weekly: rituals
Morning Mail from November 19, 2023.
When we reach the end of the year, most people think of resolutions and reflection.
Which isn’t a bad thing.
There are lovely reflection rituals like releasing what isn’t yours and finding your word of the year.
But what if we’re tired?
Overwhelmed?
Looking for simple?
This is where a morning routine comes in.
Maybe you’re tired of hearing it.
That’s ok, too.
But rather than thinking of it as a routine, consider it a ritual.
One that soothes and fuels.
Even if this is your only commitment for the new year, you’ll feel a change.
With morning rituals, we make daily renewal a habit.
We wake up and recommit to our authentic selves.
We put ourselves first before the demands of the world.
We build confidence in doing so.
This one act creates so much.
The beautiful thing is we don’t need hours.
Even if we only have ten minutes to spare, that’s enough to put the effects in motion.
No need to overcomplicate.
Good Thinking
I love feeling good and connecting with the quiet yearnings of the soul.
Good Action
Rest.
Take a nap, even if that mans letting the laundry sit unfolded.
We consume too much and need to allow ourselves to do a little less.
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What kind of rituals would make me feel good?
Good Book
Energy Type: Masculine
In So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport debunks the myth that "following your passion" is good advice. He claims that "a focus on passion over skill can be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping."
He believes that passion comes after working hard to become excellent at something valuable.
This book is for:
"anyone fretting about what to do with their life, or frustrated by their current job situation and eager to find a fresh new way to take control of their livelihood. [Cal] provides an evidence-based blueprint for creating work you love, and will change the way you think about careers, happiness, and the crafting of a remarkable life."
Sparks of Joy
Snail mail: A friend's handwritten note reignited my love for snail mail. I opened my card organizer, picked out stationery, wrote back to her, and felt so happy!
Medium: It’s the best when you find a small hole in the internet that speaks to you. Mine is a humor publication on Medium called Jane Austen’s Wastebasket.
Trusting yourself: Last week, I trusted what my gut felt during an important decision and stuck to it. It felt great inching ever closer to my authentic self.
Resting: There's nothing like ending work early, getting in comfy clothes, and sipping warm tea on the couch. This mama is ready for her resting era!
Extra Goodies
Good Read: Thoughts on being offline by Jamie Varon.
Good Quote: Clarissa Pinkola Estes reminds us of the importance of staying connected to ourselves:
“for women of modern culture, soul loss is a danger every single day…the central psychic fact remains that our connection to meaning, passion, soulfulness, and the deep nature is something we have to keep watch over.”
Good Guesting: 35 Festive Appetizers to Bring to a Holiday Party.
Good Read & Listen: On The Good Space blog, we share a ritual you can do to release what you don't want in 2023 and embrace what you do. Read or listen here.
Love this?
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Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
let yourself begin again
Morning Mail from November 10, 2023.
When you hear the word renewal, what comes to mind?
The dictionary says, "to be restored to a former state; become new or as if new again."
Cheesy, I'm quoting the dictionary. I know.
But what a poignant way to capture the essence of the word.
We have opportunities every day to renew ourselves.
First thing in the morning.
In the pause between moments.
At night before bed.
How do you like to renew yourself?
Good Quote
“I can hardly wait for tomorrow, it means a new life for me each and every day.”
— Stanley Kunitz
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What can I do to start fresh again?
Good Thinking
Every day is a new opportunity to become new again.
Love this?
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Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
relax and wander
Morning Mail from November 3, 2023.
Here are two ways to embrace the space from now until the new year.
To encourage a little more well-being this winter.
On Monday, I'll send another two.
1. Press the pause button
Think about the spots in your life that feel constricted like a pressure cooker.
Then, take at least one action to feel a release.
Let go of something in your business or life that doesn't work for you.
Delegate.
Make holiday plans simple.
Whatever makes life feel better.
2. Schedule breaks, walks, and boring moments.
Grounding practices like getting in nature, journaling, and morning routines slow the nervous system down.
They help you connect with your true self and give your life more breathing room.
More breathing room means more chances for inspiration and overall well-being.
The good news is your “me time” doesn’t have to look like someone else’s.
Do what feels right.
You may only have ten minutes and hate routines, so fuel-up time looks different daily.
I know some people who can’t stand routines, so they make containers of 30-minute increments throughout their day for specific tasks, making them feel connected and on track.
Or, like me, maybe a morning routine helps you feel stable and secure and, therefore, more motivated because you have a familiar start and end to the day.
Whatever it is, the soul feels better when we have time to relax and wander.
Good Quote
“This is the month of nuts and nutty thoughts — that November whose name sounds so bleak and cheerless — perhaps its harvest of thought is worth more than all the other crops of the year.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What part of my life needs more space? What’s one action I can take to create that space?
Good Thinking
I create more space in my life and embrace the possibilities of the unknown.
Love this?
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Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
envision what’s to come
Morning Mail from November 1, 2023.
And just like that, we're in the final stretch of 2023.
Is anyone else feeling that time goes too fast?
It doesn't help when, the day before Halloween, stores already have Christmas decor on display.
Although the world moves at lightning speed, it doesn't mean we have to.
Winding down
A wonderful thing about November is the natural inner nudge to reflect and get intentional about the new year.
That's why this month's theme is Feeling Best About: Renewal.
Allowing ourselves to appreciate progress, release what hasn't been working, and envision what's to come.
To renew a sense of what we value and recommit to prioritizing those.
Then, we release what isn't useful to us anymore.
All while the rest of the world keeps running.
Do you have a ritual you do at the end of the year?
If you're in the mood and want inspiration, here's an article I wrote.
Good Quote
“The month of November makes me feel that life is passing more quickly. In an effort to slow it down, I try to fill the hours more meaningfully.”
— Henry Rollins
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What’s one great thing that’s happened this year?
Good Thinking
I appreciate progress, embrace what’s good, and envision what’s to come.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
weekly: simple is better
Morning Mail from October 29, 2023.
Last week, we challenged what progress looks and feels like.
Many of us have been sold the idea that when we hit plateaus or struggles, it's a sign that we're not meant to do something.
Not always the case.
Or that we need to replicate someone else's path to succeed.
Psh nooope.
The third thing that often trips up our progress is complication.
Attracting what we want is simpler than we think.
Complication
As a kid, all I wanted to do was sing and perform.
In Tucson, there’s a western steakhouse called Pinnacle Peak.
It had a gazebo outside, where I decided I needed to do a show.
A Spice Girls show with four of my other girlfriends.
(We can lol about this another time.)
Thinking I’d have to pay to perform, I grabbed printer paper and crayons, drew pictures that looked like a 2-year-old drew them, and sold them for 25 cents each.
As unremarkable as those crayon pictures were, I remember feeling confident I could provide value and determined to make it happen.
(I ended up making $14).
I didn’t need to build a website or get a degree in music first.
I just acted.
I'm sure you can think of something similar-ish from when you were a kid.
We were bold.
We didn't need to overthink.
Keep it simple
So why, as adults, are we sheepish about proclaiming and getting what we want?
I think it's because we overcomplicate things.
We've been conditioned to believe what we want requires more effort than it does.
Also, cue emotions like shame and guilt.
Kids don't complicate or feel shame or guilt yet.
Adults build too many conditions and qualifiers around starting something new.
Common ones sound like:
I need a plan first
I need a website
I need a degree
I need time
So this brought me to the next question:
What pressures or barriers can we remove to make progress more effortless and enjoyable?
You don't need evidence
We don’t need a degree to write.
Or create videos.
Or to do most creative endeavors.
One of the best-paid copywriters I know never went to school for it.
Sometimes, a formal degree in something limits our ability to be creative.
I know many professional classical musicians who said their training makes it virtually impossible to be spontaneous or create on a whim.
So there are pros and cons to both.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done it before.
It doesn’t matter if someone else hasn’t done it before.
We don’t need to see evidence of something before we believe we can do it.
If we get started and accept the effort that we can give, it’s unreal the momentum we can create and what doors will open to conspire for us to succeed.
Abraham Hicks says:
“It slows you down tremendously if you need to see evidence of something before you believe it, because that means you have to wait for someone else to create it before you can believe it. But when you understand that the Universe, and the Law of Attraction, will respond to your imagined idea as quickly as it responds to an observed idea, then you can move quickly into new creations without having to wait for someone to accomplish it first."
Good Listen
Vibrational Alignment: Inspiration About the Power of Your Mind
This podcast episode and blog post give you a reminder of the power of your thoughts and the permission to get into vibrational alignment.
Many of us live on autopilot, doing the same things every day.
But it’s when we’re fully aware of where our thoughts and attentions lie, we can be present and take back our energetic power.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why your thoughts determine your actions
Why you should get into the unknown
Plus, action steps to make it happen
Good Thinking
I am attracting everything I want and trust that my vibration matches.
Good Action
Write a list of reasons to feel good.
Inspired by Abraham Hicks, she recommends visualizing more of what you desire and less of what-is.
The more we practice a positive story, over time, the vibration will become the dominant force.
We’ll then be able to see our lives change before our eyes.
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What would help me make progress in something meaningful to me?
Good Book
Energy Type: Masculine + Feminine
I'll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein is a refreshing and hilarious take on midlife and motherhood. She's a comedian, writer, and actress navigating becoming a new mother.
Although I can't relate to every situation she finds herself in, I appreciate her willingness to put everything out there.
Her stories lean toward the hilarious yet she figures out how to end each one with a deep, thought-provoking lesson. To the point where you feel like she knows your innermost thoughts. Even if you're not a parent this is a great read and there's a lot to connect with.
Sparks of Joy
The Good Habit Journal: This week we got the first mock-up for The Good Habit Journal. Can't wait to have the first copy in hand! If you want to know when pre-order opens click here.
Looking for reasons: Abraham Hicks said the best way to match the energy of what you want we must look for reasons to feel good now. So I've been making a list and it's so fun.
Email backlog: We started putting our morning mail on the website. That way you can see past issues. I'm excited this is getting done.
1989 (Taylor's Version): It's here! 1989 (Taylor's Version) is out. What do you think of the vault tracks? The rest of the album?
Extra Goodies
Good Read: How Your Attention Has Become the Biggest Commodity. (Mindful)
Good Quote: Abraham Hicks on the best way to improve a work environment:
"The best way to accomplish an improved work environment is to focus upon the best things about where you currently are until you flood your own vibrational patterns of thought with appreciation, and in that changed vibration, you can then allow the new-and-improved conditions and circumstances to come into your experience."
Good Idea: Give Yourself a Break: The Power of Self-Compassion. (Harvard Business Review)
Good Listen: Wayne Dyer’s Ultimate Library
Love this?
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Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
how to build confidence
Morning Mail from October 27, 2023.
The funny thing about progress is it’s happening.
Always.
Right now, as we speak.
But we often don’t realize it because we’re not taking notes.
Unless we document what we’re doing daily, reflecting on our lives and seeing progress is impossible.
If there was a simple and easy way to build confidence in your progress, would you do it?
Here's a great way to start:
1) Every morning, choose three things you'd feel great accomplishing.
2) Every evening, record three wins from the day and three moments that made you feel peace and tranquility.
3) Review what you wrote every 90 days.
This is a great way to build confidence and objectively see your progress.
Let me know if you want to try this out.
Here's to progress!
Good Quote
“Perhaps the beliefs you have about yourself, expressed through what you say to yourself regarding a particular situation, are what ultimately determine what you actually experience in that situation.”
— Dr. Nate Zinsser, The Confident Mind
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What are three recent wins I've had?
Good Thinking
I look for reasons to feel good and know life will be as good as I allow it.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
you don’t need evidence
Morning Mail from Monday, October 23, 2023. Many of us have been sold the idea that when we hit plateaus or struggles, it's a sign that we're not meant to do something. Not always the case…
Last week, we challenged what progress looks and feels like.
Many of us have been sold the idea that when we hit plateaus or struggles, it's a sign that we're not meant to do something.
Not always the case.
Or that we need to replicate someone else's path to succeed.
Psh nooope.
The third thing that often trips up our progress is complication.
Attracting what we want is simpler than we think.
Complication
As a kid, all I wanted to do was sing and perform.
In Tucson, there’s a western steakhouse called Pinnacle Peak.
It had a gazebo outside, where I decided I needed to do a show.
A Spice Girls show with four of my other girlfriends.
(We can lol about this another time.)
Thinking I’d have to pay to perform, I grabbed printer paper and crayons, drew pictures that looked like a 2-year-old drew them, and sold them for 25 cents each.
As unremarkable as those crayon pictures were, I remember feeling confident I could provide value and determined to make it happen.
(I ended up making $14).
I didn’t need to build a website or get a degree in music first.
I just acted.
I'm sure you can think of something similar-ish from when you were a kid.
We were bold.
We didn't need to overthink.
Keep it simple
So why, as adults, are we sheepish about proclaiming and getting what we want?
I think it's because we overcomplicate things.
We've been conditioned to believe what we want requires more effort than it does.
Also, cue emotions like shame and guilt.
Kids don't complicate or feel shame or guilt yet.
Adults build too many conditions and qualifiers around starting something new.
Common ones sound like:
I need a plan first
I need a website
I need a degree
I need time
So this brought me to the next question:
What pressures or barriers can we remove to make progress more effortless and enjoyable?
You don't need evidence
We don’t need a degree to write.
Or create videos.
Or to do most creative endeavors.
One of the best-paid copywriters I know never went to school for it.
Sometimes, a formal degree in something limits our ability to be creative.
I know many professional classical musicians who said their training makes it virtually impossible to be spontaneous or create on a whim.
So there are pros and cons to both.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done it before.
It doesn’t matter if someone else hasn’t done it before.
We don’t need to see evidence of something before we believe we can do it.
If we get started and accept the effort that we can give, it’s unreal the momentum we can create and what doors will open to conspire for us to succeed.
Abraham Hicks says:
“It slows you down tremendously if you need to see evidence of something before you believe it, because that means you have to wait for someone else to create it before you can believe it. But when you understand that the Universe, and the Law of Attraction, will respond to your imagined idea as quickly as it responds to an observed idea, then you can move quickly into new creations without having to wait for someone to accomplish it first."
Have any of these barriers to progress resonate with you? Anything that sparked inspiration? Send us an email! I love hearing from you.
Good Quote
“It’s time for you to come into your own. Don’t hold back, you are the energy that creates worlds.”
— Abraham Hicks
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What would help me make progress in something that’s meaningful to me?
Good Thinking
I am attracting everything I want and trust that my vibration matches.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
weekly: you do you
Morning Mail from October 25, 2023.
David Beckham’s new documentary on Netflix inspired me.
Not because he’s a perfect man (far from it) but because he kept playing great football despite the hate and backlash he got over his career.
One minute, the media and fans would praise and worship Beckham.
The next, he’d get booed out of the stadium for a mistake he made in the World Cup.
All at the ripe old age of twenty-three.
Most people couldn’t handle that level of scrutiny.
Yet somehow, Beckham was able to keep playing and playing well.
A surprising lesson stood out to me:
The opinion of others doesn't matter if we don't let it.
Aligning with who you really are
No matter what we do (or don’t do), we can’t control what others think and feel.
Abraham Hicks says:
“Many people early on in your experience attempt to demand your compliance with their rules and opinions, but if you allow what they want to be central to the decisions that you make, you only get further and further out of alignment with who-you-really-are and with the intentions that you were born with...”
There’s no way Beckham could control how people interpreted him.
Just like art.
As a writer, my only control is over the words I write.
Once emailed or posted online, I can't control how it’s interpreted or received.
All this to say, don’t let the fear of what others think stop you from pursuing what you love.
Or working to be your best.
Get in the arena
Beckham was in the arena.
Literally and figuratively.
He wasn’t afraid to put himself out there.
To develop his gift and get better at it.
Even if that meant that his failures and weaknesses were exposed, too.
The people who sit on the sidelines, booing and judging, are also afraid to get into the arena themselves.
Those aren’t the people you want to listen to.
Because they have no idea what it takes.
And if they did, they wouldn’t boo or judge.
So create
Be who you’re called to be and make what you’re meant to make.
Good Listen
How You Can Declutter Your Life Emotionally and Physically with Peggy Fitzsimmons
If you could use a little simplifying and releasing then this podcast episode is for you. Peggy Fitzsimmons, author of Release: Create a Clutter Free and Soul Driven Life, gives insight into what it means to free your life of clutter, both emotionally and physically.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why “most people think decluttering is about forcing themselves to get rid of things against their will”
How things let go of us instead of the other way around
How to free ourselves to live in alignment with our true soul nature
Plus, practical tips on how to de-clutter
Good Thinking
My biggest priority is aligning with who I really am and keeping myself in balance.
Good Action
Do a few kind things for yourself.
Let go of judgments you may have about the way you handled something.
Or let yourself be ok with being where you're at.
Then do the next best thing that feels good to you. You deserve kindness!
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
Are there any rules or opinions from others affecting how I make my decisions?
Good Book
Energy Type: Masculine
When it comes to high achievement and staying confident amidst struggle The Confident Mind is a must-read. If you've ever felt inspired by the ability of elite athletes to perform under insane pressure you'll love this.
Their incredible discipline feels like something most of us can't have.
I've struggled with discipline and momentum most of my life. I think of times when I'd get a burst of improvement, hit a plateau, and get discouraged. Thinking something's wrong with me or I'm doing the wrong thing.
The book explains that science shows plateaus as part of the process of progress. It also explains what it takes to become confident and to stay confident. It changes how we view life and what it takes to be great at what we do.
Sparks of Joy
Rain: A rainy day makes my heart so happy. We had two this week and it makes the sun that much sweeter.
Friends: Having friends I can send voice notes to lifts my spirit. We encourage each other and share what we're learning. Feeling grateful.
Reading: Seeing my daughter love books like I do brings me joy. She'll sit on the floor looking at the picture while I read beside her. Literal dream come true.
The Eras movie: Got to re-live Taylor's magical concert in theaters. My heart felt so full!
Extra Goodies
Good Read: What is the vortex?
Good Quote: Abraham Hicks reminds us of who we are:
“You were all born with a triad of intentions pulsing within you: freedom, growth, and joy. Freedom is the basis of that which you are because everything that comes to you comes in response to the thoughts you think – and no one has control over the thoughts that you think other than you. When joy is your dominant quest so that you gently train your thoughts into alignment with who-you-really-are, all resistance subsides, and you then allow the expansion of growth that your life experience has inspired within you.”
Good Inspiration: 77 Abraham Hicks Quotes to keep you in the vortex.
Feel Good: Watch this fridge go from chaos to calm.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
follow your own path
Morning Mail from October 20, 2023
On Wednesday, we challenged the idea that plateaus are bad.
Instead, they're the place where true development happens.
Here’s another thing to challenge when it comes to progress.
Comparison
When we compare our progress to the David Beckhams or Taylor Swifts of the world, it's easy to feel discouraged.
It's also easy to forget they had vehicles to get to where they are.
The right opportunities.
A great support system.
Great mentors and trainers.
Not having to get traditional jobs.
It made me wonder what that means for those who didn’t start at age 13 or younger.
Or have the same opportunities or support?
Or feel we’re too old now?
It certainly doesn't mean it's too late.
Or that we missed the boat.
It means tweaking what we focus on.
Follow your own path
First, science has shown that beating ourselves up doesn’t help our progress or self-development.
Comparison can be a form of that.
When we compare, we bring attention to what we lack.
And we know attention is the most valuable commodity there is.
Focusing more on what we lack brings more lack.
Second, no two people have the same path no matter how hard they try.
Mirroring our decisions after someone else can throw us off more than it helps.
As a first-time mom, I listened to a handful of labor and delivery stories from other women.
When it came time for me to deliver, none of those stories was even remotely close to what I experienced.
Because my circumstances, body type, health factors, and mentality were a unique combination.
Before that, I bought countless online courses for my budding business.
But the methods they taught were the path meant for them, not necessarily for me.
It's okay to take what's helpful from other's experiences.
But never at the expense of trusting your intuition.
Ask yourself this
What makes us believe our inner guidance isn't powerful and all-knowing enough to guide us down the right path?
How can we shift into a mindset that we can be successful by being who we are and using our gifts and talents?
Good Quote
"In many cases, what you want to "buy" isn't being "sold."
the best homes usually aren't for sale
the best employees usually aren't lookingPeople tend to hold onto the great things in life. They are almost never easily available. If you want to get them, you need enough courage to ask and enough salesmanship to convince them."
— James Clear
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
Am I trusting my inner wisdom enough to follow my own path?
Good Thinking
I am unique and trust my inner guidance to lead me to where I’m meant to go.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
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don’t give up on your dream
Morning Mail from October 18, 2023.
Sometimes, we think we’re not making progress.
Whether it’s a project, profession, or life, we have bursts of improvement.
Then we hit plateaus.
Which can cause us to wonder:
Are we not doing “enough”?
Is there something we need to adjust?
Am I not cut out to have what I truly want?
It's not (totally) your fault
What I’m finding is we blame ourselves way too much.
Like it’s a deep fault within ourselves for not seeing progress.
Sure, sometimes we choose the distraction over the deep work.
But that’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about the integral flaws we think we have because of the lies we’re sold about what our journey is supposed to feel and look like.
What if we’ve been thinking about progress all wrong?
Strap in, my friend, and enjoy this quick but necessary ride.
Here's one of three things that may change your mind about progress:
Plateaus/Struggles
In The Confident Mind, by Dr. Nate Zinsser, he says:
“the ‘return on our investment’ of practice will be uneven and inconsistent at best; no matter how diligently we follow every deliberate practice guideline, we will experience dry spells, long plateaus where it seems like we aren’t improving at all. A plateau phase will be interrupted by a burst of improvement, followed by another plateau…”
Plateaus are a part of the process of progress.
Even when we don’t see anything changing, every little piece of effort makes a difference.
Succeeding with a project or profession is about hanging in there during the plateaus.
Patience is the key.
Don't give up on your dreams
It's a hard pill to swallow in a world of instant gratification and 24/7 information access.
Most people give up on their dreams when they hit a plateau.
But it’s a necessary part of the process.
Similar to James Clear’s idea of how good habits lead to astonishing results.
We have an idea of what we think should happen.
Or when it should happen.
Then we feel disappointment.
When we only needed to keep hanging on before results skyrocketed.
Good Quote
“Your life is not about what you will do after work, on the weekend, or after you retire. Your life is happening now and is really represented by how you are feeling now.”
— Abraham Hicks, Money and The Law of Attraction
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
Have I allowed a natural plateau to derail my progress?
Good Thinking
I embrace the value of practice. Even when I plateau I keep going.
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Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
you do you
Morning Mail from October 16, 2023.
David Beckham’s new documentary on Netflix inspired me.
Not because he’s a perfect man (far from it) but because he kept playing great football despite the hate and backlash he got over his career.
One minute, the media and fans would praise and worship Beckham.
The next, he’d get booed out of the stadium for a mistake he made in the World Cup.
All at the ripe old age of twenty-three.
Most people couldn’t handle that level of scrutiny.
Yet somehow, Beckham was able to keep playing and playing well.
A surprising lesson stood out to me:
The opinion of others doesn't matter if we don't let it.
Aligning with who you really are
No matter what we do (or don’t do), we can’t control what others think and feel.
Abraham Hicks says:
“Many people early on in your experience attempt to demand your compliance with their rules and opinions, but if you allow what they want to be central to the decisions that you make, you only get further and further out of alignment with who-you-really-are and with the intentions that you were born with...”
There’s no way Beckham could control how people interpreted him.
Just like art.
As a writer, my only control is over the words I write.
Once emailed or posted online, I can't control how it’s interpreted or received.
All this to say, don’t let the fear of what others think stop you from pursuing what you love.
Or working to be your best.
Get in the arena
Beckham was in the arena.
Literally and figuratively.
He wasn’t afraid to put himself out there.
To develop his gift and get better at it.
Even if that meant that his failures and weaknesses were exposed, too.
The people who sit on the sidelines, booing and judging, are also afraid to get into the arena themselves.
Those aren’t the people you want to listen to.
Because they have no idea what it takes.
And if they did, they wouldn’t boo or judge.
So create.
Be who you’re called to be and make what you’re meant to make.
Good Quote
“No matter what choices you make, there will always be someone who does not agree with those choices, but as you find your balance and maintain your alignment, most who are observing you will be more inclined to ask you what your secret to success is rather than criticize you for being successful. And those who continue to criticize you would find no satisfaction in your justification, no matter how compelling your argument is.”
— Abraham Hicks, Money and The Law of Attraction
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
Are there any rules or opinions from others affecting how I make my decisions?
Good Thinking
My biggest priority is aligning with who I really am and keeping myself in balance.
Love this?
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Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
weekly: your ideal lifestyle
Morning mail from October 15, 2023.
A reader asked me a great question from a weekly email I sent where I pondered the idea of fitting work around our lifestyle goals instead of fitting life around work.
She said, “I love this idea of fitting work to our life instead of vice versa. But I struggle with how to do this when you have a 9-5 job that doesn't give you much flexibility or spontaneous ness. What advice do you have for that? Or how do you work around that when you can't control that?”
Great question.
Fitting work around the lifestyle we want is tough with a job that doesn't allow much time flexibility.
When I worked at a large beauty brand here in New York City, it required a similar inflexible schedule.
Maybe you can relate.
While I don’t claim to know THE answer.
Or be an expert.
Here are two things that come to mind.
Accept this season of life
First, I suggest accepting and honoring yourself for doing what you can in this season of life.
You're doing great.
Sometimes our capacities are limited by our circumstances but it doesn't mean that can't change in the future.
By accepting where we're at, we can get creative.
There’s nothing wrong with starting where you are.
Protect your energy
Second, think of "fitting work around your lifestyle" as an energy/mindset.
What does your ideal lifestyle feel like instead of look like?
Peaceful or centered?
How can we bring that to every aspect of the day?
A great place to start is with meaningful habits and choices that help us transcend and recover from work.
For me, I did a morning routine every day.
It anchored my days and reminded me that work was a part of my life but not my whole life.
During lunch, I'd read a book that made me feel good and worked on TGS from my laptop.
During commutes, I'd have a good book to read or listen to or would write on my phone.
When I got home, I refused to think about work so I could recharge.
Then, I'd do whatever my body needed to find rest.
On weekends, I'd travel or have a fun adventure.
I created boundaries over how much emotionally and mentally I gave work.
Although jobs get certain hours of our day, it doesn't mean they get the best of our energy or spirit.
October is the perfect time of year to do a morning routine audit.
What's working well?
Is there something you've outgrown?
Or maybe you don't have one yet?
Either way, dropping this timeless post here on how to make a morning routine that makes you thrive.
Good Thinking
I trust the Universe responds to my ideas. I know I can move quickly into new creations.
Good Action
Do a morning routine audit.
Are you satisfied with your routine? Do you not have one but want to?
As we evolve, our practices need to as well.
Maybe we moved into a new season of life and require less.
Or need extra support and beefing up our routine makes sense.
I would love to hear where you're at!
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
How might I be holding myself back from enjoying life more?
Good Book
Money and the Law of Attraction is one of those books that's a must-read if you're on a spiritual journey. It reminds you of an important universal law and that we can have conscious creative control over our lives.
There are sections for each part of life: wealth, health, career. Some sentences ring so true your whole body radiates with coherence.
One of my favorite quotes from Abraham Hicks says:
“It slows you down tremendously if you need to see evidence of something before you believe it, because that means you have to wait for someone else to create it before you can believe it. But when you understand that the Universe, and the Law of Attraction, will respond to your imagined idea as quickly as it responds to an observed idea, then you can move quickly into new creations without having to wait for someone to accomplish it first."
If you're looking to grow your spiritual knowledge and refresh your perspective on life, this is a great book to buy.
Sparks of Joy
Postcards: a friend visited Greece and sent us a postcard here in NYC. Snail mail, stationery, pens, and paper are a secret obsession of mine. I love it all.
Greatness: David Beckham’s documentary on Netflix lit a spark in me. Not because he’s a perfect man (far from it) but seeing how he kept going and rising despite the hate and backlash he got over his career made me want to study how athletes train mentally to have that discipline.
Nailed It: The Big Nailed It! Baking Challenge inspired me. I wasn't expecting it AT ALL. Watching people with zero baking skills 10x their progress by learning from coaches and practicing energized me.
Dancing: Friday morning I danced with my daughter and my mood and body felt incredible. This makes me want to dance more often!
Extra Goodies
Good Read (or listen): The problem with "change your thoughts, change your life". A feminist reimagining of "The Model" for self-coaching. (Feminist Founders)
Good Reminder: Don't wait until you feel confident to act.
Good Laugh: "when i bought my giant crystal ball the lady looked me in the eye and said..."
Good Listen: Ten of our most popular wellness podcast episodes.
Love this?
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Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
life is now
Morning mail from October 13, 2023.
When we imagine a life that's lived, what comes to mind?
Is life something we only celebrate and experience once we get the job/make the money/feel the security?
Or is life the brief gap between our kid's naps and work meetings?
As I washed my daughter's bottles in the sink, I realized:
Every small moment makes up an entire life.
Life is washing bottles.
Taking out the trash.
Resting on the couch.
It's also writing a song.
Taking an exercise class.
Or having dinner with friends.
Every small thread of a moment makes up the tapestry of a life that's being lived.
Life is now
If we find ourselves sighing and wishing we were doing something else, this is a good time to ask:
Am I subconsciously waiting for life to happen in the future instead of the here and now?
Am I not prioritizing something important to me?
Are the moments that make up my day that make up my life what I want?
These questions were what I needed this week to realign my perspective.
Life isn't in the future.
How can we live the one we have right now?
Squeeze the proverbial juice out of it.
Good Quote
“It slows you down tremendously if you need to see evidence of something before you believe it, because that means you have to wait for someone else to create it before you can believe it. But when you understand that the Universe, and the Law of Attraction, will respond to your imagined idea as quickly as it responds to an observed idea, then you can move quickly into new creations without having to wait for someone to accomplish it first.“
— Abraham Hicks, Money and The Law of Attraction
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
Are the moments that make up my day that make up my life what I want?
Good Thinking
I trust the Universe responds to my ideas.
I know I can move quickly into new creations.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
your ideal lifestyle
Morning mail from October 11, 2023
A reader asked me a great question from Monday’s email about the idea of fitting work around our lifestyle goals instead of fitting life around work.
She said, “I love this idea of fitting work to our life instead of vice versa. But I struggle with how to do this when you have a 9-5 job that doesn't give you much flexibility or spontaneous ness. What advice do you have for that? Or how do you work around that when you can't control that?”
Great question.
Fitting work around the lifestyle we want is tough with a job that doesn't allow much time flexibility.
When I worked at a large beauty brand here in New York City, it required a similar inflexible schedule.
Maybe you can relate.
While I don’t claim to know THE answer.
Or be an expert.
Here are two things that come to mind.
Accept this season of life
First, I suggest accepting and honoring yourself for doing what you can in this season of life.
You're doing great.
Sometimes our capacities are limited by our circumstances but it doesn't mean that can't change in the future.
By accepting where we're at we can get creative.
There’s nothing wrong with starting where you are.
Protect your energy
Second, for now think of "fitting work around your lifestyle" as an energy/mindset.
What does your ideal lifestyle feel like instead of look like?
Peaceful or centered?
How can we bring that to every aspect of the day?
A great place to start is with meaningful habits and choices that help us trandscend and recover from work.
For me, I did a morning routine every day.
It anchored my days and reminded me that work was a part of my life but not my whole life.
During lunch, I'd read a book that made me feel good and worked on TGS from my laptop.
During commutes, I'd have a good book to read or listen to or would write on my phone.
When I got home, I refused to think about work so I could recharge.
Then I'd do whatever my body needed to find rest.
On weekends I'd travel or have a fun adventure.
Basically, created boundaries over how much emotionally and mentally I gave work.
Although jobs get certain hours of our day it doesn't mean they get the best of our energy or spirit.
Good Quote
“Too often, we operate with a scarcity mentality that drives us to hold on to things we should abandon simply because we’re afraid another opportunity won’t come along. Hear me on this: we live in a world of outrageous abundance.”
— Michael Hyatt, Free to Focus
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
Where might I be holding myself back from enjoying life more?
Good Thinking
I am open to receiving abundance and letting go of what isn’t working.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
design your life first
Morning mail from October 9, 2023.
Here’s an idea from Stephen King’s On Writing that’s stuck with me for years:
Art doesn't inspire life.
Life inspires art.
Instead of work being your main focus and squeezing everything else around it we should do the opposite.
King reminds himself of this by keeping his writing desk small and in the corner of his office.
Instead of having a big desk right in the center.
He wants to remember that life inspires his writing and not vice versa.
In Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt says:
"Far too often we tailor our lives to our work, meaning we allow our work to sit in the middle of our schedules like a whale in a bathtub. Then we try to squeeze everything else in our lives around it...We should design our lives first and then tailor our work to meet our lifestyle objectives."
What lifestyle objectives do you have,
How could you tailor your work to meet your lifestyle goals?
What’s one thing you can do this week to make progress?
Feel free to answer these questions in your heart, on paper, or your phone.
Good Quote
“Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life.”
— Stephen King, On Writing
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
How could you tailor your work to meet your lifestyle goals?
Good Thinking
I am kind to myself and make sure I have what I need in each moment.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!
weekly: will progress make us happy?
Morning mail from October 8, 2023.
Have you considered that not all progress is created equal?
In a world that runs on ego, progress looks like getting a promotion, making money, and getting “more”.
Nothing else counts until we reach those markers.
Will this kind of "progress" make us happy, though?
Is there a kind we can value more that benefits the Spirit instead?
This question dawned on me as I simplified my daughter’s toy collection.
An act that I realized was a different kind of progress.
One toward a more aligned and peaceful life.
Progress that felt more valuable and meaningful than any other.
We don't need more
In Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne said children’s creativity, curiosity, and motivation are intrinsic.
They don’t need more toys to “get” more of it.
They're already there in abundance.
If anything, more toys hinder creativity and curiosity.
And represent the subconscious manipulation of marketing and commercialism.
Something I became influenced by growing up.
Kids with too many choices don’t see the value in any one thing.
And become perpetually dissatisfied.
Do we, as adults, have too many “toys” and choices hindering us?
Is there a way to strip down our influences and return to ourselves?
Making space is faith
There's something to be said about making space.
Whether in a closet.
An email list.
Or friendships.
It says we don't have to know what's next to do what's best for us.
It releases what was never ours to begin with.
Making way for what is.
Meaningful progress
This is the kind of progress that feels meaningful.
The kind that brings us one step closer to ourselves.
For so long, I subconsciously believed I needed what the world said I did.
But how could it know what my soul needs?
It felt great to redefine what progress meant in that moment.
Viewing progress from an intrinsic spiritual perspective takes time.
Spurts of awareness.
And kind, daily realignment.
Then, we'll get to a point where we naturally value what our inner self values over anything else.
I know this process takes time, but I'm here for it and excited to see it unfold.
Good Listen
5 Ways Journaling Can Help You be More Calm, Mindful, and Resilient
Looking for a better way to track and celebrate your progress? Look or listen no further than this blog and podcast episodes.
Journaling has been part of my morning routine for most of my life.
It's helped me process and understand thoughts and feelings, affirm better thoughts, and stay connected to my goals.
I hope this helps you feel inspired to start your journaling practice. It’s truly life-changing!
Good Thinking
I am kind to myself.
I focus on where I’ve come from.
Not how far I have to go.
Good Action
List at least five wins from the last 90 days.
You can write this in bullet point format on your phone or in a journal.
Often, we feel behind because we don't record what we do every day.
It's a lot more than you think!
Good Question
Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page and see what flows from your pen (no judgment or editing!):
What kind of progress would feel meaningful to me?
Good Book
Energy Type: Masculine
This is a repeat share but with the end of the year nearing it's worth revisiting.
If you're the kind of person who needs to understand the 'why' behind something before doing it this is the book for you 😆.
When it comes to improving our habits Atomic Habits by James Clear satiates that need and leaves you feeling empowered.
Not only does Clear explain how habits work and why we have bad ones. But he also gives easy tips for creating new ones. Like tacking a new habit onto one that already exists.
Our lives are literally a composition of the small actions we do every day. We can automate the results we want by being intentional with our habits. If you haven't read this yet it's a must!
Sparks of Joy
Greeting card organizer: After years of wanting a greeting card organizer, I finally got one! See it in the picture above. Stationery and cards bring me joy, and I can't wait to grow my collection.
Harry Potter: I'm currently re-watching all the movies snuggled under a cozy blanket with my favorite snacks.
Long walks: After showing my brother Central Park and walking for almost two hours, my body and brain felt incredible.
Resting: Feeling grateful I can rest for a day after a quick outpatient procedure at the doctor's office.
Extra Goodies
Good Read: To no applause. How singer Kimbra reclaimed her joy performing. (Substack)
Good Quote: A reminder from James Clear how important relationship with self is:
"Your relationships will rarely be healthier than your self-esteem.
If the time you spend alone is already enjoyable to some degree—that is, if you have a healthy internal monologue and generally feel good about yourself—then you will have a fairly high bar for the type of relationships you'll enter.
But if you're unhappy with yourself, then you are more likely to put up with bad relationships because they may occasionally make you feel better than you do alone.
If you want a great relationship, the first thing you want is to be comfortable with yourself."
Good Thinking: The sterile world of infinite choice.
Good Prompts: 15 writing prompts about self-love on The Good Space.
Love this?
Subscribe to our morning mail for bite-size motivation sent to your inbox that inspires you in five minutes or less. ✨
Other ways you can support The Good Space:
Consider a monthly donation. For $5 a month, you'll get extra perks and help our small team continue to deliver original, inspiring content.
Buy our signature dad hat. Or cloud comfy sweatshirt. The perfect complement to your morning routine or workouts.
Buy my ebook. For the entrepreneur and remote worker who wants to run their business and time with clarity and confidence.
Some of the links shared give us a small commission. Purchasing through affiliate links helps fund The Good Space at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting us!