My dear friend @Maxwell Riseman just made a post in his community, RiseUp Together, about "Healing the Heart", where he shared this lovely Instagram Reel about healing your nervous system through experiences rather than simply waiting for it to happen. He called on me and others like @Rachel Bents from The Joy Project to share our strategies on creating more joy in our lives. (In case you didn't know, one of our big missions at Focus Founders is to help entrepreneurs build their businesses and lives from a place of FLOW and JOY, rather than necessity or struggle.) I really enjoyed this question, and I wanted to share my response. I recently came across the idea that joy & gratitude are like muscles. The more you practice them, the stronger they become in you, and the more easily they become your default state. So how do you exercise these muscles? Here are some ways that have worked for me: 1. Gratitude journaling. Each day, write 3-5 things you are grateful for in your life. 2. Guided meditations around gratitude or joy. Practice coming back to these emotions regularly throughout your day. 3. Play a game I call the “I like” game. I look around and name things I like out loud. “I like the way those leaves shake in the wind. I like the feeling of the sun on my face. I like watching the ducks swim.” 4. I also play the "I like" game with friends. We simply take turns naming things we like! It’s a good practice for becoming someone who notices things you like as you move through the world. 5. Sing the gratitude song. “I thank you, thank you for [insert thing you’re thankful for here]. For example, I thank you thank you for this beautiful day. Or I thank you, thank you for the sun today. Your imagination is the only limit here!

We've done it, friend. We've reached one THOUSAND members!!! What a moment! This is hard to believe. And just one week before the 1-year anniversary of me creating the community (before I teamed up with Rex and renamed this group Focus Founders, it was called the ADHD Entrepreneur's Playground.) Shout out to @James Sopp for being our 1,000th member! And to @Sam Rathling for inviting him here! I've learned so much about community, about leadership, and about what I'm capable of as a person. All thanks to Skool. I've met so many incredible people and grown so much as both an entreprneur and a human being. Another massive milestone in the books. Now I want to get that Skool ⭐ back... I'd love to hear from you guys. What does Skool mean to you? How has Focus Founders impacted your journey? And what made you want to stick around? With so much love & gratitude... Your Avatar-Focused Founder, Bill

Something sneaky is happening in this group… I’ve hidden a Digital Scavenger Hunt across the posts in the comments. Clues are meant to get your gears turning and maybe hopefully confuse and challenge you at least a little bit. I want to see curiosity, play, and a little friendly chaos and rivalry. 🎯 THE GOAL ✨️Scan posts like a detective ✨️Dig through comments you probably skipped before ✨️Follow riddles that lead you to the next clue Race you fellow Avatars to the prize at the end ✨ Give your brain something fun to lock onto First 6 people to complete the entire hunt win a PRIZE 🎉 🏆 THE PRIZES (choose ONE) Each winner gets to pick one 1:1 session offered by the mods and the fearless Founder Bill! 😜 access to an exclusive silly course, or a sticker from @Bill Widmer 🧘‍♀️ A guided focus meditation with @Sebastian Schroeder 🔗 A 1:1 emotional processing assistance @Reema Rana 🌱 A somatic season + productivity session with myself @Alison St. Romain 🧠 Ready to hunt? Let the hyperfocus games begin 🔍✨ Eta: A hint, because I may have went too hard on these 😅😅😅 Next clue is here: https://www.skool.com/focus-founders-free/time-for-a-little-fun-focus-founders?p=fba6c858