I was listening to Modern Wisdom (E1077 with Chris Bailey) and it highlighted something can be easy to overlook: We spend a lot of time trying to build motivation… Yet not enough time looking at what we’re avoiding. 👉 Aversion is often the real problem. Because even when a goal matters to you — something about it can still feel… off. 😞 Chris breaks this into 6 common “aversion factors” and my goodness they resonated with me! - Boring - Frustrating - Unpleasant - Too far in the future - Unstructured - Meaningless (not aligned with your values) The good news? These aren’t personality flaws — they’re adjustable levers. Let’s make this practical! 1. Boring 😴 If something feels repetitive or dull, you won’t stick with it — simple as that. This shows up with: - Eating the same meals on repeat - Doing workouts you don’t enjoy - Routines that feel like a chore 👉 Fix: Make the experience better. Try this: - Add variety (new meals, new workouts) - Pair it with something enjoyable (music, podcast, fresh environment) - Add a social element (walk with a friend, group class) You don’t need more discipline — you need less boredom. 2. Frustrating 😫 This is a big one with exercise (and honestly, anything new). It can feel like: - “I don’t know what I’m doing” - “I’m so far behind” - “This is harder than I expected” So even if you want the result… Your brain associates it with discomfort and avoids it. 👉 Fix: Lower the barrier. Try this: - Start easier than you think you should - Follow a simple plan (remove decision fatigue) - Focus on consistency, not performance - Drop comparison — your starting point is valid The goal isn’t to crush every session. It’s to make it easy enough to come back tomorrow. 3. Unpleasant 😬 This one is subtle. It’s not always “hard”… it just doesn’t feel good. Examples: - Meals that aren’t satisfying - Workouts you dread - A routine that feels restrictive 👉 Fix: Improve the experience.

Good morning, empowered fam! Just checking in on you all to see how your first quarter of the year went and what your intetions are for the next three months! :) Here are some things to ponder: 1. What are some wins of the past 3 months? 2. Where do I need to make some adjustments/where is there opportunity for growth? 3. What are my intentions for the next 3 months? Attached is a Quarter 2 Planning Worksheet! :) Consider the different areas of life: Relationships, Spirituality, Physical/Mental Health, Career/financial, Purposeful Action, Creativity, Overall Personal Growth. POLL: How did the last 3 months go?

What's something that's true that you wish wasn't? or What's something that's not true that you wish was true?

"𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀?" "What if they leave?" "What if this ruins everything?" "What if I fail?". What if, what if, what if.... Ever notice how if we engage in "what if" type thinking, it's often towards the negative? Our brains (unless we've trained them well) have the tendency to default to looking out for the negative/looking out for problems. It's wired for safety and so the "what if" is a question that can feel productive, but if we end up stopping there, is often very not productive. We get stuck in the loop and it leaves us anxious. We don't always go to the solution part of that...It's not only not always productive but it ends up stealing joy from the current moment. Here’s the problem:“What if” pulls you into imagined futures where you have zero control and infinite variables. It creates emotional consequences for events that haven’t happened and that may never happen. It also doesn't take into account that future self--the self that has more information, the self that may be well equipped to handle whatever comes. "𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒅𝒖𝒆" and " 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒆"are two quotes that come to mind when it comes to this....but okay, instead of saying "just stop with the What ifs"...let's redirect this energy and use some strategies! :) 𝕋𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤: 1. Turn “What if?” into “What’s likely?”Anxious brains deal in possibility. Grounded brains deal in probability. Most catastrophic outcomes are low likelihood but high emotional intensity. 2. Follow it with a plan.If the feared outcome did happen, what would you actually do? 3. Ask a better question.Instead of “What if this goes wrong?”Try: “What if this goes well?”Or even better: “What would the strongest version of me do next?” This is related to the point above about planning for it! Planning is different than worrying. But, remember, you can't plan for absolutely every single outcome...(think about the mental energy/time spent thinking/planning vs. what it would take to deal with the situation when it arises)

Let's play a little game! :) The would you rather game, but of course...with a psychological bent, because why not? 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿… 1. Always be deeply understood by a few people OR widely admired by many but rarely known? 2. Love others but not experience someone's love in return or be loved by others but you don't experience love towards others? 3. Have total emotional self-awareness OR never overthink anything again? 4. Be respected but slightly intimidating OR adored but underestimated? 5. Always attract emotionally unavailable people OR always be the emotionally unavailable one? 6. Be emotionally intelligent but exhausted OR blissfully unaware and well-rested? 7. Be confident in private but awkward in public OR magnetic in public but insecure alone? 8. Be known for your softness OR known for your strength? 9. Be ghosted OR have to ghost someone kind? 10. Have a theme song play every time you enter a room OR a narrator describe your thoughts? (What would your theme song be?) Drop your answers below! Bonus: Which one made you pause the longest and why?