Who doesn’t love a good challenge? Judging by the overflowing amount of 30-day, 21-day, 7-day, and 5-day challenges that are available on the internet, it seems like everyone is looking for a way to jumpstart a change in their life. 30 Day (or 21 day…7 day…) Challenges come with promises of losing weight, building muscle, breaking bad habits, developing good habits, and magically transforming you into a stronger, fitter, better, smarter, and more productive person than you were before.

I know this because I’m a sucker for a good challenge. Especially the free ones. There aren’t many that I’ve turned…

As a member of the Happiness in Training Community, I wanted to invite you to take this survey to help me understand how to serve you better.

I have been learning a lot from others who have already taken it.

Can you relate to these responses?

“I lack a definite purpose and goal in life. I have believed that it will reveal itself to me magically, and am just now realizing that it is foolhardy to expect that.”

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“It’s very difficult to be happy during these current times. …

In January, I began working with a transformational eating coach (yes, that’s a real thing and it’s been…dare I say transformational!). One of the first things she asked me to do was to write down all my beliefs about myself. Anything at all that I believed was true about me. Sounded easy enough.

I believe I can’t lose weight.

I believe I’m not smart.

I believe I’m shy.

I believe I am a slow learner.

I believe I’m not pretty enough.

I believe my lack of confidence holds me back from reaching my full potential.

I believe it is easier…

Does this sound familiar to you?

Working from home. No more commute time.

I’m going to take full advantage of the morning. I’ll wake up early, exercise, write or work on my own creative endeavors, eat a healthy breakfast at the kitchen table with my partner, and be ready to start the workday by 9am.

Reality.

Wake up. Body feels tired and run down. Coffee first. Grab phone while coffee brews. Check Twitter feed.

Numbers still going up. Yet we’re still reopening.

Hatred, violence, and injustice abounds.

The world is awful, and we’re going to die.

Candy Crush.

10am. Guess…

Habit formation or habit-breaking is a universal human struggle. There are countless books written on the topic. Experts outline the best strategies and defenses for making and breaking habits. Like most people, I find it to be an up and down roller coaster ride. I slide in and out of habits, both with great ease and great difficulty. The bad ones happen with great ease and the good ones come with great effort.

For most of my life. I’ve tried to create the habit of losing weight.

It’s taken me years to realize that losing weight is not a habit…

Remember when we could travel freely and drive wherever we pleased.

Remember when we could meet up with friends and connect with the world.

Remember when grocery shopping was simple and uncalculated.

Remember when you could fill your day with meetings, social events, and family activities that kept you occupied from sunrise to sunset.

Remember when the beaches and mountain trails were free to roam at will.

It’s easy to remember what used to be from the lens of rose-colored glasses.

But I also remember another world that I’m not so eager to return to.

Remember when getting across town was a nightmare, and traffic was relentless.

Remember when lunch with friends was crammed…

We’re all in this together.

When I first heard this slogan being used in response to the corona virus pandemic, it felt trite to me. I wanted something more inspiring and courageous. Something that recognized how all of our personal experiences are different.

Like many others, I felt a disconnect from the celebrities in their luxurious homes spreading this well-intentioned message. My 19-year-old niece says she and her friends mockingly console each other with this slogan as they wonder how this will affect their ability to pay for college and rent.

Even Lady Gaga has recognized the dissonance and expressed…

Pandemic Panic.

We’re all feeling it.

The emotions that come with navigating a nationwide shutdown, observing a global economic crisis, and handling our own personal lives being turned upside down. It’s a lot to endure at one time.

It’s also unique for the entire world to be experiencing this turmoil simultaneously.

Stop for a moment and contemplate this. You are not alone in feeling the tornado of emotions rising in your chest.

There’s a comfort in that.

The connection to humanity is palpable. Billions across the globe are dealing with identical problems, fears, and anxieties. …