happiness | Just One Percent Better

August 21, 2020November 3, 2020

Stuck in the Past | The Happiness Killer

Life is too short to get stuck in the past. Let go of the past, make today awesome, and start building an amazing tomorrow!

One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in life is knowing when to let go of relationships. And, like most lessons, it’s one that I’ve had to learn more than once. One of the biggest reasons I’ve let go of relationships is simply because we outgrew each other. Or we started going in separate directions in life. And most detrimental, one person is stuck in the past, holding onto a life or time that is no longer there, while I am trying to move forward.

Recently a group of old friends from high school created a group chat trying to get the group together that weekend. It didn’t go well. Several friends have families with hectic schedules, and a three-day-notice is just not enough. Others live in other cities ranging from one to five hours away (Texas is big, y’all!). The elephant in the chat… a couple of these friends clearly had not moved on in life. And it was a little sad.

July 20, 2020November 3, 2020

Bitten by the Consumerism Bug

After a couple of years living abroad, I was home! Home to bigger everything… bigger food portions, bigger apartments, and bigger disposable income. I was immediately bitten by the consumerism bug.

And it was intoxicating.

At first the larger portions made me feel uncomfortable, but I quickly became used to them and thoroughly enjoyed the gluttony. The lack of walking made me feel lethargic, but I soon relished having a vehicle and the convenience that came with it. I reconnected with friends, and a couple of evenings a week enjoyed lively conversation over drinks. Somehow I stumbled on the best of both worlds, enjoying the excess of American life, while keeping the confidence and independence gained living abroad.

July 8, 2020November 3, 2020

The Lonely Path to Success

Growing up I had a misguided view of success

Growing up, success meant one thing, and one thing only… having a good job! Unfortunately this meant sacrificing other things to take the lonely path to success.

Sure, you wanted to enjoy life and be a good person, but the epitome of success was having a good job. We judged many of our friends and family by their job.

July 6, 2020November 3, 2020

Why Become Just One Percent Better?

The journey to becoming just one percent better everyday is less traveled and risky. But so is a wasted life

After a bumpy adolescence, a liberating but poorly focused college career, and a job hunt that landed me with the same job title I had before I began college, I was already feeling a little disheartened by following the advice my family had given me.

“Just finish college, get a good job, buy a house, and you’ll be set for life!”

July 3, 2020November 3, 2020

Welcome to Just One Percent Better

How can we escape the rat race and lead a more meaningful, fulfilling, and healthy life? We can start by setting our intentions and taking some risks. Making each day just one percent better.

Just one percent better challenges you to question the societal norm. Our consumer-driven society chains us to jobs we don’t love, so we can pay off the debt for things we don’t need. We can choose to be a little bit better everyday. Start by being frugal and intentional with our spending. Then get back in touch with self-sufficiency, valuing our friends and family, and putting our health first.