Hey there —

How would you fill in this blank: “The key to achieving your goals is ______.” 🧐

Maybe “copious amounts of coffee” or “bullet journaling” (both solid answers) came to mind. But even more important than caffeine and outlining your dreams is practicing consistency.

Consistency is how you fight off instant gratification, maintain a positive attitude, and build momentum. Although consistency is the key to success, it’s often misunderstood.

We tend to associate “consistency” with “perfect repetition” — but our reps aren’t always going to be perfect. There will be times when you’re pumped and ready to run a marathon. On other days, you struggle to find the energy to jog around the block, and all you can manage is the bare minimum.

Our energy levels naturally fluctuate (we’re humans, not 🤖). Plus, life doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your car breaks down. You catch a stomach bug. Your relationship ends. And suddenly, because events outside your control derail your carefully laid plans, you’re left discouraged and tempted to quit.

We forget that consistency almost never looks like a streak of perfectly executed habits or max-level productivity — and that’s okay! Because doing something will get you further than doing nothing.

Instead of beating yourself up for “falling short,” focus on how you can achieve a small win.

👹 Meant to finish that book but got sucked into a Stranger Things marathon? Read one page.

💪 Told yourself you’d hit the gym but you’re exhausted? Do five push-ups.

🧘 Trying to get into meditation but your thoughts are swirling? Sit still for two minutes.

By embracing a “something is better than nothing” mentality instead of an “all or nothing” attitude we can actually stay consistent — because it allows for bad days, mood swings, and anything in between.

So give yourself the grace to put in some wildly unambitious reps on difficult days. It’s progress, not perfection, that really matters. Just by showing up (even if it’s your tiniest effort), you’ll accomplish your dream goals.

Why I’m unreachable and maybe you should be too

by Pieter Levels

For entrepreneur Pieter Levels, the purpose of life is to live an existence you’re proud of with people you love. Being available to chat with strangers wasn’t part of this larger goal — so he quit.

That’s right. Levels doesn’t open his DMs or list his email address publicly. While it’s a smidge extreme, Pieters makes a compelling case on why you shouldn’t feel guilty for how you decide to spend your own time.

Read the article →

The practical benefits of outrageous optimism

by Peter Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache)

According to a World Economic Forum report, only 3.7% of global leaders feel optimistic about the world’s outlook. 😬

Being an optimist can feel like you’re going against the mainstream. But what if optimism could boost your quality of life?

In this article, Peter Adeney lists the undeniable benefits of being outrageously optimistic. He argues that optimism can make you a leader, trick you into trying new things, and help you let go of the things you can’t control.

If you want to add a spark of optimism to your life, this read is for you.

Read the article →

Excalidraw

by Christopher Chedeau

Wish you could draw but can’t be bothered to download Adobe Illustrator or buy the Apple Pencil? We got you covered.

Introducing Excalidraw, a virtual whiteboard that lets you easily create “hand-drawn” diagrams, wireframes, post-its, and more.

Considering we process images 60k times faster than text, this tool is ideal for anyone who is looking to supercharge their message through visuals.

Check out the tool →

Meet Gina Lucia! She’s a UK-based blogger and BookTuber who shares reviews, reading how-tos, and other bookish thoughts on her channel, . She’s also the creator of House Lucia, a free community for like-minded book lovers to gather, chat, and participate in monthly readathons. The bookworms among us are definitely swooning. 🐛📚

Introduce yourself! Who are you?

Hey, I’m Gina Lucia. I create videos all about books and the psychology of reading. I love to answer burning questions like, why do people annotate fiction books? And what happened to all the dystopian books? All with a little humour.

Why do you create? Who is your content for?

I love creating videos for book lovers and anyone with a curious mind. I aim to talk about reading in a way that takes the pressure off. Reading shouldn’t be a chore or something you feel you should do. Instead, it should be comforting, entertaining, relaxing and enlightening.

Nothing makes me happier than knowing people are enjoying reading again. That’s why I create.

The biggest lesson you’ve learned since you began creating content?

I’m not a patient person at the best of times, so the one thing content creation has taught me is you need to be patient.

You can create high-quality content, add as much value as possible and be proud of your work, but it’s still going to take time for people to find you.

One thing you wish you knew before you started?

Move the microphone closer. You can buy the best mic you can afford, but if it’s too far away from you, it’s not going to sound as good. Trust me.

In one to two sentences, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring creators or self-development nerds?

Pick one small thing you’re going to improve with each video.

Before you know it, your videos will have improved substantially over time, and you won’t feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount you have to do.

Would you rather live in a world where you dance instead of walk or sing instead of talk?

I love a good musical. I’d sing ‘Your Song’ to Ewan McGregor any day.

Written by Alice Lemée

Edited by Matt D'Avella & Kerstin Sheppard