Recently, I had a very long conversation with a great friend, and we were talking about the idea of overwhelm. We talked about things like language learning and how complicated and frustrating that can be. I made a suggestion which I think ended up helping us both. The idea actually comes from "Mr. Wonderful" Kevin O'Leary, who I believe borrowed it from still someone else. He has a daily ritual of writing down three things on a sticky note before going to bed, and those three things are his "must-do" items -- his most important items to complete for the next morning BEFORE he can do anything else. No phone, no TV, no emails, etc., until these three things are accomplished. This sets the tone for the day on a high note of success before the day is really started. After I learned about this idea, I took it and applied it to more things – I wanted to use it on tasks, projects, plans, and more. At the time, I had countless other projects and commitments, and needless to say, I was feeling completely overwhelmed. To test out the theory, I picked, at random, a project involving a fair amount of planning for an event. I decided that, rather than three things per day related to this project, I would do just one thing. So, for this project, I created a duplicate of the planning spreadsheet I had used the year before for the same project, and I updated it with this year’s information, such as location, time, date, etc. AND, that was it! I was finished (or as we like to say in Baltimore, I was done!) I did nothing else on this project for the rest of the day, and instead, I moved on to the next project, and I applied this idea again. By the time I was finished with all of these mini accomplishments on over a dozen items that required my attention, I felt great. I had no fatigue, no mental drain, no need for a nap, and I actually felt really great. I felt as though I had conquered the world for the day. And, maybe most importantly, I felt relaxed and with no signs of stress anywhere.

Here is a gift to express my gratitude and my wish for you to find the things for which you can express gratitude. Use this free tool to remind yourself of the great blessings in your life, even the small ones, such as having clean water to drink. Just co to the Classroom to get it, or click here. When we live our lives at a rushed pace, we often overlook the little things (and sometimes the big ones too) for which we should be grateful. I hope that you will enter this weekend finding things in your life for which you are grateful. Start by downloading the journal, then take a few minutes to look through it to get the flavor of what it's all about. Then, grab a cup of comfort (coffee, tea, etc.) if you like, find a quiet space, take a few deep breaths, and see if there is at least one thing for which you can express gratitude today. This is about you and your calmness and happiness. So, please take a beat, catch your breath, and find the space between moments to remember who you are, to explore who you are becoming, and to find things in everyday life for which to be grateful. To help a bit further, please share below one thing (or multiple things) that give you that feeling of gratitude. Sometimes when we share it really enhances the experience. No pressure, of course, but feel free to join in if you wish. Either way, I hope you can put this journal to use. I also hope that you enjoy your weekend and that you remember to always enjoy being you!

I think we can all agree that most people (at least in the US) look forward to Friday (TGIF) because it's the end of the work week. They are no longer miserable being at work, and they are excited about the next two days. I remember that I used to get on the elevator at work every Friday, and inevitably someone would sigh or would make a big deal about it being Friday ... finally. I would shout out, "Yup. Just two more days until Monday." People would gasp. They sometimes were not too happy, and sometimes they laughed. The real point is, are we happy and grateful everyday, or are we just robots all week looking forward to "our time" on the weekend? For me, it was a lesson from someone else along the way. A powerful lesson about living each day with purpose and intention. Enjoying the "moments" throughout the day, and LIVING rather than doing. Today, I encourage you to look forward to Monday. Live with purpose, and be grateful for the very job or business that puts food on the table, shelter over your head, and pays the bills. More importantly, be grateful for those in your life who make the moments even more special. What are your plans for the weekend? What are you thinking about how to approach Monday? Thank you, and please remember to enjoy each day being you!

I just experienced another great conversation in another great community. Here's a direct link to the community itself if you want to learn more about it: https://www.skool.com/advertise-your-skool/about?ref=ec65a529e2f14a898d9e563f0c505567. It's a very welcoming space, and Lydia Wilmsen is truly a wonderful person to interact with and to learn from. Head over and check out the post: "Friday Reminder — Connection Without Burnout." Take a moment to interact with this discussion and share your thoughts. She and I were discussing the concept of "The rush and fast pace of things can be overwhelming, and not only do they cause burnout, they can diminish the quality of what we are trying to do." She suggested that "if we try to be everywhere at once we are nowhere fully!" This could not be more true. Hop over and catch the rest of the discussion.

So I've been exploring Skool quite a bit, and I think it's important to always find great insights wherever you can. I think we can find those insights everywhere if we are willing to just slow down, take a beat, catch our breath and remember about the space between moments. This is where we can open our minds and hearts to the possibilities around us. Anyway, the conversation I mentioned is in Mark Kozanic's Men's Inner Circle community. You can find out more about his community and join here: https://www.skool.com/assisted-healing-7070/about?ref=ec65a529e2f14a898d9e563f0c505567 In this conversation, Mark discusses the concept of "I am" and its impact and usefulness to us in our daily lives. He writes, "It's a reference to the idea that we are all apart of God (Reference to the biblical "I Am that I Am" (Exodus 3:14), but it's also very much to do with how the words we speak shape who we are and how we exist within the world." Then the conversation begins. Share your thoughts here, or head over to his community and share them there. https://www.skool.com/assisted-healing-7070/i-am?p=ed06ade7 And remember to enjoy your day being you!