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    “One of my patients, an award-winning television producer with several hit shows, struggled with weight issues from childhood. It impacted her health, joints, and gait. I fixed an orthopedic problem, and set a course for rehab. I also took the opportunity to talk to her about overall well-being. I mentioned that she might not know it, but she’s intrinsically hardwired to be an athlete. I told her that she’d already mastered how to channel the forces of will and determination, as seen in other parts of her life, and that it’s a matter of adapting what she already has to this kind of project: herself! She started with small accomplishments, walks and hikes, and in time progressed to running. Now, she’s fallen in love with it, never having believed that she could be a fifty-plus woman, jogging up and down hills, showing up as her best self.”

    Bert R. Mandelbaum, MD, via The Win Within (Page 4)

      “If I imagine what a miserable working week would be (within the context of my existing business), it would be Zoom calls all day, no creative work, strict deadlines from sponsors, and the feeling that I’m making videos that I don’t actually think are useful just for the sake of an algorithm or a sponsor. I’m also staying in the house all day, not doing any exercise, eating unhealthy takeaway food, and not seeing any friends. Okay great, I’ve just defined what my nightmare work week would look like. So now I can just make sure to avoid having work days that look like that.”

      Ali Abdaal

        “If you already live a comfortable life, then choosing to make more money but live a worse daily life is a bad trade. And yet, we talk ourselves into it all the time. We take promotions that pay more, but swallow our free time. We already have a successful business, but we break ourselves trying to make it even more successful. Too much focus on wealth, not enough focus on lifestyle.”

        James Clear

          “We need space to escape in order to discern the essential few from the trivial many. Unfortunately, in our time-starved era we don’t get that space by default—only by design.”

          Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 64)

            “You probably don’t want maximum effectiveness. For example, the most effective way to make money likely requires a lifestyle you don’t want to live. Instead, you want the most effective path that fits your desired lifestyle. How do you want to spend your days? Start there, then optimize.”

            James Clear

              “The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systemic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.”

              Greg McKeown, Essentialism (Page 7)

                “In school, you are graded on every test—even if it’s your weakest subject. In life, you can choose the tests you take—even if they always play to your strengths. Maintain a baseline so your weak areas don’t hold you back, but design your life so you are graded on your strengths.”

                James Clear, Blog