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“What may have been super important to get into our jars at one point in our lives may no longer carry the same weight.”

Worth an echo, this line captures the downside of creating a strong ecosystem of habits absent this one.

Ask (often):

How has the importance of this [act, artifact, attitude] changed in my life?

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Great question to reflect upon and ask ourselves, Damon, thank you!

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This line, 'It's just the arrogance of youth that made me act as if I could "do it all,"' really struck a chord. It makes me wonder, is there a way to balance youthful ambition with the wisdom of recognizing our limitations? How can we dream big while still honoring our boundaries and well-being?

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That is the big question, isn't it Alex? I don't know if I can generalize this, but I have had interesting conversations with Gen Zers and younger Millenials that make me think they have a healthier, more balanced perspective. Makes me feel hopeful that perhaps we have learned enough to teach our kids a better way :) Cheers!

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Haha, yes, it must be the younger millennials than me - because the elder millennials definitely did not have a balanced perspective - at least in my mind :) But I am hopeful for the Gen Z'ers at least - I love that they are challenging so much.

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Lou, this is a great musing and a great question - we have a lot in common when it comes to our thought processes and continued learning from our lives. :) I wrote on a similar topic a while back -

https://immigrantsjourney.substack.com/p/another-tale-of-the-rock-pebble-sand

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Thank you for sharing your piece on this Yi! I just read it quickly and want to revisit — you took a different angle that I thought was fascinating. What if it's the sand that we want all along... I'll have a slower re-read! Cheers!

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Lou, I always enjoyed the rock jar story and have seen it portrayed by several speakers at events. It is a great example but I think your point is equally important. We need to learn to recognize the seasons of our lives and know when our priorities have to shift as well as our ability to accomplish all we want.

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I imagine you've been seeing a bit of this since your retirement, Matthew! It'd be interesting to see how your rocks have or will continue to shift as you settle in your new season. I so look forward to reading more of that from you as well! Cheers!

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Great post Lou! My rocks have changed, mostly.

I swapped out Work for Healthy Habits about six months ago. It sounds awesome, but there are days my body would rather go on auto-pilot and Work than to actually take that long walk and cook a heart-healthy meal at home. And then there are days that I relish this reorg of rocks!

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