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Clear the Clutter

We tend to keep things pretty tidy around here. I’m not a big fan of “stuff” and clutter and, fortunately, neither is Eric. But despite our best efforts, things have a way of piling up and getting ahead of us. Take the kitchen cabinet next to the sink.

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Understanding Your Personal Energy Equation

I often think about things I need to do and how I want to feel in terms of a pretty simple energy equation: energy output + energy input = vitality. Mastering your personal three-step energy equation is key.

Step one is recognizing what is output. What depletes your energy and saps your strength? The goal is not necessarily to avoid these things because some of the most wonderful things in life and some of the most important work you do will likely require energy output. Consider hosting a big family Thanksgiving.

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The Myth of the 10,000 Steps

Anyone who watches television, reads magazines or scrolls social media could reasonably assume that the key to health, happiness and longevity is taking 10,000 steps each day. It is typically what it takes to close the rings on your smartwatch and lets you check the box of a job well done on your to-do list.

Where did that 10,000 step-goal come from? Marketing, not medicine. In the 1960s, a Japanese company created a pedometer that they named Manpo-kei, which translates to “10,000 steps meter.” They marketed that device on the premise that 10,000 steps a day was the ideal number for health and wellness. Somehow, that idea spread and stuck.

Is it true? Is 10,000 daily steps the magic number?

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Get Lost to Be Found

When I was young, my parents would occasionally go off on a weekend adventure, leaving me with one aunt or another. They would pack their toothbrushes and a change of clothes and head out with only a vague destination in mind. “We always find someplace interesting,” my mother would say. At the time, there were no cell phones, no internet and no GPS blinking from their dashboard. Occasionally, they would actually get lost, but somehow, they always managed to make it home by Sunday evening.

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How to Kick Off A New Month

I love what feels like a fresh start and a clean slate and the start of the month always feels that way to me. Here are three things I do to kick off the month.

1. I rewrite the ten things on my dream list. Yes, I have a list of ten things that I will have in my dream life. When I first developed the list, which took several weeks to get right, I realized that at least half of them were things I could have right away, just by changing my perspective or where I put my attention.

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Key to Happiness #1: Knowing What Makes You Happy

I apologize in advance for asking you such a difficult question, but the first Key to Happiness is knowing what makes you happy. Now, before you throw up your hands in frustration and cry, “but I don’t know, that’s the problem,” I hear you. I know. Many of us have been so busy living, surviving, striving and driving that we’ve lost sight of the things that make us happy. Discovering -- and rediscovering -- those things will be a journey. But let’s begin with what you know already.

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5 Things We Need to Unlearn to Defeat Diet Culture

Growing up, foods were either “good” or “fattening.” Sometimes, I would reach for a cookie and my dad would say “do you really need that cookie” while other times he would be the first to scoop the ice cream after dinner. Pink packages of Sweet ‘n Low were a staple on our kitchen table, I was put on my first official diet when I was eight years old and I will never forget the day my sister looked at my legs -- strong from hours of figure skating practice -- and said “you have calves like a football player.” She didn’t mean it as a compliment.

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Why Every Mile Matters

When did we become convinced that only big things count? If we’re not moving mountains, saving the world or transforming our lives, then why bother? We need to bother with, recognize and honor the small things, the tiny steps, the barely perceptible improvements for two related, but different, reasons.

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A Body Gratitude Practice

I have an idea. What if, instead of looking for flaws in our bodies, we practice gratitude for the strength in our bodies?

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The Power of a No-Rules Day

The idea of a “No-Rules Day” began one dreary February day when my kids were young. It was winter break, we were trapped at home and I was tired of being the screen, food, and shower police. So, when the kids got up, I announced that it was a “No-Rules Day.” They looked at me, confused. “Does that mean I can have ice cream for breakfast?” my son asked. “Yup,” I replied. And so, the day began.

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The Myth of the 10,000 Steps

Anyone who watches television, reads magazines or scrolls social media could reasonably assume that the key to health, happiness and longevity is taking 10,000 steps each day. It is typically what it takes to close the rings on your smartwatch and lets you check the box of a job well done on your to-do list.

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joyce shulman joyce shulman

Sometimes I Get Stuck ...

Sometimes I get stuck in the middle of the project. Sometimes I slow down at the finish line. Sometimes I run out of steam, feel my creativity fade or, dare I say it, find my motivation wane. I’ve often wondered why that is and I’m convinced that it is a combination of things. I recently came across some research on the value of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation when it comes to creativity that offers a bit of insight.

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You Don't Ask, You Don't Get

Last week, I sent an email to a high-profile thought-leader asking if I could interview her for my new book. It was a reach -- she’s a bestselling author, hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the pod-o-sphere and is clearly a very, very busy person. I almost didn’t bother sending the email. But then I remembered a lesson that we have tried to teach our kids: you don’t ask, you don’t get.

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Be Early.

I'm late, I'm late

For a very important date.

No time to say hello, good-bye,

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

I'm late.

The White Rabbit

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Simplify

Here's a question: when did we become convinced that more is always better? That being busy is a badge of honor? That getting eight hours of sleep is optional and four will do the trick? That more money equals more happiness?

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My Favorite Five Podcasts

In honor of International Podcast Day (and seriously, who made that a thing) and for anyone who is a podcast listener looking for some new podcasts to check out, I thought I’d share my fav five.

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Key to Happiness #3: More Laughter

When did we all get so serious? I know, living is serious business. We have work and obligations. We have mortgages and children. The people we love get sick. We get sick. The roof leaks. A jerk cuts us off on the way to work. We face global pandemics, and economic crises. We live in a world punctuated by racism, inequity and social injustice. We lose our job, we hate our job. We hurt our backs picking a box up off the floor or stare down a root canal. We experience loss and grief and heartbreak.

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Input v. Output: Know What Fills Your Tank

I try to consider my days and weeks in terms of input and output. Not in the sense of measuring how much output I can possibly generate or how absolutely productive I can be, but rather with an eye to being sure that my output and my input are at least somewhat balanced. This week, I was out of balance.

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Walk # 69: Nope, It's Not Too Late To Start

I was a first-year law student sitting in Civil Procedure trying to unravel the mysteries of federal jurisdiction when it occurred to me that it was too late for me to become an Olympic … well, an Olympic anything. And going to the Olympics seems like a really cool experience. And I was still so young. But I realized that it was too late for me to be an Olympian. Now, despite the fact that I’d always been active and athletic, I had never participated in any competitive sport. Never. Yet there I was, freaking out because it occurred to me that it was too late for me to become an Olympian. That door was closed to me and I have struggled to keep the feeling of closing doors at bay ever since.

I suspect, like me, you have sometimes felt that it is too late to start a new project or to chase a new dream.

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