Thankful Thursday #21

Last week was a very bucket-filling week for me from a career standpoint (followed by a great visit to see the parents over the weekend). Oddly enough, as the week wrapped up I found myself crafting a Thankful Thursday post in my head about my job/career, and I figure there’s no time like the present to make it happen.

It seemed somewhat fitting that one of my dad’s recent blog posts featured an article about passions and priorities. While we were skyping with the little on Saturday, she referenced this article my dad posted, saying it was basically one long, non-sugar coated lecture saying get your shit together. Naturally I had to read it.

This quote in particular stood out to me:

If you’re passionate about something, it will already feel like such an ingrained part of your life that you will have to be reminded by people that it’s not normal, that other people aren’t like that.

Last week essentially confirmed that for me. On Thursday I gave a day-long training to six local health departments about developing their evaluation plans for our grant and provided evaluation tools I’ve developed for our other grant. A majority of my tools are in Excel because I’m able to sort, filter, use fantastic functions, color-code, etc. One girl actually came up to me during the break and said she was having a fangirl moment over one of my tools.

Week. Made.

But how many people in the world get excited about things like that? I forget other people don’t think like I do or get energized over the exciting potential of a well-designed Excel file (assuming it has quality data, of course). Heck, a handful of people on Thursday alone made a “god bless evaluators” comment. They think it’s overwhelming and don’t even know where to begin.

I, on the other hand, literally become giddy when I think about developing surveys or conducting assessments or getting a new set of data to better understand programs, organizations and systems, particularly from a quality improvement perspective. And yet another meeting today confirmed I’m one of the few who actually gets excited about those opportunities.

After a great training, I got to spend the next day at a conference put on by our regional chapter of the American Evaluation Association. I kid you not, I was enthralled from the time the speaker started at 9 a.m. and was almost sad to have to duck out at 2 to get Hurley. One of the leading evaluators in the nation spoke about a newer framework of evaluation and I took pages upon pages of notes (and added about a dozen books to my ‘to-be-read’ list).

What was exciting for me is that I realized that his framework is inherently how I approach evaluations, and it’s very much how I function within our current program. Even a few of the evaluators in the room mentioned that this profession is getting to be less about having a set a technical skills (aka: knowing statistical packages) and moreso about facilitating, documenting, tracking and pulling varies pieces together to understand the full context of whatever it is we’re evaluating. That’s my bread and butter!

Sad or strange as it sounds, those two days I just kept thinking that people always talk about how “you just know” when you’ve found The One. That’s how I feel about my career. I honestly couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else — at least not at this juncture of my life or with this level of enthusiasm.

And I have to say that I’m beyond grateful for that. Not many people are as fortunate, and I certainly recognize that. I love that I’m using a skillset and mindset that comes naturally. Spending a day in excel and piecing together information to generate evaluation reports is energizing to me, which perplexes most people. But that’s also how I know that I’ve found what I’m passionate about (and the fact it’s paired with public health is just the cherry on top). Granted, it’s still hard to explain to others what it is I actually do…

Regardless, I’ve found myself growing exponentially grateful for the path that led me to evaluation, not to mention the handful of professors and mentors who’ve helped me hone my skills and abilities. Although don’t get me wrong — there are still good days and not so great days at the office. No job is perfect. But I do know that this type of position is perfect for me. That’s worth acknowledging everyday, not just Thankful Thursday!

Thankful Thursday #20

Yesterday I “graduated” from the leadership institute I’ve referenced in a few of my blog posts, and quite honestly, I couldn’t think of a more deserving Thankful Thursday topic.

A little more than a year ago I showed up for the three-day kickoff retreat, unsure of what I was getting myself into. All I can say looking back is that I absolutely ended up being at the right place at the right time.

It almost seems like magic. Aside from the four individuals in my cohort who work in the state office building (who I now pow-wow with on a regular basis), I have literally spent all of 10 days over the course of three retreats with my cohort of 26. And somehow they feel like family.

What drives that is likely the depth and range of conversations we’ve had over the course of the year. To say we got up close and personal is an understatement. We took no less than five assessments (including a 360 assessment, which is intense in and of itself) to understand our personality, behavioral and thinking preferences. After receiving results, we dove into group discussions and pair-and-share conversations about what that means for ourselves and how it’s perceived by those around us.

Lame as it sounds, the leadership institute was probably one of the most challenging things I’ve done. Not in terms of the amount of work necessarily, but certainly the depth. It’s hard to be vulnerable with people you hardly know. It’s difficult to come face to face with your weaknesses, particularly in a “professional” setting. Each one of us was stretched beyond our comfort zone, and we became stronger for it.

What I loved about the institute is that it went beyond learning about our preferences and a specific set of skills, like crisis communication and conflict resolution. We were empowered to explore and then embrace our strengths and also our weaknesses. The whole experience felt like life coaching, career counseling, mentoring, leadership development and a support group all wrapped up in one.

I can’t even begin to articulate how thankful I am for the experiences I’ve had through this institute. The friendships gained, the lessons learned and the growth I’ve had in the last year is truly remarkable. For the first time, I’ve embraced what I bring to the table (and that includes being an introvert!) and recognize that value within teams. And for me, that’s huge.

It also didn’t hurt that my go-to lady in the institute also has an adorable yellow lab with an equally impressive vertical jump. I’m telling you — right place at the right time. ❤

Thankful Thursday #19

Once again, it’s been awhile since I’ve written a Thankful Thursday post. I figured I should tackle this while it was still fresh in my mind instead of waiting until I’m back to my high-strung self.

Last week (a week ago today, actually) I went on vacation with the sisters. We’ve decided that every three years we should have a sisters trip (our first one was three years ago to London) and this year we (somewhat last-minute) decided to venture to Cape Cod.

We didn’t learn our lesson with London in that we didn’t do a ton of research leading up to the trip (doing so would have helped me know in advance that despite being called Martha’s Vineyard, there aren’t many wineries or even wine tastings available…). But that was part of the beauty of the trip. (Plus it helped that Cape Cod was small enough and technically in the off-season to where it didn’t feel nearly as overwhelming as London.)

This week I’ve been thankful not only for the time with the sisters, but also having the opportunity to get away to really recharge my batteries. I realized that the last non-work trip I took was almost two years ago when I went to Denver with the middle.

Not to say I don’t have opportunities to relax if I don’t travel. One of the unique, shall we say, components of my personality is my inability to cool it. (Let’s just be honest about that fact.) Even when I took two days off work after submitting the evaluation report, I used that time to work on my table, run errands and do chores I neglected that week. I was the girl in college who skipped class to do work for other classes or extra-curriculars.

It’s something I’m trying to work on, but definitely showcases the necessity of a trip like this, at least at this juncture in my life. From the time I left work on Wednesday afternoon until I got back to the office on Tuesday morning, I didn’t check my work email. (!) I didn’t make a grocery list for the next week (though I thought about it) or give a second thought to chores and other responsibilities. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t on an adrenaline rush of caffeine, stress and/or endorphins. It was probably a good break for my mind and my body!

What also helped are the great conversations I had with the sisters about intentionality and prioritizing as a way to stay true to the type of life you want to lead. I’ll probably have more on that later, but it played a huge role in my perspective coming back home.

By the time I got back to work on Tuesday morning, I was almost zen. I wasn’t trying to multi-task or fall into the adrenaline trap. That may change in the next week or so, mind you, as deadlines pop up and projects escalate. But for now, I’m taking things one task and one meeting at a time.

I’m thankful for the renewed efforts to control my schedule instead of letting it control me. When everything is a priority, nothing is. The beauty is that it’s up to me to set those priorities. I certainly got a reminder of what those are through my long weekend trip.

The only downside is that I didn’t have Hurley around. You could say we’re making up for lost time…

It probably goes without saying that he’s one of my top priorities. ❤

Thankful Thursday #18

If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last week, it’s that mother nature always wins and it certainly has a way of putting things back into perspective.

My adventures started last Thursday. I’d been traveling for work and was more than ready to head home to my furbaby. Mother nature intervened. An hour before we were supposed to board, an announcement came that an incoming flight (the plane we were supposed to take) was struck by lightning. It was re-routed and they weren’t sure when it would arrive in DC.

As the hours passed, we realized there was no chance we’d make our connecting flight and nothing could get us remotely close to Lincoln. We retrieved our luggage to head back to our hotel for another night. Although I was beyond disappointed, I also felt a little lucky. I wasn’t on a plane that was struck by lightning. Could you even imagine? And instead of spending the night in a terminal, I got to go back to a hotel and had great conversations with my co-workers over a much-needed beer. The experience definitely bonded us in a way that nothing else could have (including the contagious giggle fits the following morning as we got more plane delays).

When we landed, I can honestly say I’d never been more thankful to be in Nebraska — particularly since the middle picked me up at the airport with a fountain pop.

Perhaps because of my long stint in the confined terminal of an airport for 12 hours, I ended up coming down with a head cold Saturday night. I honestly don’t know the last time anything knocked me on my ass this hard. Even today I’m still carrying around a box of Kleenex and Sudafed.

I’m not entirely sure mother nature is to blame for that one, but it was definitely a fluke thing I had no control over. I had no choice (quite literally) but to curl up with Hurley and give my body the rest it needed. No work (though I tried until my boss sent me home), no workouts, no nothing. There’s never an ideal time to go get sick, and this week was no exception. Somehow it was what I needed, though. (Now if only my voice would go back to normal…)

Speaking of Hurley, my big moment of thankfulness occurred last night. The middle closed on her new house last Thursday and we’ve been painting ever since (though she’s been burning the midnight oil way later than me).

Last night storms were in full force. As we were upstairs painting the spare bedroom, we were literally just having a conversation about how storms aren’t as fun and exciting when you’re an adult (in part because I’ve got an anxious dog) when we heard the tornado sirens. Dropped jaws and silence.

Why am I thankful? This is the first time we’d been painting at her house and actually had the dogs with us. Also thankfully, we only had torrential downpour, crazy lightning and loud thunder. (Although a house just a few blocks north of her was struck by lightening.) Tornado or not, you can bet one of us would have been in the car trying to get to the pups.

They weren’t to keen on the sirens or being confined to the basement, and they definitely weren’t crazy about the weather. But they were safe and with us. And after awhile, the babies were sound asleep.

Mother nature certainly makes you stop and count your blessings. When you realize how much control you don’t have in life, you appreciate the good fortunate and luck you do have.

Thankful Thursday #17

I’d say it’s been one of those weeks, but it feels like I’ve been saying that for about a month and a half now. Blogging about what I’m thankful for seemed to be a good mental break to help me refocus my energy and remember to take a step back.

Work. Although it’s been a source of my stress, it’s also been for very good reason. I had my one-year anniversary two weeks ago, which we naturally celebrated with coffee. I’ve often heard you hit your stride at the one-year mark, and I think that’s proving to be true. Plus now that we’re through grant season, the evaluation duties really kick into high gear. I’ve been working on an environmental scan tool, a partnership assessment survey and half a dozen Excel files. It’s exhausting, but I’m one happy camper.

Alzheimer’s Association. Last month I kicked off my role as a committee chair for this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The other day we had our second planning committee meeting, and last week was the first meeting with my specific committee. It’s been SO fantastic to be working with such an engaging group of energetic people. Like I’ve been legitimately surprised by how much I’m enjoying my time with them. I’m being reminded all over again of why I love this organization and pursued a career in nonprofits/public service. (As a side note, feel free to join my team or make a donation!)

Family. There are super exciting changes in the middle’s life (I’ll wait for her to share that update — all I’ll say is it involves paint!) and I got to spend a low-key Easter weekend with my parents. Have I mentioned how much I love being closer to my family?! Even after a year here, it’s not something I take for granted. (And I did have a phone date with the little last week. She may not be geographically close, but her humor and perspective makes my day infinitely better.)

Hurley. He will always be at the top of my Thankful Thursday list, but this week he’s especially high on the list. For starters, his paw is fully recovered! The poor baby sliced one of his paw pads the Sunday before Easter, resulting a trip to the vet Monday morning and nearly a week of keeping it wrapped. Pitiful doesn’t even begin to describe how he acted for most of the week (but I have to confess I loved the extra cuddles). The second reason is a slightly happier note — we’re celebrating our one-year anniversary on Sunday! I met him a year ago on the 12th and my life has never been the same. One year (and six vet visits…) later, I’m insanely crazy about this yellow labrador. I think the feeling is mutual, too.

Perhaps it’s time to get back to keeping my gratitude journal. Once the move hit, that habit fell to the wayside. This was definitely a good reminder that stopping to count your blessings and take stock of what’s going well is a much-needed energy boost and attitude adjustment. But Hurley’s been awfully good at that as well. ❤

Thankful Thursday #16

Life has been a whirlwind, let me tell you.

Almost two weeks ago, I got an email out of the blue that my landlord and his wife wanted to move back into the house I’m renting, ideally when my lease ends in mid-March. Considering I’d been planning to renew the lease, I don’t think shock could even begin to describe my reaction (and thank goodness I was with the middle when I got the news…).

Panic set in pretty quickly. Will I be able to find a rental that allows a large dog? Is wanting a house with a fenced-in backyard too much to ask? Can I find it within a month? Is buying a house even an option, financially (and also emotionally) within such a short time frame?

As a Type A control freak, my mind was on overload. I was constantly scouring countless websites and driving myself crazy with pro-con lists and budgets.

But today I’m thankful for a couple of things.

One, I could not be more grateful for the support I received right off the bat. Two of my co-workers offered up their basements for me and Hurley, and a handful of people sent me contact information for realtors and put feelers out with people they knew had rental properties. The number of times people said “we will find you something” made me feel like I wasn’t navigating this on my own (and that they’ve grown fond of me in the 10 months I’ve been there). And I don’t even want to count the number of emails/texts the middle fielded with links and “thoughts on this??” questions.

The second thing I’m grateful for, though, is that tonight I signed a lease for a new rental house. It’s slightly bigger than the house I’m in now with even more character and charm (the middle swooned, so I figured I probably couldn’t go wrong with it). And my new landlord is going to put in a fence for Hurley. That, among other things, means it meets nearly all my criteria. How lucky am I?!

And through it all, I’m even more in love with my dog (if that was even possible…). It definitely created a pretty large barrier having to find a place that would take a 65-pound (but housebroken and well trained) dog. But wherever I go, Hurley Bear goes. That’s a non-negotiable in my book. I love being this furbaby’s mama.

I’m not looking forward to the actual packing and moving part (especially considering I was just doing this a year ago and love my current place) but I’m incredibly thankful it all worked out — and relatively quickly, too! Besides, home is where your dog is, right?

Thankful Thursday #15

I really need to get better about this blog series…

Usually after the holidays, I’m in a bit of a funk. It’s cold, I have to get back into the daily grind and there isn’t a vacation/holiday/celebration on my radar. This year was no exception. I was somewhat dreading Monday, not wanting to face reality again (not to mention the single-digit weather).

Then Sunday morning, I changed my perspective (although admittedly it wasn’t intentional). Turns out at some point in the night, my furnace decided to stop working correctly. When I woke up, it was a chilly 55 degrees. I layered up, put on a large pot of coffee and reached out to my landlord.

Within a few hours I had heat again. And for some reason, all I could think was how lucky I was. I had the means and resources (even down to an incredibly responsive landlord) to warm up within just a few hours. How many things do I complain about, even if it’s just internally, that someone would love to have? How many things do I take for granted?

That’s what kicked off my gratitude/intention journal (I even found this baby on clearance!), which is something I’d had in mind anyway since it’s one of my 30 Before 30 goals.

I didn’t want to restrict this to just things I’m feeling grateful for on a given day, in part because it’s more far-reaching than that. I’m also hoping to track successes, if you will, of being intentional with my attitude. If I go into work or a date thinking that it’s going to suck, then I’m likely going to have that outcome. My attitude has the capacity to make a situation better or worse, and ideally I’d like to have more of the former than the latter.

Back in November I attended a Happiness Summit in town. (Yes, I’m dedicated a Saturday to a free seminar on happiness. But it was so worth it — and let me cross something off my 30 Before 30 list!) Two things stood out to me that are very much in line with this topic.

The first was based on research from Sonja Lyubomirksy in The How of Happiness. Our level of happiness is generally based on three areas. One is genetics, which accounts for 50 percent. What’s interesting, though, is that only 10 percent of happiness is a result of your circumstances while the remaining 40 percent is based on intentional activity. My attitude and actions really can play a big role in how content I am, moreso than the circumstances I’m experiencing.

What was also interesting is one of the presenters (the author of What Happy People Know) spent a few minutes talking about gratitude. Specifically he outlined the difference between gratitude and appreciation, and it’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since.

According to Dr. Baker, with being grateful there’s often a sense of obligation to someone or something. And that’s not meant to have a negative connotation. As an example, I’m incredibly grateful for my family. That comes with a sense of obligation in that I would be there for them at the drop of a hat, no questions asked. It’s like you want to reciprocate what this person or thing brought to your life. That’s what feeling gratitude is about.

Appreciation, on the other hand, doesn’t have any strings attached. You can appreciate, for example, a great piece of art or well-written article or green buds on the trees (if only we were so lucky!). I don’t have to do anything with that feeling other than enjoy it.

It probably just boils down to rhetoric, but somehow that distinction changed my perspective on maintaining a gratitude journal. I’ve often been really bad at keeping such journals because, let’s face it, some days are just crappy and it’s hard for me to channel an attitude of gratitude. But if I can find one thing that I appreciate — a good cup of coffee, a great quote from a book or even a working furnace — then perhaps I’ll see the good after all.

Dog walking

In retrospect, I should have posted this for Thankful Thursday. (Note to self: don’t forget that’s a blog series…)

I’ll probably talk more about this later, but another exciting thing about this year is that I’m participating in the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute. We had our kick-off a couple weeks ago and the other day we had a conference call that addressed mission, vision and values – both personal and organizational.

To start off the conversation about what drives us, we listened to a few “This I Believe” audioclips from NPR. The second story is one I fell in love with: Time to Walk the Dog. I primarily loved it because it pointed out two truths for me. First, dog walking really isn’t walking. Most days my “walk” with Hurley is simply meandering for blocks on end so he can smell every yard and stare down any squirrel, rabbit and critter that falls within his eyesight (and that happens way more frequently than I’d like…). I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who experiences that.

But the other truth is that sometimes that’s the beauty of walking my dog. It forces me to stop. With just a simple walk, Hurley has the ability to bring me back down to Earth, if you will. I love how the author describes it:

Walking the dog makes me lighten up and pay attention, not to what’s in my own head but to the unexpected small delights of the actual world. The dog gets me out of the four walls—work, clock, computer, phone—and into the land of smells and colors and serendipities. He reminds me of everything I can’t control and don’t need to.

My walk with Hurley is one of the few times where I don’t have to do or be anything. In fact, there’s not really anything I can do when I’m away from those four walls. There no crisis to be solved (save for the occasional bee sting…), no one to call and nothing to google. It’s one of those times when you realize you’re not carrying the weight of the world, that it’s going to keep on spinning regardless of what I do.

This has been particularly true with our new walking spot. Tired of walking the same 2-mile route in my neighborhood (plus someone’s allergies prevent him from getting to go to the dog park as frequently…), I decided to walk around Holmes Lake with Hurley. I can’t get enough of this place. Most days there aren’t too many people on the trail and you can only hear the wind and the water when you’re on certain portions of the path. Especially now that the leaves are changing colors, it’s gorgeous.

Granted, my perspective on dog walking may change once winter rears it’s ugly head. For the time being, though, it’s been a good way to regroup and get away from the daily grind of email, phone calls and google searches. Plus I’ve got fantastic company.

Like I said, it should have been a Thankful Thursday post…

Thankful Thursday #14

I meant to post this last Thursday but it managed to get buried in my queue of posts. It was Lindsay’s big move yesterday that actually prompted me to finish writing this, in part because what she’s going through is exactly what I’ve been thankful for the last couple of weeks. I’m thankful for home and, perhaps more importantly, for progress.

There’s a great quote I’ve always loved about change: “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed, is you.”

This couldn’t have been more true for me the weekend before last. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I hadn’t been there in six months, which I think is the longest amount of time I’ve been away from home since I left for college nearly ten years ago. Once I got there (and the excitement of four dogs subsided a bit), I hung my purse on the banister and, out of nowhere, I wondered how many times I must have thrown a purse or backpack or coat in that very spot. How many times had I walked through the front door of the house where my family has been since I was in first grade? There were a few home decor changes, but otherwise it felt the same. Comfortable. Calming.

Yet I couldn’t shake a feeling about how much I’d changed. The last time I was home, I wasn’t in a particularly great place. I was reeling from a hard job rejection and unsure of what the future held for me. It didn’t feel like luck was on my side. At all.

But it was while I was home that the job posting for my current position was released, and the rest is history. Who could have predicted that six month later, I’d be in an entirely different place in my life and bringing home my favorite plus one? (Be impressed we got a photo of the labrador trio. The golden is a little camera-shy so we didn’t want to push our luck including her.)

Granted, the road to progress wasn’t always easy. Exciting, yes. But also scary, emotional and overwhelming. Two of my friends from Missouri recently moved, and it’s been interesting to view it from the other side, if you will. It’s only after the fact that you can look back and realize that it was exactly the change that you needed. Week after week, I continue to get “confirmation” that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and that all the struggle was worth it. Even the little commented that I’m not at all like the person I was a year ago. And for that, I’m incredibly thankful.

Thankful Thursday #13

I’ve been meaning to get the Thankful Thursday posts going again, but it’s felt a little overwhelming with everything I’ve been thankful for as of late. I can’t even really explain how lucky I’ve been, especially with how well and quickly things came together this year. Suffice it to say I’m still eternally grateful about being a doggie mama who’s seven minutes away from the middle and has the job she’d described as her dream/ideal position for the last five years. Rarely do I forget to count my blessings.

Phew. All that being said, I can get back to the simplicity of this series.

Today I’m thankful for something relatively small. And I literally mean small: my FitBit.

There are certainly pros and cons to it. It’s a product that’s gotten a lot of hype and there’s a lot of chatter about which brands/products are better and if it’s really worth it. I wasn’t even aware of it until my dad put it on his Christmas wish-list, at which point I immediately put it on mine.

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not for everyone. I do know that it does wonders for me, though. As someone who loves data and setting goals (especially when it comes to health and self-improvement), this little device is perfect. It allows me to track my amount of physical activity (or lack thereof) and sleep (or again, my lack thereof) on a consistent basis to see how I’m doing.

I wrote earlier this year about what an eye-opener my FitBit was in those first few weeks. I’m all about health and consistently get to the gym. But that doesn’t do me a whole lot of good when the rest of the day I sit. And sit. And sit some more. I wasn’t leading quite the active lifestyle I thought I was, and that became very apparent.

That’s when lap-walking at the office became a thing. A few times a day, myself and whoever was feeling up to it would walk laps around the board room (I would not at all be surprised if we wore a path down on the rug…). It’s a habit that continues for me even now. Right around mid-morning each day, my new counterpart (also another L name, which makes me chuckle a bit) and I lace up our tennis shoes and walk laps in the basement of our building. Beyond just getting in those extra steps (and believe me, they add up), it’s also a great time for brainstorming, de-stressing and just chatting. And that change helps with my overall health, not just the physical activity.

When I got my weekly stats email just a few days ago, I couldn’t help but be thankful that my dad got me a FitBit for the holidays. Granted, my higher numbers are also impacted by the nicer (on some days, anyway) weather, having to park in a parking garage two blocks from the office and having Hurley as a walking buddy. But even so, it’s pretty great progress that I attribute in large part to my FitBit. We’re talking double and triple some amounts compared to my first week.

 

I’d like to think the lap walking and concentrated effort to walk more (and throughout the day instead of just relying on one workout) would continue without the FitBit. But I can almost guarantee that if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be as committed. There’s something about seeing those numbers and getting that weekly email that keeps me motivated. (Now if only I would be more goal-oriented with my amount of sleep…)

Coincidentally enough, on the day I decided to blog about my FitBit, I got an email about a new red FitBit Flex. Not only am I obsessed with the color, but some of the proceeds (albeit small) go to the American Heart Association (heart disease prevention is one of my areas of interest in public health). To say I’m tempted is an understatement, in part because I want to see if I like it better than the FitBit One I currently have. Today I convinced myself to be thankful for what I have and not buy the new FitBit. But tomorrow is a new day…

Regardless of the brand or specific product, though, I’m thankful I’ve got this little gadget. While I can’t say it’s translated into weight-loss, it definitely makes me more aware of my overall health and helps me improve it. It might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely a great tool for me.