fe is full of ups and downs. There are moments when we feel on top of the world, and others when we feel like we are at our lowest point.

It is easy to get caught up in the moment, but it is important to take a step back and assess our life as a whole. One way to do this is by using the 1-10 scale to evaluate the quality of our experiences.

Think about all of your life’s experiences on a numerical scale ranging between 1-10.

10 being the best day of your life and 1 being the worst day of your life.

Newsflash: You are never going to be as young as you are right now.

Tomorrow you are going to be older.

The next day, even older…

As we grow older, we expect ourselves to become wiser.

Stress is an unavoidable but prevalent part of our lives, affecting our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

From work deadlines to personal problems, stressors are everywhere.

If not managed properly, stress can be a chronic problem causing a whole slew of issues and repercussions.

But why does stress seem to affect everyone differently?

Do you ever tell yourself “I suck” because of an awful performance?

I know I do.

Think about all the times you felt like you were on top of the world, progressing at a rapid rate, surpassing your peers, and crushing all of your goals.

But then, just when you feel like you are really hitting your stride, something happens - the world flips upside down - you fail; you lose; you eat sh**.

How many self-help books have you read?

I’ve read dozens of them.

Everything from business to mindfulness, and anything in between.

If there’s one thing that I discovered from this conglomerate of reading, it is…There are an infinite number of ways to succeed.

Success, however you define it, can happen from any angle. Boundless from conventional wisdom or from a specific method.

Does anyone else remember learning about the American psychologist B.F. Skinner and his operant condition model in 9th grade psychology?

For whatever reason, learning about basic psychology theories have always seemed to stick with me, despite not having a formal use for them.

If you need a refresher, operant conditioning is based on reinforcement. Either adding or removing something to either increase or decrease a behavior.

There are always battles to be fought.

Some of these battles are with strangers.

Some of these battles are with our friends, family members, or significant others.

And some of these battles are with ourselves.

Humans are hypercritical of each other. We complain, criticize, and commandeer each other's ideas, actions, and identities. Why? Because it’s easier. It is easier for us to complain than to devise solutions. It’s easier for us to blame than to take responsibility. It’s easier for us to criticize others than to change ourselves…