Do you see your time as your most valuable asset? It’s the one thing that you can’t buy more of, that you can’t get back, and that is limited in our lifetimes. But when it comes to where we spend our time I’ve found that many people are missing something critical about it.

If you want to improve your health, there’s a cost to it. Increasing exercise and allocating more time to shop for and prepare healthy meals takes up hours of the day, leaving less time for things like work and being social. Or at least that’s what you’d logically think…

That’s why I want to present to you the Time Pie Analogy.

Imagine that your day is shaped like a pie, and the time you spend doing different things make up different slices of the pie. Per the previous example, investing more time in health-related activities would take up a larger slice of pie, leaving less available for other things like work or time with people.

This suggests that you need to accept a tradeoff and understand that adding to one thing means you need to take from another. And while it's true that you have less literal minutes in a single day, that's not the full truth.

What happens when you invest in healthy, self-caring, soul-lifting experiences, is you create a bigger pie. The introduces a very important nuance to time which is quality. The value of the time you spend is a combination of quantity and quality.

What this means is that while investing more time in exercising or healthy meal-prepping does take up a larger percentage of the pie, the full pie grows bigger because of those activities. What that means is it gives you the energy, focus, presence, and momentum you need to improve the quality of everything else you do.

While the percentage slice of your work might be smaller, the amount of pie you get overall is larger because it’s a slightly smaller slice of a much larger pie!

When people talk about creating balance or harmony in life, this is what they mean. This is why taking one hour out of your work day to exercise allows you to actually get more done overall. This is how you can live a big life and do it all without making compromises. Spending more time on your health activities isn’t a tradeoff but rather a catalyst for everything else.

It’s a matter of doing the things that help you add more quality to the things you do, and have a life with a bigger pie where every slice has more to it!

If you're ready to expand your capacity and start doing everything better (across all ares of your life), this is for you!

Last weekend I went on a great hike along a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. This trail follows the top of the ridge line that spans the entire western United States, and what was interesting to observe along this ridge was that a lot of the trees had their tops blown off by the gusts that whip up over the ridge. 

These trees, who started as seeds and grew to over 50 feet tall, had no say in where they were planted. And they have even less of an influence on what kinds of winds they’re exposed to.

I immediately related this to our human experience. We don’t choose what circumstances we’re born into, our genetics, or the elements around us. Like these trees, where we start is out of our control and some people are handed a more challenging life that they must manage. 

But what are we to do about it? There’s nothing we can do about it other than do our best with whatever we’re facing. We don’t choose the hand we’re dealt but we do get to choose how we play it. You can feel victimized by your circumstances and restricted by your hardship, or you can use it as fuel to propel you forward in ways that others can’t.

I don’t mean to belittle the difficulties and unfairness that is the lottery of life, but I do believe that our paths are perfectly crafted and that we’re placed exactly where we’re supposed to be. Whether that reason is to learn a lesson, be able to relate with and understand a certain type of person, or something else, it’s our responsibility to squeeze the juice out of the life we’re given (should we choose to accept it).

Like the trees with their tops blown off at the top of the ridge, resiliently putting their energy into growing taller without bitterness or resentment, we too can accept our circumstances for what they are and with that awareness decide what we want to do next.

It’s pretty remarkable what a change of scenery can do for you. This weekend I was disconnected, enjoying time with family and nature. But without neglecting what’s really important to me I wanted to prioritize staying consistent with my morning routine and exercise while away, or at least a version of it. 

One of the things I do every morning is read my core values and my goals. What was fascinating this time was how I saw a very familiar process with completely new eyes. Reading my goals in this new environment, I realized that one of the biggest goals I have isn’t on the list! It was silly to me that I had overlooked something so obvious so many times, yet here I was.

And on top of that, since I was out of my normal way of doing things and could reflect on it rather than being so caught up in it, I saw how possible it was to reach a next level that I’d always desired and wanted. It was something I always pictured as part of how I’d operate in the future but for whatever reason never incorporated it. 

This all reinforced the value of getting out of your normal environment and getting a change of scenery. In our environment we have associations and connections that shape our experience. So even if we’re goal setting or brainstorming, being in that same environment will pull you to think in the same ways you’re accustomed to thinking.

So my recommendation is that when you do monthly goal setting, a quarterly review, or even some personal soul-searching, do it in a new place. Somewhere that is inspiring and empowering so that you aren’t limited by your perception of how things are and tapping into how things could be. In my case it helped me see what I’d been overlooking for so long, and with that awareness I can get more targeted in my approach to being the best version of myself.

Think back to your days in school. When you were taking a test, to prevent anyone from cheating, do you remember what the teacher would say?

“Keep your eyes on your own paper.”

With everything that’s going on in the world and how easy it is to compare ourselves to others, this advice still rings true today. We are in a crisis where our successes and livelihood has never been more available for other people to see. And equally their success has never been easier for us to see.

But as you’ve heard before, what we see from others doesn’t represent the full truth and it leads to an incomplete understanding of how people are living. It's the comparison to that which makes us feel worse about our own.

Whether you've ever cheated on a test before or not doesn’t matter in understanding this concept. To look at someone else’s paper in this day and age means to desire exactly what someone else desires, do exactly what someone else is doing, and achieve exactly what someone else has achieved. That was the purpose of cheating on a test - Not to use their answers as a way to help you understand but to blatantly copy it.

And this influence is broader than you realize. It’s not just your favorite thought leader that influences you. It’s your friends, family, and co-workers. You hear about what they’re up to, or are impacted by what they want from you, and it causes you to shape your life for them and not for you.

But as you know, there’s no ‘right answer’ for life and certainly not one way to do it. But the best way is your way.

Let’s go back to the analogy. What’s a better, more ethical way to get a good test result without copying someone else’s answers (and that’ll serve you in the long run)?

To study.

Don’t just blindly copy what other people are doing but observe it, learn it, and understand it so that it informs you in how you want to make your own decisions.

In this test that is life, keep your eyes on your own paper, but also find the smartest people in the class and use their knowledge to give you your best chance at succeeding!

In Atomic Habits James Clear has an iconic quote “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." I want to explain what that means in my experience so that you can actually improve the quality of your life.

The concept is spot on. There’s a reason why we don’t live out our best intentions every moment of every day. Things get in the way - We get triggered into emotional states and unexpected urgencies pop up out of nowhere. It is unfair to have the expectation that we can always be at our best because so much of what allows for that to happen is beyond our control.

So with that in mind, as things start to spiral down you need something that will catch you from going all the way. That’s where systems come in. They’re designed into your environment to help you hold a higher standard with less effort so that it can withstand the chaos of life.

Functionally, when you establish new upgraded systems in your life, you raise your baseline. You elevate your standards and what you’re willing to tolerate by having systems of accountability, awareness, identifying limiting factors, and performance in place to help you be better.

For example, I have a system for going to bed on time. I have an alarm that goes off at 9:15 to help me kick off my night routine. I’ve further solidified that system by telling my fiance my intention and now she’s aware of how I view it as a priority. And as you’d expect, that has positively impacted my sleep schedule and I hold myself to a higher standard.

Another example - There are things that I want to do every morning. My system is to run through a check-list of those things so that I don’t forget one or overlook something important.

Whether you realize it or not, you have a system for everything already. Your life runs on your personal systems. The problem is that many of these systems weren’t designed intentionally and therefore aren’t at the caliber you’d hope to achieve, which is why you don’t achieve to the extent that you want to.

But that can all change quickly and permanently when you invest in building new systems that raise your baseline and improve the quality of your day to day activity. If that’s something you’re interested in, check out a 21 day challenge I put together called the Super Habits System, which is all about installing the core systems that help you increase your daily consistency and capacity to get exceptional results in your life.

For Thursday positivity I want to feature a deep thought and quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. He says “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”

You’re reading this because we share something in common. We want to taste our fullest potential. We know that we’re capable of so much more than we’re giving today, and we want to push our limits and see what’s possible.

But notice an important word in this - ‘want’. To want something is an intention. It’s an idea that you like. But unfortunately ideas and intentions don’t do anything. Taking action on them does.

To want something and not do anything about it is to make an empty promise to yourself. You want to get in better shape but you’re unwilling to be accountable to a nutrition plan and commit to a harder workout routine. You want to start growing your business but you’re unwilling to put yourself out there and market in the ways that are required to bring business. You want to mend that relationship but you hesitate to bring up a confrontational conversation.

What happens when you want something but you don’t do anything about it, is nothing. Nothing happens. Nothing changes. And if you’ve been telling yourself  you want to have a better work life balance, you want to get back into your routines, you want to get rid of that bad habit… And it has been a while now… Then I want you to really think about this.

We know our tendencies and the conversation that goes on in our heads that holds us back. We’re too familiar with how we’re tempted to negotiate with ourselves, make excuses, or put off that thing for another day. We’re aware of it, and we want a solution that is greater than it so that we can be the best version of ourselves no matter how we feel.

And that’s what Ralph Waldo Emerson is saying - “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” Someone who can hold us to a higher standard and push us to be better. Someone who can see the potential in us when we can’t see it ourselves, and instill belief in us when we have none. In other words, we need a coach.

I can be that person for you and I’ve already committed to being that person for you. That’s why I show up everyday for you and give you the best I have to offer! And I hope you feel that.

That’s what I want and I’m taking action on it. Now it’s your turn. If you really want to take your health, productivity, finances, relationships, impact, and daily fulfillment to the next level, you can’t just talk about it and you need to do something about it. If you’d like my help in making that step I can support you with it so that in just 21 days your days will become unrecognizably more productive and you’ll feel inspired by how much you’re improving on a daily basis. It’s called the Super Habits System.

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One of the most cherished outcomes of a life well-lived is fulfillment. It’s an indescribable feeling of knowing that you applied yourself to something meaningful. There’s a sense of deep pride and validation that comes from stepping up to a challenge and delivering on it.

We think of fulfillment as a state to achieve, almost like enlightenment or success. And I’d argue that all of these terms share these same misunderstanding - They’re mistaken for being about the destination when in reality they’re about the process.

When you fulfill on something, it means that you follow through on it. Fulfilling on a purchase order means that you shipped the product or delivered the service. You got it done. Fulfilling on a promise means that you stuck to your word and met expectations no matter what difficulty might’ve come up along the way. 

With that line of thinking, it’s not a stretch to say that fulfillment comes from delivering on whatever’s in front of you at the highest level.

In my opinion, that’s why personal development is a strong partner for fulfillment. With personal development you get to grow upon your gifts and talents so that you have more to give. Maybe that’s why Tony Robbins has been known to say “Fulfillment is growing and giving”.

If you desire more meaning, joy, and fulfillment in your life, I’ve got some good news. You’re closer to it than you might realize. You can make a choice to apply yourself fully to your work, relationships, health, impact projects, or whatever it is that you care about. You can put in the effort today that fulfills on the responsibilities on your plate. And not just doing enough to check the box, but a deep knowing that you did your absolute best and you can accept the outcome.

Now if you don’t have the amount of fulfillment you want in your life, it really can be diagnosed as one of two things.

1) That you don’t believe in what you do. You don’t see the point or find significance in your role in the world.

2) That while you might have the raw elements of a fulfilling life (a family you’d do anything for, a career that inspires you, and a daily commitment to your own health and wellness), you might not be showing up for it as fully as possible.

That’s why it’s full-fillment. Anything less than giving everything you have to offer will fall short.

I want to add perspective to a message that often comes out in self-improvement material that many people take the wrong way. There’s an overwhelming narrative that you need to make the right decisions in every moment of every day. You can never have dessert again because sugar is bad for you. It’s never acceptable to hit the “Snooze” button in the morning. Have a positive mindset so that you see the good in everything that happens to you.

While I believe there’s a lot of truth to what I just shared, it requires one very important lens for it to be right in my book - Your choices need to connect to what you authentically want.

As individuals dedicated to our growth, this often means that our daily choices and behaviors need to be in alignment with the best version of ourselves. But guess what? Maybe the best version of ourselves loves ice cream and is okay with having it under the right circumstances. Maybe it’s okay to hit the “Snooze button” and choose to get more rest in the morning. 

This leads into an important conversation about the idea of “temperance”. We’ve learned for “temperance” to be so extreme that it’s thought of as self-denial or self-rejection. But the true definition of it is about having just the right amount.

This is what an intentional life is all about. You have the awareness to know what you want, what the right balance is for you, while maintaining a level of discipline to control yourself when you’re tempted to go outside of that. 

But it’s all unique to you. You need to understand your boundaries, needs and desires. You need to find your own right amount.

Now let me call out one more thing about this. Intentionality can be used as an excuse. You can deceive yourself that it’s okay to eat ice cream this one time, or press “Snooze” this one time, and convince yourself that it's in the name of meeting the needs of your highest self. But that thought process may not actually represent your highest self as it’s biased by the emotional environment of the current moment. 

To account for that, my recommendation is to make these decisions in advance as often as you can. This means that you have an expectation set before you meet that emotional moment and you can use it as a reference point to make the right decision, no matter what your mind might be telling you. It requires discipline, but it helps you find that right amount that you feel really good about, and is unique to you.