Category: Living Well

It’s Never Coming Back

Published on April 14, 2025

There’s quite possibly going to be a day, at some point in the not so distant future, when you’re going to miss… the busyness.

A day when you’re maybe retired… kids are maybe grown up and living their own independent lives… spouse maybe isn’t around for one reason or another… and you’re sitting by yourself reflecting back on the days when, from morning to night, there was non-stop life.

When there was constant activity… emotional roller coasters… and never enough time to get it all done.

And you’ll be thinking about that while sitting in a living room chair… maybe eating a meal… wondering where all the life activity went.

Today, maybe try and appreciate the busyness of your day for what it is: life being lived. The very life you’re going to reflect back on at some point in your not so distant future. The very life you’re unknowingly rushing fast forward through towards a point that’s going to make you want to come right back.

Today, maybe try being here… with us… right now…

It’s never coming back.

Anything Forced Will Fail

Published on April 12, 2025

I had a long talk with a student today about a plateau she was experiencing in her health and fitness journey.

The short of it was that she couldn’t figure out what to do next to continue making progress. Every idea she would mention, she would talk herself out of in the same breath. The things she had done in the past, didn’t feel like they would work again. And the things that she was leaning towards to try, felt clunky and out of place in her lifestyle…

And she was exactly right to feel confused because everything she was trying to do felt—both to her and me—forced.

…Like some alien habit idea that would be transplanted into her lifestyle that she’d awkwardly have to remember and reinforce until it somehow became second nature and unconscious.

…This isn’t how habit change works.

What we discussed was aligning with something that’s already integrated into her lifestyle and building slightly on that. For example, instead of trying to add a random 15-minute weight lifting session somewhere into her day… maybe she starts a new habit of staying after her normal martial arts classes that she already takes 2x per week (and has been for 2+ years), and does a little extra strengthening, stretching, or conditioning work?

Or instead of trying to not eat sweets at all anymore (yeah, right)… figuring out what the healthiest dessert-like thing for her was… and preemptively eating that at the end of a day—knowing the cravings are coming and attacking them head on…

The bottom line is: anything forced will fail.

Align with current habits… align with momentum… align with yourself.

Better By Design

Published on April 12, 2025

Tilt your car’s rear view mirror up a bit higher than what’s comfortable… it’ll force you to straighten your posture whenever you go to look into it.

Put a sticky note in the center of one of your commonly used home mirrors that says a message you want to internalize… e.g. “You look great.” or “Be here.” or “Life is too short.”

Buy a chair that doesn’t have a back, where the seat is angled down slightly and there’s a pad for your knees… whenever you sit to work, slouching and hunching will no longer be options.

Add labels to the timers on your phone to remind you of the “real” reason behind it going off. e.g. Instead of a 6:00am alarm, add a label that says, “The Only ‘You’ Time Of The Day” or a 5:00pm alarm that says, “Family Time Starts Now.”

Get a dog. You will never have a better accountability system to go for walks. And walks make just about everything better almost every time you take them.

The best way to make long term changes is with enough short term feedback. Set yourself up for success by making your environment better by design.

The Road To Heaven Feels Like Hell…

Published on April 11, 2025

I stumbled across this image today:

And this is one of those quotes that has been stripped down too far and needs more context.

The big missing component in this quote is the duration of time spent feeling the heaven and the hell.

Because here’s the thing: A little time spent exercising might feel like “hell,” but can leave you in a heavenly state for a lot of time thereafter. A little time spent in gluttony might feel like “heaven,” but can leave you in a hell-like state for a lot of time thereafter.

But, that’s just the problem I have with this quote if you adopt this concept at all.

Because here’s my other thing: The road to heaven should feel heavenly and the road to hell will feel hell-like.

Who says exercise needs to feel hell-like? Who says enjoying a meal or dessert will lead you down a road towards hell?

Sure, Crossfit feels like hell to me—I’ll admit that. But basketball? Martial Arts? I very much look forward to these means of exercise. They’re heavenly for me.

And there should be no hell-like guilt felt for enjoying a nice meal or dessert. Everything in moderation.

…My final thing is this: Doing good feels good and doing bad feels bad. When we abide by the guidance of our inner compass and listen to our deepest desires for growth and contribution… that’s the heavenly road that leads towards heaven. And when we disregard this guidance… or maybe don’t take the time to understand it… or allow modern day devices to brainwash and distract us… that’s the hell-like road that leads toward hell.

Importance Is Measured In Effort

Published on April 8, 2025

It’s easy to make things work out when it’s easy to make things work out.

…When it’s hard to make things work out, however?

…Well, this is where an opportunity to prove importance arises.

It’s important to remember that we should put as much effort into making things work out as the importance of those things are to us.

When it’s hard to see the person who’s important to you… you match that challenge with a proportional amount of effort and make it happen anyway.

When it’s hard to attend an event that’s important to a person who’s important to you… you match that challenge with a proportional amount of effort to attend that event anyway.

When it’s hard to live a lifestyle that’ll inspire the people who are most important to you… you meet that challenge with a proportional amount of effort so you can live that lifestyle anyway.

…Because if you don’t?

Then you have to ask yourself how important those people/things are to you after all…

Because if it isn’t measured in effort… what is it measured in?

Slow… The Heck… Down

Published on April 6, 2025

Slowing down is the key to presence. Rushing through moments or experiences makes you miss life.

Slowing down is the key to confidence. Rushing through movement or words is a sign of nerves or inexperience.

Slowing down is the key to connection. Rushing through conversation or time together leaves relationships at the superficial.

Slowing down is the key to introspection. Rushing to your nearest screen in times of boredom leaves your inner landscape unexplored and self-understanding at bay.

Slowing down is the key to creativity and expression. Rushing to fill your calendar and schedule leaves you with no time to settle… to play… to explore… to remix… to build or create…

If you’re looking for a simple strategy that can greatly improve your daily experience… I can’t think of a better strategy than this: slow… the heck… down.

P.s. ICYMI you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

Ah, The Dream Of Opening A Coffee Shop…

Published on April 5, 2025

I went through a phase when I was seriously considering opening a coffee shop with my sister.

The only problem was… I didn’t have any real time to commit to being there. And opening a business that I couldn’t commit to felt foolish.

So we put it on the back burner.

Today, I was chatting on the phone with a few friends and we got to talking about retirement.

We all agreed that none of us wanted to do nothing… and in fact, we were all leaning more towards working for as long as we possibly could over retiring as soon as we possibly could…

And it brought back up this idea of the coffee shop.

I mentioned this idea of having a hybrid coffee shop/book shop, that had a quaint feel and community connection emphasis, that hosted readings, author talks, book clubs, open mics, art shows, and general IRL gatherings… as a way to spend the retirement days…

And it planted a seed that I think a lot of us are thinking about…

The takeaway for me is not to try and force something into existence until it’s in alignment with your lifestyle and time. And not only that… but bringing things into existence that you want to actually spend a chunk of your lifestyle and time engaging and participating in.

The thing is… the world doesn’t need another coffee shop.

But, it could definitely use more authentic, real, brick-and-mortar, connection places that serve great coffee, fresh ideas, and interesting conversation starters that attracts like-minded, curious, and maybe lonely or introverted people who have a hard time finding places to connect.

…There’s always room for more of what’s real.