Another month gone. Where did it go?

Quick note before we dive in: if you tried last week's practice and spoke to yourself at least once kindly, as you would to a dear friend (instead of letting the Inner Judge talk to you with sarcasm, harshness, or cruelty), hit reply and tell me how it went. I read every one.

This Week's Idea: Sharpen the Saw

"OMG, the time just flies. Another month is ending. Where did it go?"

Pause. Take a deep inhale. Exhale slowly.

A lot of us feel time rushing past, and it can feel unsettling when the milestones hit. Another birthday. The school year starting again. Holiday decorations in the stores already. The end of another month.

When I did a Wheel of Life exercise recently and reflected on the areas that matter most to me, I felt the urge to add a new one: intentional living.

For me, part of intentional living is getting off the autopilot of my survival brain to pause and reflect. Not only on what I haven't done yet. That part comes naturally to most of us. But also to celebrate. To acknowledge the growth, what worked, what I'm grateful for. Not just on Thanksgiving or a birthday, but as a regular practice of seeing things and ourselves clearly and kindly.

Here's why it matters: our survival brain is wired to scan for what's wrong, missing, or not good enough yet. Left unchecked, that creates constant pressure and blinds us to what's already working and to whether we're even heading in the right direction.

So this month, I invite you to pause and sharpen the saw.

Three-Minute Practice: Sharpen the Saw

You might know this one from Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. You can saw all day, but if you never stop to sharpen the blade, the work gets harder and harder, even though nothing else has changed. The pause is the sharpening.

I invite you to pause now and answer three questions for yourself. Keep them focused on your mental and emotional fitness this month.

1. What's a win that I would like to celebrate? Something that went well, a lesson, a realization. As small as "I started catching my inner critic more often," or as big as "I finally started the project I'd been avoiding. It is not perfect, but I didn't let the critic stop me."

2. What didn't go the way I'd hoped? Name it without the beating-up. For example: "I went cold and short in a meeting when I got frustrated, and it didn't sit right afterward."

3. What can I learn from that to act and feel the way I want next month? For example: "When I notice the tension rising, I'll take one breath before I respond, instead of letting it drive me."

That's another rep 🔔 done. Kudos! And a few moments off the autopilot of the survival mind. The more you practice, the easier it gets.

One Question

What are you wrestling with that you'd like this newsletter to help with?

Send me a few sentences, or just a few topics you'd love to see here. I write these to actually be useful to you, not to add another email to your inbox. Whatever you share stays between us.

And full disclosure: I use AI to help me edit and tidy the grammar. But the thoughts and the process are mine. The first draft is always me, sitting down and writing from my own experience, knowledge, and passions.

Thank you for your inner work, 

Lucie, Creator of (and a student in) MindFittery

P.S. Want to sharpen the saw with others? I lead a live call on Thursdays at 10 am Pacific, or hop on the waitlist for other times. Learn more here.