Is "Mastering the Everyday" a Good Fit for You?

Read this first

I went from dreading my alarm to…well…not dreading it so much – and even being excited for it on some days!

If you know me and the journey it took to get here, you know that’s a big, big win.

I find hope and healing now in my everyday obligations, routines, and choices, and I want you to find that, too.

So, is Mastering the Everyday (MtE) the right place for your subscription?

Let’s start with some questions

Here are some things to ponder:

• Are you tired of being told what you "must" do to succeed in your day?

• Do you crave a more personalized approach to self-improvement and self-discovery that doesn’t involve aggressive finger wagging?

• Are you looking to try some tips, tools, and techniques to make your day a little easier?

• Do you want to explore some cool concepts including mindfulness, meditation, better communication, handling conflict, and more?

• Are you a fan of research-based techniques mixed with a healthy dose of ancient wisdom and personal experience?

• Do you want information from someone who has experience as a licensed counselor, is a scholar of ancient wisdom, and has over 30 years of experience and practice in this area?

Even if you only answer yes to one of these questions, MtE just might be the place for you.

Growth is a process, not a script

Mastering everyday life isn’t a Hollywood script you follow. It’s an ongoing journey you take – a journey where there is no rehearsal, the lighting is often crappy, and you don’t really know what the director wants.

It’s dealing with a random angry person, learning patience at work, creating healthier habits at home, and exploring the world within – and without. And that’s what we do at MtE.

Like anything worthwhile in your life, personal growth and self-discovery is about finding your own path. It's about breaking free from the cookie-cutter advice that often dominates the self-help world.

But most of all, it’s about trial, error, practice, and patience.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t respond well to people pushing and shoving advice into my life. I detest being rushed, talked down to, or feeling judged when I’m searching for my truth.

I walk (or run) away from that.

It’s the same reason car shopping bugs us. We don’t like people pressuring us, bullying us, or trying to get into our heads to control us.

We’re adults. We’ve got this, thank you very much.

Every journey is unique. There's no one-size-fits-all solution to this stuff. You do you, and seek out the help when you want or need it.

What can you expect from the MtE newsletter?

Here are some things MtE can provide:

• Practical tips and tools: Actionable advice you can easily incorporate into your daily life

• A supportive community: Connection with like-minded individuals who are also on their own journeys; we are all on this path together, and something that helped you may help another – we want to hear about it, and maybe put it into practice in our own daily routine

• An exploration of diverse topics: We’ll dive into mindfulness and meditation, think about better ways to handle things like conflict and difficult people, explore teachings from great thinkers and researchers to get their take on daily life, and generally get all good and excited about the challenges in our day

• A little fun: I know this is subjective, but hopefully you’ll find a little here!

Who am I to write this?

So, who is the person behind the words? Well, I’m J.A., and I’m a guy who had a bit of an anxiety, stress, and panic problem (okay, a major one…one that almost destroyed my life…almost).

I realized that if I wanted any quality of life at all, I had to dig out of the hole. And I got to work.

The stakes were high, after all – the stakes were my life.

I realized that the opportunities I needed to grow and heal were all around me, right in everyday life. They were my relationships, my food choices, my thoughts…everything!

I took a deep breath and dove deeper into what was drowning me. I learned to swim…and swim…and swim…until I could bob a little easier on the waves and go a little more with the flow of life instead of struggling mightily against it.

I started with simple tips and practiced them every day. Eventually, they became tools I could use as life came at me moment by moment.

Now, I’m sharing what I learned (and am still learning).

In addition to that?

• I was a licensed social work counselor, working with clients to help them find hope and meaning in their journeys; I also trained future counselors to find hope and meaning in their own work and personal journeys

• I was a scholar of, and university instructor in, the humanities, teaching ancient wisdom

• I’ve spent over three decades studying ancient wisdom and self-discovery techniques

• I am a speaker (including TEDx) on, and teacher of, mindfulness and growth

• I’m the award-winning author of multiple books in this space

• I have advanced degrees in comparative religion (MA), law (JD), and social work (MSW)

• I’m currently a coach, assisting clients on their paths of self-discovery

My journey continues through navigating married life, raising my kiddo, paying my bills, celebrating small wins, finding tiny joys, making little repairs around the house, dealing with daily stressors and annoyances, and just doing everyday life.

There’s meaning now in the everyday, and that’s worth getting up for.

Ready to start mastering the day?

I can’t force anyone to take a step that could make their day a little better (or even a little less difficult). I can’t make people subscribe to anything.

But what I can do is keep putting out content and holding this space so that you can take what you need from it.

Leave the rest.

-J. A.