Introduction

Rare is the person who can get through a day without feeling as if nothing could have been improved. Perhaps rare is overstating it. It seems everyone has something, often many things, in their life that they wish were better in some way. Sometimes it’s the little things that bother us—like a phone distracting us with beeps, dings, or lighting up while we’re trying to have a face-to-face conversation. At other times, it’s a larger problem, like the inability to resolve a conflict with our partner. And then there are all the things in between, whether that’s wishing we were in better shape, wanting our memory to be sharper, that our sleep was more refreshing, or even feeling that there is something missing in our lives and desiring to feel a connection to something bigger than ourselves. There are all sorts of ways we could improve our lives… if only we had the tools to do so.

Most of us, however, are not used to thinking in terms of tools. Frequently, people resist the idea that they need a tool. Perhaps they don’t like the connotation that there is something wrong with them that needs to be fixed or the concept of a tool seems too mechanical and inhuman. But the tools in this book are not necessarily meant to repair anything or anyone. Instead, they are processes, methods, and techniques to make improvements on what you are already doing today.

None of us is perfect; we are all works in progress, evolving in our own way and direction. The tools in this book are simply here to help when we want our progress to be better or more structured.

Introduction

Rare is the person who can get through a day without feeling as if nothing could have been improved. Perhaps rare is overstating it. It seems everyone has something, often many things, in their life that they wish were better in some way. Sometimes it’s the little things that bother us—like a phone distracting us with beeps, dings, or lighting up while we’re trying to have a face-to-face conversation. At other times, it’s a larger problem, like the inability to resolve a conflict with our partner. And then there are all the things in between, whether that’s wishing we were in better shape, wanting our memory to be sharper, that our sleep was more refreshing, or even feeling that there is something missing in our lives and desiring to feel a connection to something bigger than ourselves. There are all sorts of ways we could improve our lives… if only we had the tools to do so.

Most of us, however, are not used to thinking in terms of tools. Frequently, people resist the idea that they need a tool. Perhaps they don’t like the connotation that there is something wrong with them that needs to be fixed or the concept of a tool seems too mechanical and inhuman. But the tools in this book are not necessarily meant to repair anything or anyone. Instead, they are processes, methods, and techniques to make improvements on what you are already doing today.

None of us is perfect; we are all works in progress, evolving in our own way and direction. The tools in this book are simply here to help when we want our progress to be better or more structured.