🎯 52 Weeks. A Little Better at Life.
Five ideas worth revisiting from our first year together.
Read time: 4.2 minutes
Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.
A year ago, I started Better at Life with a pretty simple idea.
Every Sunday, I’d share one useful thought that might help someone live a little more intentionally.
Nothing complicated.
Just one idea. One action. One opportunity to get a little better at life.
Fifty-two issues later, here we are.
And two weeks ago, something else happened. My book, Better at Life, made its way into the world.
It’s been quite a year.
There have been moments worth celebrating, difficult days, lessons I didn’t expect to learn, and plenty of reminders that I’m still figuring things out myself.
But looking back through these 52 issues, something stood out.
The ideas that matter most aren’t necessarily the most complicated.
They’re the ones we return to.
So this week, instead of introducing something new, I want to revisit five ideas from our first year together.
Consider this a small collection of reminders worth keeping close.
Five Ideas Worth Revisiting
1. The Practice of Becoming
You don’t have to arrive to make progress.
It’s easy to imagine a future version of ourselves who finally has everything figured out.
Better habits. Better boundaries. Better decisions.
But becoming isn’t something we finish.
It’s something we practice through ordinary choices, especially when life doesn’t go according to plan.
The reminder: You don’t have to become a different person overnight. Just practice one choice that reflects who you want to be.
2. The Trust Account
Relationships are built in small deposits.
We tend to think trust grows through big moments.
Sometimes it does.
But more often, it’s built when we follow through, listen carefully, tell the truth, and show up when we said we would.
Small deposits add up.
So do small withdrawals.
The reminder: Make one deposit into a relationship that matters this week.
3. The 3-Win Day
Decide what enough looks like before the day decides for you.
A full calendar doesn’t always mean a meaningful day.
That’s why I like choosing three wins:
- One Work Win: Something meaningful to move forward.
- One Personal Win: Something that takes care of your life.
- One Connection Win: Something that strengthens a relationship.
Three wins won’t capture everything you do.
They’re simply a way to remember what matters.
The reminder: A successful day doesn’t require finishing everything.
4. The Leadership Mirror
Your repeated actions tell the truth about your priorities.
Most of us have a clear picture of the kind of person we want to be.
Patient. Present. Reliable. Generous.
But our intentions aren’t always reflected in our calendars, conversations, or choices.
The gap isn’t a reason for shame.
It’s useful information.
The reminder: Look at one ordinary decision this week and ask, “Does this reflect what I say matters?”
5. Momentum, Without Pressure
Moving forward doesn’t require rushing past what you’ve carried.
This one feels especially personal.
This past year included losing my mom, and that changed the way I think about progress.
Some seasons aren’t about doing more.
They’re about finding a way to keep living, caring, and moving forward without pretending everything is easy.
Sometimes momentum looks like a bold step.
Sometimes it looks like getting through Tuesday.
Both count.
The reminder: Choose a pace you can live with, not one you have to recover from.
Write this down:
The best ideas aren’t the ones we read once. They’re the ones we return to when life gives us another chance to practice them.
This Week’s Action
Choose one of these five ideas.
Not all five. Just one.
Ask yourself:
- Which reminder do I need most right now?
- What would practicing it look like this week?
- What’s one small action I can take today?
Then do that one thing.
You don’t need another complicated plan.
Sometimes you just need to remember something you already know.
Why This Works
We often confuse learning something with living it.
But knowing what matters and practicing what matters are two different things.
Revisiting an idea gives us another opportunity to turn understanding into action.
And because our circumstances change, an old lesson can become useful in an entirely new way.
Try This
Go back and reread one of the original issues.
Notice what stands out differently now.
Then write one sentence:
This week, I’m going to practice ______.
Keep it somewhere you’ll see it.
Weekly Reflection
Before you move on from this email, pause for a moment.
Think about the past year.
What have you learned?
What have you let go of?
Where have you grown in ways that might not show up on a résumé or a checklist?
And what do you want to carry into the next year?
Write it down.
Give yourself credit for the distance you’ve traveled.
If one of these ideas feels useful, feel free to pass it along to someone who might need it this week.
Fifty-two Sundays ago, this newsletter was just an idea.
Today, it’s a year of conversations, reflections, and small reminders that a better life isn’t something we achieve all at once.
I’m grateful you’ve been part of it.
And with the book now out in the world, it feels like we’re beginning another chapter together.
There’s still plenty to learn.
Plenty to practice.
And plenty of room to get a little better.
See you next week — a little better at life.
______
Dr. Chris Mullen
Bring Better at Life to Your Organization
If these ideas resonate, this is also the work I bring into organizations and leadership teams.
I partner with organizations that want clearer thinking, stronger decision-making, and more sustainable performance.
Engagements typically include:
- Keynote speaking for conferences and leadership events
- Leadership development workshops for teams and managers
- Team strategy sessions focused on alignment and execution
For senior leaders seeking deeper application, I also maintain a small executive coaching practice.
