What are you going to do with what you have? Fumble forward, enthusiastically. Take positive risks. Bet on your gifts. :) Dreaming is beautiful...but dreams only move when you do! Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. Read that again....Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship!. :) (thanks Denzel) QUESTION TO PONDER: what would falling forward look like for you right now? What are you going to do with what you have? POLL: If you actually treated your dream like a goal this year, what would change first? (I'll post some ACTION ideas in the comment section). :) -------------------------------------------------

This is something I keep thinking about. We often try to change habits by adding more discipline. We try to push harder, we force the change, and we are stricter with ourselves. But habits are mechanisms in our brain to help it save energy. Once something is wired, it runs on autopilot so we don’t have to think every time. The tricky part is that when we’re stressed or overloaded, our system goes into conservation mode. And in that state, it will default even faster to the old pattern, not because we’re lazy, but because it’s familiar and costs less energy. So the issue when we are trying to change, isn’t that we need more willpower. It's that our system doesn’t have enough capacity to try something different. Before forcing a new behavior, it can help to ask: What’s actually draining my bandwidth right now? Sometimes removing a bit of pressure works better than adding more.

Hey Empowered Fam! :) I was just in a call with @Arthur Maddocks-Brown in his group, where we talked about creating a Bucket List and I was inspired to share this with the group! He is running a Bucket List Challenge in his group (100 goals in 5 years)!! QUESTION: What are some of the things on YOUR bucket list? I would LOVE to hear about some of these! :) Aaaaaaaand...Because this is a group about inspiring and being inspired, empowering and being empowered, and living to our fullest potential (whatever that may look like) this is a great way to support/encourage each other along the way! Some additional info about bucket list, if you'd like it! :) ------------------------------- A bucket list is an intentional inventory of experiences, goals, and growth edges you want to tend to during your life. Since we never know when our time is up, it's helpful to start now. **Think of it less like a checklist and more like a map of who you want to become.Think about the values that you hold and how the items within the bucket list serve towards those values**** Most meaningful bucket lists have a few different “buckets” inside them: 1. Experiences (the classic stuff) These are the do the thing items. The things that expand your point of reference. -Travel to places that change your perspective -Try something that scares you a little (or a lot) -Attend or participate in something you once thought was “not for people like me” 2. Growth & Becoming This is where it gets deeper--identify your values; explore past hurts; who are you becoming? These items usually feel uncomfortable to write down because they require change, not just effort. -Learn a skill you’ve always avoided -Confront a pattern you keep repeating -Develop a trait you admire in others (patience, courage, empathy, integrity) . 3. Relationship & Connection A lot of people realize late that who they shared life with mattered more than what they did. i posted a short video a while back (I'll try to find it again) about how love/relationships is what matters most to people in the end of their life. :)

We have a few more posts written by our lovely community members! :) :) worth reflecting upon ! ! Thank you all for taking the time to post/share!! :) :) @Tyler Scott wrote this gem:developing-empathy @Jarne Großstück wrote this love filled reflection: what-if-the-end-has-already-arrived

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. " MLK Jr. :) I wanted to share something that @Arthur Maddocks-Brown and @Maxwell Riseman are doing in their communities and that I'd like to put out here for anyone that would also be interested and inspired to do something similar!! In a world of darkness, we can be carriers of some light! :) Be the change you wish to see in the world. Arthur used to volunteer for a charity called Letters of Hope, but unfortunately they closed due to funding issues. BUT, the mission doesn't have to stop and I think that we (and others) can continue it. THE TASK, should you choose to accept it: -Write a handwritten letter of hope as if you're writing to someone you deeply care about, knowing it will be gifted to a complete stranger. -Leave the letter somewhere for someone to find, or, if you're feeling extra brave, hand the letter to a stranger. If you want to post a photo or share about your experience in writing it , please do so in the comment section below! :)