Raise your hand if this year was one of your hardest. 

Our hands are up, too. 

Whether it was the extra stress about work, childcare, staying well, or … you name it, we’ve all had to carry a big load on our shoulders this year. 

And when life gets overwhelming, it’s hard to find things to feel grateful about. You might be too exhausted to even think about gratitude.  

How many times do you catch yourself saying, or thinking, “I can’t do X, Y or Z?” 

“I can’t write that proposal.” 

“I can’t run a marathon.”

The list of can’ts goes on and on making it easy to forget that we actually can do things. We can do hard things even, and do them well.

“Whether you think you can, or you can’t, either way you’re right.” Henry Ford famously said. 

Let that sink in. 

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” — ​​Mahatma Gandhi

On a scale of 1 to 10, how relaxed are you? Chances are, you’re coming in at a solid 3 (as in, unfortunately not very relaxed at all). 

Most of us really like to relax, but life often gets in the way. Every time we intend to wind down, something else pops up … one last message to send or project to do.

Do you ever look back on your past and think, if only I would have done this one thing differently, life would be so much better right now … 

Us too. We’ve all wished we could press rewind, but unfortunately, that button doesn’t exist in reality. We can only start making changes to our life right this very moment. 

As the famous Chinese Proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”  

How connected are you feeling to Y-O-U these days? If your answer is “not so much,” we see you. 

For many of us, this is an incredibly busy time of year … and it’s only going to get busier as the holiday season kicks off. And when life feels stressful or overwhelming, our relationship with ourselves tends to deteriorate. Who has time to revisit goals and take inventory of our emotions when there are errands to run, gifts to buy and meals to prep? 

We’ve heard it since we were kids — we need to have patience. Patience when learning how to tie our shoes, patience when learning how to ride a bike, patience in waiting to get our license, and patience in turning another year older so we can do all the things grown-ups do. 

But life is different than it was even two decades ago, and there are many things we don’t have to wait for. We no longer have to patiently watch ads that interrupt our TV shows or wait weeks by the mailbox for something to arrive.

Would you ever tell your best friend she wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t worthy of great things, or worse, call her an idiot? Would you ever berate her for making a tiny mistake? 

Of course not! You’d never bully anyone you cared about like that, and yet, how often do you do it to yourself? 

Our hope is you answered “never” — but, sadly it happens more than most of us even realize. We tell ourselves we’re not good enough, not attractive enough and kick ourselves when we’re down. 

How do you feel when you wake up most mornings? Groggy, irritable, and craving coffee, or energetic, cheerful, and ready to take on a new day?

How you feel in the morning largely depends on how you slept the night before, and how easily you were able to slip into dreamland once you hit the pillow. If you could use a little help catching consistently good zzz’s, today we have a few tips to help you nod off with more ease. 

Last week on Instagram we asked how you were feeling about your job, and 65% of you said: “not good!”  

According to Forbes, millions of employees plan to change jobs this year. If you’re not sure if your job is the right fit (or if you just want to enjoy a moment of fun!), today we’re offering a little quiz to help you decide if your job is still serving you, or if you’re ready to move on to something else. 

Hope you enjoy!