If you could choose five people to sit on the board inside your mind, who would they be? This question can help towards increased self awareness, decision making, and value clarification. Think of your inner board as the council that helps guide your choices, shape your mindset, and keep you aligned with the person you want to become. These people can be alive, deceased, mentors, authors, characters or maybe even future versions of yourself. Here are some potential considerations: -The Visionary/Idealist/Inspired/Passionate: someone who pulls you toward possibility -The Truth Teller/The Open minded one: someone who gives clarity, honesty and grounded feedback; someone who may call you out on your b.s.(hopefully in kindness!); someone who may offer different perspectives -The Compassionate One: someone who offers steadiness, emotion regulation, -The Strategist/Problem solver: someone who helps you think long term and make wise decisions -The Courage Catalyst/Motivator/Cheerleader: someone who reminds you to stretch past fear or take action even when others around may say otherwise. -The Moral Compass/The Grateful: someone who reminds you of values, of other types of considerations; someone who is grounded in what is Your choices help identify what you value, what you aspire to, and what qualities you want more of in your daily life. (The video and infographic below is in relation to the people that we surround ourselves with and the significance of that) Question for you: Who deserves a seat on the board in your mind and who has been sitting there rent free that needs to be replaced?

I tell myself that I love a good challenge--and this is true if it's in an area where I feel either competent or excited about or both! But is it less true if those factors don't exist? Maybe. How much of a challenge is it really if it's still kind of in my comfort zone? Many people wait to feel ready before they take on something difficult. But readiness is usually the reward we get after doing the hard thing, not before. Challenges stretch our minds, expand our emotional bandwidth, and reshape our brains for the better. 🧠 Here comes the nerdy stuff!! I love it so much though: What's at work? 1. Prefrontal Cortex: This part of the brain supports planning, decision making and emotional regulation. Hard tasks strengthen this region, improving self control and long term thinking. Executive functioning skills here we come! 2. Anterior mid Cingulate Cortex: This region is activated when we face conflict, discomfort or uncertainty. It helps ups with building cognitive flexibility and grit. It helps us survive! 3. Hippocampus: Challenges promote neuroplasticity which supports learning, memory and resilience. Pushing your limits in manageable doses helps this area 4. Dopamine System: Completing difficult tasks triggers reward pathways. This builds confidence, motivation and a sense of mastery. It reinforces the message that you can do hard things and survive. And who doesn't want a little dopamine hit here and there? Taking on challenges creates internal shifts like learning we can handle discomfort, our ability to tolerate uncertainty increases, we build a sense of self trust, we start believing that we are capable, we become less reactive under pressure and stress becomes more like information rather than danger. ⚡ Why It Matters A life without challenge feels safe, but it also keeps us small and not growing. A life with challenge feels uncomfortable but we end up growing and helping ourselves down the line. We do not grow by staying within the edges of what you already know, but rather by stepping into a level of difficulty that activates your brain, stretches your identity and builds capacity you did not know you had. :) Pretty cool stuff, right? :) :)

December 4th: Spotlight on @Chris Wendt for today! His community focuses on helping others build financial freedom: Dollar Discipline University If this is something of interest to you, go check it out! :) It's been nice getting to know him and he has genuine care for helping others! This is a recent post he made within this group: whats-one-habit-you-wish-you-built-earlier-in-life

The best thing I’ve ever done is gotten married and had 2 beautiful children. The next best thing I’ve ever done is realize there was more to this world than being strapped to a desk for 40+ hours a week working for someone else. I was 33 when I discovered this path. At first I started this journey because I wanted to provide even more for my family and have more time freedom, aka make more money to do what I want, when I wanted. But it’s more about that now. Entrepreneurship is the greatest vessel towards personal growth IMO. It’s really a testament to how much you want the thing. The sacrifices you are willing to trade. When I first started this journey I remember telling my wife ‘I’m willing to sacrifice Tuesday nights, Thursday nights and some weekend time to make this work’ LOL 😂 I was so naive The habit I wish I knew sooner was value creation for others. So I am spending all my time now trying to better understand that, and deliver it more frequently. What’s the one habit you wish you built sooner?

"“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation" Henry David Thoreau "Alas for those that never sing, But die with all their music in them!" Oliver Wendell Holmes I think about the Thoreau quote often and wonder the sparks that people keep hidden inside of them...One of the blessings and more rewarding parts of my job is that sometimes I get to help people explore this--to help bring out the spark that makes them feel alive. Seeing someone's eyes light up is such a privilege and brings so much joy. It can be easy to drift through life without much intention, agency, or self reflection. It's easy to keep ourselves trapped in a cage of our own making. But....we CAN create a life that doesn't turn into desperation or having us go to the grave with the song still in our hearts.. Here are some things to consider: 1. Name Your Values And Revisit Them Often -when people feel they are “quietly desperate,” it is usually because their lives drift far away from what they actually care about. How to do it: a. Write down the top five things you want your life to stand for b.Ask yourself weekly: “Did I live 1% percent closer to these?” c. Let your values make small decisions easier, so you avoid emotional autopilot Psychology tie in: Values based behavior reduces avoidance and increases a sense of agency :) 2. Practice Micro Courage Quiet desperation often grows from years of small silences--of not speaking up, not trying to step outside of the comfort zone, not risking and not starting. Micro courage: tiny brave acts a. Sending the email/text b. trying the class c. sking the question d.making the change while it is still small Psychology tie in: Every micro act of courage builds your psychological flexibility and shrinks your fear barrier. 3. Get Out Of “All Or Nothing” Thinking A reason people end up feeling stuck is because they think change must be massive or immediate.When the mind goes all or nothing, it has a much harder time acting in some instances. Some people can operate on the 'go big or go home' mentality, but likely they've had a lot of practice in saying yes to smaller steps along the way to where it can be easier to embark on the bigness.