!

A healthy relationship has alignment between expectations and reality, and when there is a disconnect, the parties partner to restore harmony.

Have a positive week!

Everyday Mindfulness

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 20: Everyday Mindfulness

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, our focus is on mindfulness, which may be the simplest and most effective way to bring happiness into your life.

Everyday Mindfulness

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Mindfulness is your SAGe’s natural state of mind. When you are mindful, you immerse yourself in an experience, appreciating its nuances and connecting with its essence. You elevate your senses and tune out everything but the purity of your oneness with the experience before you. It’s about love, nonjudgment, and accepting the experience for what it is—perfection in the moment.

Mindfulness is associated with the “love the universe of existence” spiritual value. When you’re spiritual, you feel a sense of awe for the universe and the interconnectedness of all living things. A great way to do that is to mindfully engage with your experiences. Observe details. Focus on the wonder.

What It Means

As an example of mindfulness, try mindfully engaging with a banana. Notice the shape and color. Feel the texture. Then, connect with the sensation of peeling it and the aroma and flavor as you eat it. When you swallow, dare to think about digestion and nutrients entering your body. Isn’t that mind-blowing? And that’s just a banana! The universe is miraculous, which is why we mindfully engage in its offerings.

A mindfulness experience can last a few minutes or longer. It’s your choice. As you practice mindfulness, you’ll train your brain to become more attentive to your surroundings. You’ll notice and appreciate the fullness of your experiences, even the little things you might have overlooked in the past. You’ll find wonder everywhere, often without trying.

If you practice mindfulness regularly, here’s what will happen: You will reduce stress and feel calmer. You’ll think more clearly. You will slow down the earth’s spin and develop a healthier perspective on life. You’ll feel gratitude for your blessings, some of which you may have taken for granted. You will be happier and more fulfilled. Mindfulness is that powerful.

Your Call to Action

There are many different approaches to practicing mindfulness. You can just do it and mindfully engage in the moment that you’re in. Or, if you want help, then perform an internet search, and you’ll find an endless stream of free content that can assist you, including videos, blog articles, and websites. You could also take a mindfulness class, utilize an app, or work with a mindfulness coach.

Start today. Mindfully engage for at least five minutes and see what it does for you. Moving forward, do you want to schedule a daily mindfulness break on your calendar? Or set a recurring alarm on your phone to help you build a mindfulness habit?

Have an engaging week!

Detach from Wants

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 19: Detach from Wants

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll explore a principle of Stoicism—detaching from wants—and how it simplifies your life. A simple life often brings peace and happiness to your everyday existence.

Detach from Wants

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

A Stoic wants stuff just like everyone else. They don’t necessarily desire a spartan existence. However, the wisdom in a Stoic’s approach to “wants” is that they restrict their desires to what is within their control to attain, and they temper their wants, understanding that they already have everything they need.

Think not so much of what you lack as to what you have: but of the things you have, select the best, and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.

—Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor, Stoic philosopher

What It Means

The Stoic sees good all around them. They appreciate their blessings and don’t take anything for granted. They avoid the fool’s folly of desiring something excessive or out of reach. They know that’s not the path to happiness; it’s the path to disappointment and sometimes despair.

Your Call to Action

Take a moment and select three of your favorite possessions. Walk up to each one and mindfully engage. Notice the nuance. Reconnect with the joy you felt when you first obtained it. Isn’t it a blessing that you have it in your life?

Now think about things that you desire. Are any of those wants excessive or out-of-reach? If so, focus on what you have versus what you don’t have. Usually, you’ll find that you already have everything you need to be happy and fulfilled.

Have a wonderful week!

Acceptance & Your Relationships

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 18: Acceptance & Your Relationships

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week’s focus is on accepting someone’s authentic self and how it can reduce friction in a relationship.

Acceptance & Your Relationships

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

We’re all unique people. My authentic, quirky self is different from your authentic, quirky self. I want you to respect me for who I am, and you deserve my respect as well.

So when you interact with me, expect to deal with a person who has a bone-dry sense of humor (which you may not always get, but then again, my humor confuses me as well), a horrible sense of direction (I will get us lost if you’re foolish enough to ask me to navigate), a drive to go after my dreams (it impacts my availability to do things together), and an intense dislike for cheese (I need special consideration if I eat at your house).

I told you I was quirky! Thankfully, the important people in my life accept me for who I am.

What It Means

When you accept something, you acknowledge its existence without necessarily agreeing with what it represents. You may not even fully understand it. In a relationship, accepting a person means respecting them for who they are, including their differences with you and their perceived faults. When you accept a person and their behavior, you don’t judge or try to change them.

Acceptance is a choice. When two people have a difference in values, priorities, opinions, behaviors, or personalities, both parties have a choice: Accept the difference and move on without letting it create friction, or don’t accept the difference and deal with the fallout.

Your Call to Action

To lead yourself to acceptance of another person, you can:

• Embrace diversity. The universe intentionally created diversity in abundance. Imagine a world with no diversity—sameness everywherend in everything. That would be a dull world! Celebrate diversity.

• Treat others how you would like to be treated. You would want people to give you space to be authentic, so return the favor.

• Have acceptance be your default position. It is often the path of least resistance. Choose to accept unless you’re given a good reason not to.

• View acceptance as a higher calling. Summon your SAGe and all its wisdom to determine how to get to “yes” with acceptance.

• Keep perspective. Is an issue or difference with someone worth becoming unhappy to the point that your dissatisfaction festers? Or is acceptance (or tolerance) the happy path?

• Choose kindness. Will acceptance help the other person without harming you? If so, create love in the universe and accept.

Acceptance reflects emotional and spiritual strength. It can bring peace to your relationships.

Have a wonderful week!

Purge the Dispiriting Virus

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 17: Purge the Dispiriting Virus

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week’s focus is on eliminating negativity from your life.

Purge the Dispiriting Virus

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

It takes conditioning not to love. When a child is born, they don’t feel prejudice or hatred. A child is trusting and curious. They feel a natural affinity toward others. But over time, they are introduced to inequality, bullying, violence, hate, injustice, and other spiritual counterforces that erode their love-centered mindset.

As the child matures into adulthood, their spirit will have become infected, to some degree, with a dispiriting virus that feeds on the constant barrage of negative reinforcement in their environment. Left untreated, the virus multiplies and can further sap their capacity to love.

I understand that what I’m about to share may be a humbling jolt to your sensibilities, but here it goes: We have all been infected by a dispiriting virus. No matter how spiritual you are or how much love you feel in your heart, you are human. You can’t help but be impacted by negative forces around you. You may be cynical, jaded, or withdrawn on occasion. You may feel angry at times. Or violence, hate, dishonesty, self-dealing, or other character-suffocating energies may have overtaken your life.

What It Means

Wherever you’re at, the dispiriting virus is constantly wrestling with your SAGe for control of you. The dispiriting virus wants you to live in the depths of despair. After all, misery loves company. When you love the universe of existence—when your life force is saturated with love—you choose better company, and your life takes off in wonderful and unexpected ways.

Your Call to Action

To purge the dispiriting virus from your life, you can start by assessing which influences have spread negativity throughout your mind and spirit. Here are some common culprits:

• Cable news and social media that promote conspiracies and division

• Friends, family, or work colleagues who bring negativity into your life

• Working at a company with a corrosive culture

• Your actions that run counter to your spiritual values

• The state of the world: climate change, war, famine, oppression

• A grudge that you hold

Once you have pinpointed a source of negativity, choose a spiritual response to bring love into your life. Do you need to let go of something that happened in the past? Or make a career change? Do you need to shift the dynamics in a relationship? Wherever your opportunities lie, ask yourself: Am I willing to cede control of my happiness to an outside force or my self-sabotaging behavior?

Have a safe and healthy week,

The Oft-Neglected Strength Training

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 16: The Oft-Neglected Strength Training

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week’s focus is on strength training, a vital component of a healthy exercise regimen that is often neglected by adults.

The Oft-Neglected Strength Training

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Most adults neglect regular strength exercises. However, incorporating them into your weekly routines can increase your metabolism, improve your strength and flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, improve bone health, and even help you live longer.

To bring science into the mix (because that’s what I do!), I’ll share a compelling study: A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that performing just thirty to sixty minutes of muscle strengthening activities per week was “associated with a 10–17% lower risk of all-cause mortality.”

What It Means

Strength training can consist of lifting barbells and kettlebells (or even water jugs), using your body weight as resistance (push-ups, pull-ups), doing chores such as chopping wood, exercising with resistance bands, or using advanced exercise equipment. Your routine can be straightforward if you want to attain the core health benefits of strength training, or it can be more involved if you are training for a sport, rehabbing, or striving for peak performance.

Consider these steps when starting a strength-building routine (in consultation with a fitness expert):

• Step 1: Set your objectives. Do you want to establish a basic routine or strive for more? Do you want to build muscle for strength, endurance, or both? Strength exercises involve fewer reps with more resistance; endurance exercises include more reps and less resistance.

• Step 2: Select your exercise location and equipment (if any). Do you want to get a gym membership or work out at home? Do you want to use barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, free weights, or other equipment? What about using your body weight? You don’t need expensive equipment to achieve a great workout.

• Step 3: Design your workout session. Determine your exercises, resistance level, and reps —many free online routines exist. Your chosen exercises should cover your major muscle groups.

• Step 4: Establish your strength-building weekly routine. Typically, you should do strength exercises two or three times a week for at least twenty to thirty minutes a session, but your needs could vary from that norm. As you plan your schedule, include at least one off-day between sessions to give your muscles time to recover from the workout.

• Step 5: Determine your change adoption strategy. Do you want to set a reward to motivate yourself to adopt the strength-building habit? Or work out with a friend to boost accountability? Tracking an exercise streak on an app or a calendar is also effective.

Your Call to Action

As with most novel activities, keeping it simple initially helps you build a habit. When you start strength exercising, focus on getting your body used to the training. Don’t push yourself too far as you learn the proper form and understand your limitations. You’ll build up to more efficient and effective routines over time. The most important objective is to establish a safe exercise habit that stands the test of time.

Have a thriving week!

Wisdom to Start the New Year

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 15: Wisdom to Start the New Year

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week’s focus is on simple wisdom that can be life-altering when you consistently apply it to your life. It also represents the final words that I leave with my readers in my upcoming book, The Wellness Ethic, which is on target to be published in February!

Wisdom to Start the New Year

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

Be kind to your one-of-a-kind self, always.

What It Means

Kindness is synonymous with love, and love starts and ends with you. In between is the love you share with others. When you love yourself, you embrace your spiritual essence as good. You know you have a lot to offer the world. You believe that you deserve happiness and fulfillment, and you move your life in a direction that realizes that promise. You enjoy your successes, savor life, and cut yourself slack when you struggle because you know everyone is a perpetual work in progress. You accept your appearance as perfectly you, no matter what others may say. When you love yourself, every cell in your body knows that you matter.

Your Call to Action

If you are challenged with being kind to yourself, consider the following:

• Make it a daily habit to do something that brings you joy. Maintain the streak for the rest of your life.

• Choose to practice self-compassion by treating yourself to the kindness you would offer a friend in need.

• Create positive affirmations and develop a daily habit of repeating them, such as “I am worthy of love and respect” and “I have a lot of love to offer to myself and the world.”

• Seek professional help if you struggle to feel good about yourself or your life.

Have a wonderful New Year!

The Nature of Transitions

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

Sunday SAGe Newsletter Volume 14: The Nature of Transitions

Happy Sunday!

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week’s focus is on the transitions that you experience in your life. Understanding how transitions work empowers you to persevere through the challenges that often accompany difficult changes.

The Nature of Transitions

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

The best depiction of the transition process I’ve come across is contained within William Bridges’ classic book “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.” In the book, Bridges describes three natural stages of successful transitions: endings, the neutral zone, and new beginnings.

The first stage—endings—is characterized by letting go of your old self. As you progress through this stage, you can feel frustrated at times or be in denial. You can also be sad and angry and experience other negative emotions as you come to grips with changing a part of yourself. After all, you’re trying to let go of something familiar—it can be uncomfortable.

The next stage—the neutral zone—is an in-between stage where you go back and forth between your old self and the new you. You may be uncertain and impatient. Some days, you’re living the desired change, which can energize you. On other days, you may revert to your old self and feel discouraged. But you’ll soon find that the good days start to outnumber the not-so-good days, and you’ll feel the tide turning as you build momentum.

The last stage—new beginnings—has you firmly planted in your new world. You’ve adopted the change and effectively transitioned to the new you.

What It Means

Maintaining a positive mindset will be one of your keys to success as you adopt change. For the more difficult changes you undertake, transitioning from the “old you” to the “new you” can be an emotionally taxing process. But knowing that a transition is a process that’s expected to have ups and downs is liberating. It tells you that the obstacles and setbacks you experience when making a significant change are perfectly normal. They don’t represent failure. They represent a transition behaving like a transition. You can persevere.

Your Call to Action

Think about the meaningful transitions you have gone through, whether it was a breakup with a partner, moving to a new city, breaking a bad habit, becoming a parent, or something else that impacted you. Did you go through the three transition stages? In retrospect, what worked well with your approach to the transition, and what would you have handled differently now that you understand the nature of transitions? Leverage those insights moving forward.

And remember, people who are successful with transitions have one common trait: They DON’T GIVE UP!

Enjoy a safe and peaceful holiday season,