What did I sign up for?! I expected January to test my habits, not my identity.

Dry January ended, at least on the calendar. I decided to experiment this year for the first time, mostly out of curiosity. I didn’t expect it to open something deeper. As I write this, emotion shows up unexpectedly. That caught me off guard.

Calling this an identity crisis feels dramatic. Calling it an identity shift feels honest.

For a long time, I wore the “beer guy” label comfortably. Homebrewer for more than twenty years. Certified beer judge for fifteen. Friends who own a local brewery. Travel plans that begin with finding the local brewery before the hotel. Beer didn’t just sit in my glass. It lived in my routines, my relationships, and my sense of belonging.

I thought about testing Dry January many times over the years. That choice always felt complicated, not because of dependency, but because alcohol plays such a central role in how we gather, celebrate, and connect. Opting out can feel like stepping slightly outside the circle.

The reflection deepened while I worked toward my NASM nutrition coaching certification. The science landed differently this time. Alcohol consistently showed up as a toxin with no nutritional upside. No judgment. Just information. Enough to make me pause.

Dry January gave me a container to explore. A low-risk experiment.

The payoff showed up quickly. Better sleep. More energy. Clearer thinking. I felt it in my workouts, my mornings, and my focus. Along the way, I discovered an expansive world of non-alcoholic craft beers. The creativity and flavor still exist. I didn’t have to give up nearly as much as I assumed.

And yet, something else surfaced.

If beer no longer defines me the way it once did, what fills that space?

That question carries more weight than I expected. Beer wove itself into my social fabric for decades. Untangling it touches memory, connection, and identity. The hardest part isn’t the beer itself. It’s the social connection. The routines. The identity. People have known me as the beer geek. The person to ask about this brewery or that style. The shared excitement over what to try next.

Letting go of alcohol loosens that familiar thread. That loss feels real.

There are fewer people to ask, “Hey, have you tried this NA beer?” During Dry January, that question fit naturally. Now, it lands differently. I can still share what I enjoy about non-alcoholic beers, but the exchange changes. Most people won’t meet me there unless they choose to explore it themselves.

I often describe transitions as moving through three phases. An ending. A messy middle. And a new beginning.

I didn’t realize how clearly I would experience all three during this experiment.

The ending came first. Choosing non-alcoholic beer options. Letting go of something familiar and well-worn. That part looked simple on the surface. Make a different choice. Pick something else. But endings rarely end cleanly. They carry memory, meaning, and identity with them.

Then came the messy middle. That’s where I am now. This in-between space holds uncertainty and emotion. Old routines loosen, but new ones don’t fully take shape yet. Questions show up faster than answers. Discomfort sneaks in where certainty once lived. This middle doesn’t offer tidy conclusions. It asks for patience.

My new beginning remains undefined, but not ungrounded. What’s starting to take shape rests on values and alignment. A decision to put my health first. A willingness to choose intention over autopilot. An openness to becoming, even without a clear label attached.

This is the terrain I walk alongside my coaching clients. Endings feel heavy. Middles feel awkward. Beginnings take time. I don’t guide people through transitions from a distance. I navigate them too, in real time, with real emotion.

I may change my mind in the future. Right now, I like the challenge. I like the awareness this choice brings.

Yes, this is hard. And yes, these life choices still feel worth making. January ended. The exploration continues.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 356 (𝘠7 𝘞44)

Big actions deliver quick results.
They also fade just as quickly.

Little things work differently.
They compound. They stick. They become something you carry forward.

This week, the Orangetheory Transformation Challenge kicked off again. It sparked a familiar reminder: meaningful change rarely comes from one bold move. It comes from small choices repeated with intention.

Drinking more water.
Showing up when motivation runs low.
Adding one more workout.
Choosing consistency over intensity.

None of these look impressive on their own. Together, they shape momentum.

I’ve experienced this firsthand. During a past challenge, I focused on doing the basics well and doing them often. Over time, those steady choices added up. The results followed not through anything dramatic, but through consistency.

That lesson reaches far beyond fitness.

Change builds quietly.
Transitions unfold over time.
Growth rarely announces itself.
Progress takes shape when you keep showing up.

Notice the small things you practice daily.
Track them if it helps.
Pay attention when they start to feel natural.

Little things become big.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 355 (𝘠7 𝘞43)

What do Taylor Swift and Curt Cignetti have in common?

🤔

At first glance, not much. Yet both demonstrate inspiring leadership through how they show up, how they build teams, and how they define success beyond themselves.

🎯

Last weekend, I watched a Taylor Swift docuseries and followed Curt Cignetti as he led Indiana to a national championship.

After viewing Swift’s docuseries, her leadership stood out immediately. I believe we are all leaders and she offers powerful examples we can learn from. She continues to redefine what success looks like and how leaders create it.

👍 She sets culture intentionally. From introducing herself to every dancer by name to gathering the entire team arm-in-arm before each show, she reinforces belonging, shared purpose, and readiness before performance.
👍 She recognizes contribution meaningfully. The bonuses mattered, but the handwritten notes and personal wax seals mattered more. Appreciation felt personal, not transactional.
👍 She steps out of the spotlight to elevate others. When dancers needed the moment, she moved herself aside so their talent took center stage.
👍 In doing so, she creates excellence through trust. She lets people do what they do best and supports them fully every step of the way.

The six-part docuseries, 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵 | 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳 | 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘳𝘢, released in December 2025, offers leadership lessons alongside a deeper appreciation for what it takes to deliver a tour unlike anything before it. 🎵

Also worth a watch is Curt Cignetti, head football coach of the Indiana University football team. The transformation of Indiana Hoosiers football stands out as one of the most impressive program rebuilds in recent memory.

👍 He communicates clearly and directly. He offers insight rather than deflection and speaks from a place of earned confidence.
👍 He follows a proven process. Clear expectations, accountability, and trust anchor everything he does. Experience taught him the process works.
👍 He builds teams, not just rosters. He brings in players who understand the system and value playing for each other.
👍 The result shows up as a high-performing culture grounded in trust, alignment, and shared standards.

Inspiring leadership rarely looks the same, but it often feels the same. Clarity, trust, and the willingness to lift others. You may not lead a stadium or a locker room, but the way you show up still sets the tone.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 354 (𝘠7 𝘞42)

What you do today quietly shapes more lives than you realize.

The idea of a ripple effect keeps surfacing in conversations lately.
It reminds me how impact rarely stays contained.

I think about this when I write my magazine articles.
I try to show up with intention, put thoughtful words on the page, then let them go.
Once they’re out there, I rarely know where they land or what they stir.
Sometimes I hear back weeks later.
Often, I hear nothing at all.

Yet the ripple still moves.

That’s what getting a little better often looks like.
Showing up thoughtfully.
Taking action without needing to see the outcome.

When you do that, something else shifts.
Your presence changes.
Your energy changes.
And the people closest to you feel it first.

Like pollination, the impact often goes unnoticed in the moment.
Small, ordinary movement that quietly sustains far more than the moment suggests.

That influence carries forward.
From relationship to relationship.
From moment to moment.
Often far beyond what you can see.

When you take action, pause long enough to notice what moves around you.
Awareness can shape what comes next.

Notice the ripple you create.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 353 (𝘠7 𝘞41)

The new year doesn’t wait and neither should we.

The start of a new year brings a sense of freshness and a chance for New Beginnings. It invites reflection and reminds us that something new can begin, even if nothing on the outside looks different yet.

As promised last week, I want to share my word for 2026.

An early contender was 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦. It surfaced more than once during reflective moments and felt meaningful. In the end, something pulled me even stronger in a different direction.

My word for 2026 is 𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗔𝗚𝗘.

I want to take more action and move away from procrastination and avoidance, two familiar ways I sometimes sabotage myself. I want to engage with tasks, situations, and people instead of sitting on the sidelines. When a thought sparks action, I want to move then, not wait for the perfect time that rarely arrives.

Each year, I’m amazed at how the right word presents itself. 💡

What’s your word to keep you transfixed in 2026?

If you’re curious, explore the One Word practice on my website and add your word to the growing word cloud. (https://bit.ly/one-word-08)

🎯

At this time of year, in addition to choosing my word, I also return to a song that feels especially fitting as the year gets rolling. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘴 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘸 by Clouds and Thorns carries an upbeat tempo that lifts my energy and the lyrics invite movement, hope, and momentum.

Everything is possible now. 💪

“𝙰𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚗, 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍.
𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.
𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎.
𝙻𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍.
’𝙲𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗.
𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠.”

🎶 I’ll share Spotify and YouTube links below if you’d like to listen.

What possibilities exist for you today, this week, this year?

Do you want help identifying a word that will keep you transfixed in 2026? Send me a message. Everything is possible and sometimes it starts by simply asking.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 352 (𝘠7 𝘞40)

Care to listen to 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘴 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘸 by Clouds and Thorns?
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0ZvqLQhhBEA912CS2G41TK?si=4b26886923954650
YouTube: https://youtu.be/9O6Ln-HxgBc?si=ytOmM4q_rE0Wz8bz

A new year doesn’t need more goals. It needs direction.

As the year begins, I invite you to choose just 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱. A single word that provides clarity, meaning, purpose, and focus for the months ahead.

Skip the resolutions that fade within weeks. Research suggests nearly 80 percent disappear by February. Instead, choose to live this year on purpose, not by accident.

One Word stays with you.
It shapes daily choices.
It influences habits, actions, and perspective.

✨ You notice it in how you work and how you rest.
✨ You experience it personally and professionally.
✨ You build habits aligned with who you want to become.

My word for 2025 was 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦. It invited curiosity, challenge, and growth in ways I couldn’t fully predict, but deeply needed.
Next week, I will share my word for the new year.

As this new year begins, one word can quietly guide how you choose, what you prioritize, and how you live.

Happy New Year! 🎉

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 351 (𝘠7 𝘞39)

If you’d like guidance and examples, I share the One Word practice here: https://www.markstaelgraeve.com/one-word

Not everything matters equally, but everything competes for your time.

What are the big rocks in your life? The people, priorities, and values that deserve first placement.

When small rocks and sand fill the space, the big rocks never fit. Days get busy. Weeks fill quickly. What matters most often waits.

Family is a big rock for me, even though I don’t always honor it the way I want to. A couple of weeks ago, I chose to give it the priority it deserves. My wife and I decided to attend our daughter’s band concert, even though it meant an eight-hour drive and staying away from home longer than planned. Choosing what matters created unexpected space for connection, including time with my brother and his family.

As the year winds down and you begin looking ahead, pause and consider your big rocks. What needs protection, not just intention? What needs space, not someday?

Choose to make room for what matters most. Choose the big rocks first.

As the year turns, the focus will shift from 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 to 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 350 (𝘠7 𝘞38)

One way to keep your big rocks visible all year involves choosing One Word as a guide.

Your future shifts the moment you decide, not when you feel ready.

Life moves forward through choices. Some work. Some don’t. Every choice creates the opportunity to make another one, often a better one.

Avoiding choice feels safe, but it quietly limits what’s possible. When you don’t choose, you never discover what you’re capable of becoming. As the band Rush reminds us in 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

I remember deciding to become a certified professional coach. It felt scary and uncertain, yet I felt called to it. I had no idea how it would turn out, but I chose myself and my future growth anyway. On the first day of training, I cried. Not from doubt, but because it was real. I made the choice and I made it happen. That decision still carries weight.

Choose something that matters.
Choose something new.
Choose yourself.

Momentum follows choice. Growth follows commitment.

As the year winds down, the question shifts from 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 to 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘴.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 349 (𝘠7 𝘞37)

If you want a simple way to anchor your choices next year, consider choosing One Word to guide them.

Have you heard this one?

There are four stages of life:
1️⃣ You 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 in Santa Claus
2️⃣ You 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 in Santa Claus
3️⃣ You 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 Santa Claus
4️⃣ You 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 Santa Claus
🎅

I heard this on Chicago’s WGN AM 720 this week and laughed out loud. Something about its playful truth landed at just the right moment.

This little joke nudged me to laugh, stay light, and enjoy the stages we move through. It also points to the way identity evolves over time: who we believe in, who we become, and how we show up for others.

I invite you to embrace the evolution and remember to show up with a little more intention and a little more joy.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 348 (𝘠7 𝘞36)

Life moves fast and pulls us in many directions.
I ask myself from time to time: does this add energy or drain it?

For months, I started each morning with a quick check of the news. Over time, that “quick check” grew into a habit that left me tense before the day even began. I noticed I sometimes carried that heaviness with me. So I stepped back, limited my intake, and felt my mornings open up again.

Releasing what no longer supports us creates room for what lifts us.

What might you let go of to feel more energized and alive?

Choose life giving.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨

𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 347 (𝘠7 𝘞35)

Gratitude grows when we slow down - just for a moment.

I feel grateful for family and friends, health, smiles, laughter, sunshine, and time together.

Take a moment today and reflect on the people and small things that bring warmth to your life.

Maybe even take a short gratitude walk - 5–10 minutes of slowing down and noticing what lifts you up.

We have so much to be thankful for.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🦃
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 346 (𝘠7 𝘞34)

Avoidance sneaks in quietly. You notice it when something sits unfinished a little too long.
What are you avoiding?

This week, I drifted away from a few things I meant to do - this post, an eye exam, a workout plan for a friend, even folding the laundry.

At the core, I felt fear: not being enough, not being perfect, or getting more of what I want. Avoidance protected me from not knowing where to start.

Each time I paused, I felt that familiar “ah, there it is” moment. My inner critic kept saying, “wait.” My wiser self kept saying, “begin.”

Avoidance isn’t just resistance - it’s information. Sometimes it reveals where we protect ourselves, where perfection shows up, or where starting feels uncertain. It shows us where we feel pressure, uncertainty, or the pull of comfort.

What if you greet that avoidance with curiosity?
What if you listen to what it wants you to notice?
What if awareness—not judgment—guides your next small step?

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
🍨
𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 345 (𝘠7 𝘞33)

Today is the day!!!

World Kindness Day happens every year on November 13. Add it to your calendar! ✅

This world feels messy at times. And yet, goodness still exists - everywhere.

Each of us can help make our world a little better. A little kinder.

Two of my favorite ways to infuse kindness into someone’s day:

🙂 Smile
🚪 Hold the door open

A few more ways to inspire kindness:

📝 Write a note and leave it for someone to find
🙏 Practice gratitude
❤️ Tell someone you love them
🤗 Give a hug
☕ Buy coffee for a stranger
📚 Help a classmate with homework

There are so many ways! How do you spread kindness?

What’s your favorite?

Create your world. Make it one built on kindness.
Create Your Life 🍨

Be kind. ❤️

Waypoint 344 (Y7 W32)

What if clarity isn’t about seeing more, but seeing what’s already there?

My mom is having cataract surgery.

Lately, she’s struggled to see clearly, especially when driving at night. The headlights, once just light, had become blinding. The glare made the road ahead hard to trust.

She started avoiding nighttime drives altogether. What once felt simple now felt uncertain.

It made me think about how easily life overwhelms our vision. Too many inputs. Too much noise. The light itself stops guiding and starts glaring.

When that happens, we start to pull back, to shield ourselves, to stay safe, to narrow our view, to stop driving.

But the problem isn’t the light. It’s the lens.

Over time, our lens can distort what’s in front of us and scatter clarity into confusion.

Sometimes we don’t need more light; we just need to restore focus. And when we do, what’s been there all along comes back into view.

Here’s to seeing clearly again and enjoying the light, on the road and in life.

Create your life.
🍨
Waypoint 343 (Y7 W31)

Half green. Half gold.
I never really noticed before - trees showing both colors at once.
It happens every year, right in front of us, yet I somehow missed it for 57 years.

Now I notice it everywhere. One branch holds on to summer while another steps into fall.
Change doesn’t rush. It unfolds.
It feels like nature’s way of saying, you can shift slowly, too.

The trees don’t rush. They prepare, let go, and rest. Their beauty peaks right before release.

I take that lesson to heart. Appreciate the brilliance, slow my pace, and trust that renewal follows letting go.

Enjoy the autumn beauty.

Create your life.
🍨
Waypoint 342 (Y7 W30)