August ’25 Edition - Points of Balance
(100-point challenge) A group of us took on a 100-point challenge this August.
Context:
What began as a friendly idea to keep the momentum from July’s 100-mile challenge soon became a new way to focus on balance in mind, body, and spirit. Instead of counting miles, we counted points, each earned through small acts of wellness such as a workout, a mindful pause, a healthy meal, a kind word, or a moment of reflection.
Every point told a story of intention and presence. Some days we pushed harder, and some days we simply showed up. Together, we discovered that wellness is not a finish line but a rhythm, one that grows stronger when shared.
Here’s how our August reflections unfolded, one day at a time.
08/01 (#32):
I came across a TED article on how people around the world embrace the idea of grounding, staying connected to what truly matters. Here are six lovely practices that offer that sense of presence and renewal:
Shinrin yoku (Japan): Forest bathing, a slow, sensory walk through nature to reset the mind and body.
Fika (Sweden): Coffee and cake, yes, but also presence, conversation, and stepping out of autopilot.
Slow Radio (UK): Soothing sounds like birdsong, waves, or quiet city strolls to help you slow down.
Ubuntu (Southern Africa): “I am because we are.” A celebration of connection, community, and shared humanity.
Dolce far niente (Italy): The sweetness of doing nothing, letting go of guilt and simply being.
Indian head massage (India): An ancient ritual to relax, restore, and recenter.
Whether you take a forest stroll, pause for fika, move your body with purpose, or simply give yourself a quiet moment of stillness, may we all carry a bit of this slower rhythm with us.
Let’s continue to move, not just to reach goals, but to stay grounded, energized, and connected. May we keep moving with presence, and resting with purpose.
08/02 (#33):
Keep Going: There’s something powerful about persistence—not flashy sprints, but steady steps that add up over time. Whether you’re chasing a goal, building a habit, or just getting through the day, it’s that quiet decision to keep moving that makes all the difference.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
Here’s to the start of something meaningful again. One step, one quote, one moment of reflection at a time. Let’s go 💯 team!
08/03 (#34):
Share to Inspire: It might feel like a small thing—logging a walk, posting a run, sharing a quick update, whether it’s about the challenge or life in general. But these moments add up. They create momentum, show what’s possible, and remind others they’re not doing this alone.
You never know who you’re encouraging just by showing up.
“When we share our light, we make it easier for others to find their way.” — Unknown
So keep sharing. Your effort might be the nudge someone else needs to keep going. That’s how we build something real. Together…
08/04 (#35):
Stay Curious: I’m in the middle of reading Educated by Tara Westover, and it’s one of the most unbelievable and empowering stories I’ve come across. It’s raw, intense, and has made me pause and reflect in ways I didn’t expect.
It reminded me how easy it is to judge when we only see the world through our own lens. But the truth is, we rarely know the full story, and that’s where curiosity matters most.
We often hold on to what we know. It feels safe. But real growth happens when we step into the unfamiliar, when we’re willing to read, listen, learn, and see differently.
As I head into this new week, I’m carrying that reminder with me to stay curious, let go of snap judgments, and keep an open mind. Because every day is a chance to learn something new, and grow just a little bit more…
08/05 (#36):
Nanakorobi yaoki (七転び八起き) : “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
If today, or even the last seven, didn’t go as planned, that’s okay. What matters is getting back up and moving forward. You’ve got this…
08/06 (#37):
I heard this quote yesterday while reading a book, and it really stuck with me:
“Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes and sits softly on your shoulder.” – Henry David Thoreau
Rather than chasing happiness, build the life that invites it in. Care for your body, calm your mind, and let joy find its way to you. Move with purpose, breathe with intention, and let the rest unfold. 🦋
08/07 (#38):
“Do not lose your desire to walk.” - — Søren Kierkegaard
Movement heals. Whether it’s clarity you seek or calm you crave, walking has a way of leading you there—one step at a time. As the passage says, “if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.” Let’s keep moving, inside and out…
08/08 (#39):
Reminder: If you’re unsure what to chase in life right now, chase yourself.
Become the healthiest, most present, most alive version of you.
It’s not just poetic — it’s biologically wise.
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
08/09 (#40):
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir
Yesterday, I took a wellness day and decided to hit the trails. At the top of the hill, I saw a group of paragliders floating over the valley. One instructor told their flyer to be present, trust the jump, and enjoy the ride. On the way back, I passed hikers smiling, laughing, and stopping to take in the views. It made me think we don’t really need a parachute or a mountain trail to feel that joy. Step outside, feel the steady earth under your feet, and let the sky, the air, and the beauty around you fill you with gratitude…
08/10 (#41):
“Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.” — John Keats
I came across this quote while listening to a new book I just started. It’s a beautiful reminder that life’s moments don’t wait. Either we step into them and make them ours, or we watch them slip away, never to return. Some things can only be truly known by living them.
Here’s to making this Sunday a day full of experiences you’ll carry forever.
08/11 (#42):
Just as the most valuable things in life like time, inner peace and love are free, the things that make you unstoppable are yours to build and no one can take them away from you: your mindset, your habits, your health and your resilience…
08/12 (#43):
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.” — Walt Whitman
08/13 (#44):
“There are always plenty of rivals to our work. We are always falling in love or quarrelling, looking for jobs or fearing to lose them, getting ill and recovering, following public affairs. If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavourable. Favourable conditions never come.”
— C.S. Lewis, Learning in War-Time
These words couldn’t ring truer for me right now. Life will always be busy, messy, and unpredictable. But caring for our body and mind can’t wait for “someday.” Even small steps count. Start today, be gentle with yourself, and let each step forward be an act of care for the person you are becoming…
08/14 (#45):
During yesterday’s yoga practice, our instructor shared this beautiful poem by Danna Faulds:
“Just for Now,
Without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness.
Just for now, lay down the weight
You so patiently bear upon your shoulders.
Feel the earth receive you,
And the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider,
as your awareness reaches up to meet it.
Just for now,
Allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience.
Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth.
Just for now,
Be boundless, free,
with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet.
Drink in the possibility
Of being who and what you really are —
So fully alive that the world looks different,
Newly born and vibrant, just for now.”
A gentle reminder that sometimes the greatest gift we can give ourselves is to pause, just for now, lay down the weight, breathe, and simply be…
08/15 (#46):
I’ve been listening to Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci and came across this line that really resonated with me:
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” — Leonardo da Vinci
It’s a truth that applies to so much in life. Knowing what’s good for us is just the beginning; it’s the steps we take, day after day, that transform us.
08/16 (#47):
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
The same mornings can feel different when you stop rushing.
The same body feels better when you stop ignoring it.
The same mind becomes quieter when you stop believing every thought.
Sometimes, transformation is simply the quiet decision to show up a little kinder than yesterday.
08/17 (#48):
Yesterday I attended a full day mindfulness retreat with seven hours of silence, free of technology and distractions. At first it was difficult. The more I tried to focus, the more distracted I became. The teacher led us through sitting meditation, walking meditation, stretching, and some yoga, and slowly it became lighter and more manageable.
One line shared during the retreat has stayed with me since:
“You are not your thoughts. You are just the observer of your thoughts.”
I am still sitting with what it means to really live from that place of observing, rather than being carried away and lost in the ocean of thoughts…
08/18 (#49):
I was listening to Adam Grant talk about overlapping circles of identity yesterday, and it made me reflect on my own. For the longest time my main driver was work, and while I’ve always had friends and family to support me, I sometimes didn’t give those circles as much space as I wanted to.
The last two months of our challenge, and the time after program in general, have given me a lot of perspective on trying to find that balance. They have brought me a new sense of purpose through circles of caring, self-care, motivation, and wellness. It reminded me how much we all need a sense of community to feel motivated and whole.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” — Audre Lorde
I’m grateful for the circles that continue to grow around me, and I’m excited to keep building them with more intention.
08/19 (#50):
Today’s profound reflection: Treat peace of mind with the same urgency as diarrhea — both can’t wait 🙂.
Heard it from someone and couldn’t resist sharing. Funny, but deeply true.
Hope that gave you a chuckle to start your day with a smile.
08/20 (#51):
“Only when I stop hiking
do I finally see the flowers
of the wild blueberries,
first one, then five, then
they are everywhere—
everywhere! How did I
miss all the tiny pink bells
that will soon become
dark sweet fruit?
How often, in my haste, do I miss
what is right here, the thing
I most long to see?
Once I start seeing the blueberry
flowers, I can’t stop seeing them.
Sometimes it’s like this with kindness.
With peace.
With beauty.
With love.”
— Rosemerry Trommer
Do you feel the same with your exercise now? Once you start doing it, it’s hard to imagine how you ever couldn’t…
08/21 (#52):
“We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” — Robert Brault
The challenge isn’t always the lack of opportunity, but choosing the one pursuit that truly counts and staying with it. What’s the one pursuit you’ll stay with today?
08/22 (#53):
A Japanese proverb says: “間違った電車に乗ってしまったら、次の駅で降りましょう”
“Machi gatta densha ni notte shimattara, tsugi no eki de orimashō.”
(“If you’ve boarded the wrong train, get off at the next station.”)
It doesn’t matter if you feel embarrassed or if it costs more to get on the right path. Every effort to correct your course is worth more than staying on a path that isn’t leading you where you want to go.
And most importantly, this isn’t giving up. Giving up would be stepping off the right train. Choosing to step off the wrong train takes courage and clarity.
Choosing courage over comfort is how we eventually find the right train.
And of course… this was never really about trains.
08/23 (#54):
Small rituals, practiced daily, can reset your mornings and your mindset…
08/24 (#55):
“When one is a stranger to oneself, then one is estranged from others too.” — Anne Morrow Lindbergh
If you feel you have lost that connection to your core, the best way to regain it is to turn inward, nurturing your mind, body and spirit until you feel whole again…
08/25 (#56):
“Movement is medicine.”
I came across this yesterday and I have been thinking about it. We get to choose how we use it, as a gentle vaccine that builds resilience day by day, or as a soothing remedy when our bodies and minds need healing. However we choose, every step is an act of care for ourselves and a reminder that wellness grows with each move we make. Have a great week ahead, filled with movement and care…
08/26 (#57):
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
As this week unfolds, decide to include yourself in your circle of care. Your well-being matters as much as the goals you pursue and the people you support. Even the smallest act of kindness toward yourself can shape the way you show up for everything and everyone around you…
08/27 (#58):
“We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” – Sheryl Sandberg
When we pause to listen to our bodies, our minds, and the environments around us, we create space for real growth. It is this very awareness that has helped you push through and achieve your goals this month.
Let’s carry this awareness into the new month ahead, aiming even higher and continuing to push each other toward our best…
08/28 (#59):
I just started listening to the book “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen and came across this powerful reminder:
“What we hold on to perpetuates our reality. What we let go of creates new possibilities.”
Fixed mindsets often keep us locked into old realities. When we release them, we create the space to build new habits that strengthen our mind, body, and spirit…
08/29 (#60):
You can control your effort, not the outcome. Pour everything into the work, and then let go of the results.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us, “The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”
Your only job is to show up fully. As we close this month, let’s celebrate the effort we’ve put in and carry that same energy forward into the next one…
08/30 (#61):
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle
Perhaps the most valuable trait in life is consistency. Not just charisma, vision, or passion.
It is showing up, doing the right thing, setting clear expectations, and keeping your word again and again, again and again, again and again, even when no one is watching.
That is how trust is built, and how excellence quietly takes root…
08/31 (#62):
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent van Gogh