We don’t often realize it, but we’re mostly living out a version of ourselves that we’ve decided to be a while ago. This isn’t a bad version, but it’s often stuck in outdated ideas about who we have to be. There’s also a version of you that already knows how to do the thing you’d like to do. It’s not about knowledge, or even being capable of it — it’s about how you see yourself. Who you’re being when you face the work — and who you need to be, for the purpose in front of you. This month’s...
2 months ago • 1 min read
I’ve been finding that most people work with goals in one of three ways: They avoid setting goals because of fear of failing, feeling inadequate, or feeling forced to stick to them out of obligation; They make goals but force themselves to stick to them, but doing it out of obligation or “have to” instead of feeling inspired; or They set some goals that they’re not really committed to, staying safe and letting themselves off the hook. These are all disempowered ways to work with goals. They...
3 months ago • 1 min read
We are all subject to self-doubt — the voice that tells us to stay safe and not risk looking like an idiot — and I’ve found that it keeps us stuck in our comfort zones. There’s nothing wrong with this … but I’ve found it powerful to shift to a self-trust and belief in yourself that helps you to grow beyond your current space of safety into new discoveries and growth. That said, this shift is not easy on our own — it helps to have support and community, and to bring some awareness to why we...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I’ve talked with dozens and dozens of people about what they want to change most in their lives … and the most common answer is something along the lines of, “Get better at taking action on the things I’m avoiding.” When we have resistance, we tend to put things off — call it fear, procrastination, or avoidance, we all do it somewhere in our lives. That’s not a problem, but if we can get better at facing the things we’re avoiding, our lives can start to transform. We can start to tackle the...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Many times, we find a cool productivity system in a book or an online content creator … then we get excited about it and try to implement it. But more often than most people realize, the system fails. Most people will think it’s because there’s something wrong with them — they failed to be disciplined about it. But that’s not it. Productivity systems fail because they’re not a good fit for us. And because we don’t know how to put them into action in a way that sets us up for success. In our...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Every year in December, I encourage everyone in Fearless Living Academy to go through our Sacred Bow Challenge (note: “Bow” rhymes with “cow”), which is a process of reviewing your year to get the most out of it, and then setting intentions and structure for the coming year. I find it a powerful process for reaping the most learnings from our year, and setting ourselves up for success in the year to come. But there’s another benefit of going through the Sacred Bow Challenge — it can be a...
7 months ago • 1 min read
We all have setbacks. From personal crises to failing at habit change to having a really messy week … this kind of stuff can get us feeling discouraged. I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can pick ourselves back up again, and what I’ve been loving is the idea of fresh starts. A fresh start is putting the discouraging stuff behind you, and starting anew. It’s exciting and hopeful! And we can have a fresh start on any day we choose. That’s the topic of our November Fearless Living Academy...
8 months ago • 1 min read
The questions I get from the Zen Habits community — in comments, emails, and conversations — are a gift. They remind me how much we’re all navigating, and I wanted to create a space to explore them more fully. That’s what this month’s YouTube Live is about. It will be an open Q&A session where I’ll respond to your questions on habits, mindfulness, simplicity, and the challenges of creating meaningful change. I’ll be answering some of the questions you’ve shared ahead of time, and I’ll also...
8 months ago • 1 min read
These days, it can be hard to be true to who you are — we might have the tendency to people-please, to try to not be judged, to protect ourselves from criticism — and so we feel like we either have to be someone we’re not … or withdraw from engaging with others. How can we put ourselves out there, express ourselves, and still be authentic? In our October Fearless Living Academy workshop, we’re going to explore how to express our core values even under the pressure to conform. Topics we’ll...
9 months ago • 1 min read