Author: Jim Best

Once you’ve precisely and correctly identified an issue, an event, or a problem as adversity, the instinct is often to look for a single decisive response - fight it, fix it, push through it.  In practice, dealing with adversity well is less about one heroic move and more about a sequence of smaller, deliberate ones. Grab some perspective and stabilize first. Before solving anything, address what’s acutely threatened: sleep, safety,…

Using Mental Precision to Disarm Adversity  Not everything hard is adversity. This distinction matters more than it seems, because how we categorize a difficulty shapes how much power we give it. A late train is an inconvenience. A disagreement with a coworker is friction. These are the textures of ordinary life, and treating them as adversity inflates their weight and drains energy better spent elsewhere.  Adversity, properly defined, is something…

BEST Proof of Living: Let Go of a Grudge - or Forgive Yourself Some of the heaviest things we carry can’t be seen. They’re not boxes, furniture, or backpacks. They’re old arguments, painful memories, embarrassing mistakes, and words we wish we had never said - or words we wish had never been said to us. We tell ourselves we’re “over it,” yet somehow it still influences our thinking. We replay…

It’s a simple question. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Would you become more patient?More disciplined?Less anxious?More confident?Healthier?Kinder?More successful?More courageous? It’s an interesting exercise because the first answer that comes to mind often reveals something important about how you currently see yourself. But after asking that question for years, I’ve come to believe there’s a better one. What one change would improve the greatest…

One of the most common reasons people delay taking action sounds perfectly reasonable: “I just want to be fully prepared.” At first glance, that sounds responsible. Thoughtful. Even wise.But if you stop and ask a simple question, the entire idea begins to unravel. What exactly does “fully prepared” mean?Most people can’t answer. They know they don’t feel ready. They know they’d like a little more confidence, a little more knowledge,…

Unlikely Things You Can Do to Get Moving Again When people feel stuck, they usually search for obvious solutions. Get motivated.Set goals.Read a book.Listen to a podcast.Make a plan. Those are all worthwhile. But sometimes the fastest way to regain momentum is by doing something that doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the problem at all. Only a first step leads to effective action.  . Here are a…

After a few discussions prompted by some thoughts I shared last week “Flying Through Life’s Ups and Downs”, another “take from on high” became really relevant.  Take a flight during a busy travel season, and you’ll probably hear some variation of the same announcement. “Please be mindful of how you stow your luggage. We have a full flight today.” Sometimes it’s:“We have a very full flight.” Or:“We have a completely…

Sleep Matters We spend a great deal of time trying to improve our lives by changing what happens during the day. We focus on better decisions, better habits, better conversations, and better productivity. Yet one of the greatest opportunities for improvement begins the night before. Sleep matters.Not just because it helps us feel rested, but because the quality of our sleep influences nearly everything that follows.  Better sleep improves focus,…

We’ll See About That There are two kinds of people when they encounter an obstacle.The first hears, “It can’t be done,” and quietly accepts it.The second smiles and says,“We’ll see about that.” Those four words have built companies, won championships, discovered medicines, crossed oceans, climbed mountains, and changed lives. “We’ll see about that” isn’t arrogance.It isn’t denial.It isn’t pretending obstacles don’t exist.It’s simply a refusal to let someone else write…

Best Proof of Living - MondayYou Are a Work in Progress Most people think of themselves as they are.  That often leads to judgement and an uneasy, dissatisfying complacency.   It’s much more practical, productive and purposeful to think about the person you’ve decided to become and the life with which you’ll reward yourself.  Today’s Proof of Living exercise is one of the most fun and enjoyable activities we’ve created.…