Hello community, Adam Holtzer here, I wanted to tell you a story about a line that has changed my life, and the lives/days/weeks of those around me. Ever say the term, “have a great day!” We all have said that, everyday we say that, back in 2018 I met someone who said to me, “create a great day.” That was a pattern interrupt to me, I had to stop and think about what those words meant. When I asked why this person said “create” bs “have,” it hit me. We all have the ability to create a great day, it’s a choice, it’s a mindset. So I leave you with this, every day, every week, we have the choice to make our days what they are, that’s the importance of mindset, and perspective. Give it a try, say to someone, “create a great day, or make it a great day.” There is a lot of power in both the words we choose, and the mindset we choose, with all that said… Create a great day after reading this post!

"Winning" Coming off my cabin retreat, I wrote a letter to myself about slowing down, staying aware, and taking life one step at a time. That clarity didn’t stay on the mountain. It followed me home. And one idea keeps looping in my mind: I’ve spent much of my life trying to “win” at things that were never meant to be won. I can’t “win” at fitness or wellness. There’s no perfect number, no finish line. If I push too hard or not enough, the system breaks. I'll never complete all the challenges, run all the races, so enjoy the ones you do commit to. Balance is what keeps me alive and in the game. I can’t “win” a marriage. If someone thinks they did, that’s… unfortunate. And business? Leadership? Parenting? Same thing. There is no “done.” There’s only whether I’m still playing — and how well, how consistently. What game am I actually playing... And why? ----- What the Trails Taught Me Sure, there are destinations and markers and summits. But the real objective is simple: Take the next step. That’s it. Extended hikes made this painfully obvious. I noticed how fast things can slip when my mind goes anywhere else —looking out over the cliff, thinking about how far I’ve gone, thinking about how far is left, or getting distracted by wet leaves or loose stones. It only takes a microsecond of not being present to stumble. Trail hard? Trail easy? Doesn’t matter. The focus doesn’t change: one step — keep moving forward. When the view is great, take a breath and enjoy it. But then it’s time for the next step. That's the only objective. ----- Staying in the Game I also had to listen to my body. Eat before I’m starving. Drink before I’m depleted. Have a plan so I don’t crash. Because if the tank goes empty, the steps stop. And physical exhaustion drags the mind with it just as fast as mental exhaustion drags the body. If I slip, the only question is: Will I get back up? Can I get back up? And when pain shows up — because it always does — ask: Is this temporary?

This past week I honored my (new) 2nd annual tradition: solo cabin retreat to the Catskill mountains. It's amazing what just 2 nights alone can do for the soul. The purpose? To reconnect with my inner self and leverage the quiet of nature and some hiking trails to find my way through life the next 365. Keeping it all to myself seemed selfish, so here you go... ****** East Catskills Retreat — November 2025 Phil, Life is meant to be lived — one moment, one step, one breath at a time. You’ve seen what happens when you truly watch the mind, when you stand behind it instead of inside it. That’s where peace begins. That’s where awareness lives. Screw the destination. Live the journey. There is no “done.” There is only doing — and becoming through the doing. You’ve seen it on the trail: success, love, health, business — none of it is a finish line. There is no winning weight, no winning heart rate, no perfect number. Too high or too low, and the game ends. The goal is balance — not the fragile kind that teeters, but the steady kind born of the Dao. The middle path. The dance between effort and ease, yin and yang, rest and motion. To live is to move fluidly between opposites without clinging to either. When your mind wanders ahead to the summit or glances back at what’s behind, the next step becomes dangerous. The trail teaches presence. Look where you are — right here, right now. That is all that’s real. The cliff’s edge, the loose stones, the sound of wind through the trees — they remind you: Adelante. Keep moving forward, steady and aware. You know what happens when you ignore your body. Knees, shoulder, foot — they’re not weaknesses; they’re teachers. Pain is the price of freedom. It’s the whisper that says, “Listen deeper.” Is this pain temporary, or is it a boundary you’re meant to respect? Growth demands a toll — physical, mental, spiritual. The question is never “Can you push through?” but “Will you pay what it costs?” Move daily. Play. Hike. Swim. Recover. Your body is the vessel through which your awareness experiences this life. Keep it alive. Keep it flowing.

I’ve always been someone who puts myself last, long before I became a mom. Back in the Uni, living in the city away from my parents, I had to stretch my weekly allowance. So I’d rather spend on public transport fare, food, and school materials than do what other students did, like watch a movie or get what was trendy at the time. And when I eventually became a mom, that habit only became stronger. Putting myself last just felt natural. Delayed gratification wasn’t just something I practiced anymore; it became part of my lifestyle. I have a shopping app on my phone filled with things I want, sometimes over 200 items in my cart, but I never check out unless it’s for my kids or my husband. And when we’re at the mall and I see something I like, I always tell myself, “Next time.” And “next time” means “never mind.” Most of the things I own now are 5, 10+ years old. I always choose to save first and not spend. Even when something good happens, I don’t reward myself, I just move on. But a few moments recently made me pause. Last Mother’s Day, my husband surprised me with a new iPhone. I’ve always been an Android user because iPhones felt too expensive for me. I just need a phone where I can connect with my loved ones, watch a series or a movie, or capture moments with my family, that’s it. And he knows me well. He knew I would wait until my phone was completely beyond repair before I’d ever buy a new one. Before that, he bought me a pair of On Cloud shoes, my first new pair in a long time. And again, he knew exactly why: I’d rather spend on groceries than buy myself shoes. Those little moments made me realize something simple: It’s okay to reward yourself. It’s not irresponsible. It’s not too much. It’s just acknowledging that you matter, too. Delayed gratification is good, it teaches discipline and priorities. But putting yourself last all the time isn’t. You can save and still treat yourself once in a while. You can be practical and still enjoy something new. You can take care of everyone else without forgetting yourself.

The other day my son said something no 6-year-old should even be able to conceive of. While they were probably just words being recited @Janine DePaul and I, saddened and confused, immediately started wondering where he even heard of such a concept. School? Friends? Television? Was it that dumb show he watched? Maybe. So we decide “that one's off the list.” But then… what about the next one? When he’s at a friend’s house? Last week he had overheard me on the phone telling my wife that a man got shot. His supersonic hearing caught what I never intended him to. I should’ve been more careful — but it happened. And it’s a reminder that no matter how much I try to protect him, he’s going to learn the hard truths of this world one day… sooner than he should... It's just a matter of if we're there to help him process when they come. We watched the movie Little Giants the other night — remember the little kid whose mom wraps him up in foam insulation before sending him out to play? It's funny… but don't we all wish the bubble wrap method would work?! But then he asked my wife something else that landed even deeper: “Why does Daddy like working so much?” He understood why people work… but he couldn’t understand why I seem to prefer it. "No, he REALLY likes work." He must perceive that work gets more of my attention than he does. And you know what? My inner voice had an answer I didn’t like hearing: “Well son, that's because Daddy must not be satisfied with himself. He probably thinks maybe he’ll find it in what he builds or accomplishes. The next thing he does. Meanwhile, his most prized creation is you — the one thing that is he lost he’d burn everything else down for.” Go figure. Even when we get what we thought we wanted… we still want more. We still keep filling a void that only seems to expand. So I ask myself — and maybe you too: When is enough, enough? Enough mindless, junk food entertainment that rots our brains. Enough of our own bullshit and excuses.