September ’25 Edition - Mind, Body & Spirit
(Mind, Body, and Spirit) A group of us continued our journey this September, focusing on staying healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
Context:
After two months of movement and momentum, September was about slowing down and finding balance. Instead of chasing miles or points, we turned inward — toward rest, reflection, and renewal.
This month reminded us that wellness is not just about doing more but about being more present. It is the quiet morning walk, the mindful breath between tasks, the gratitude before sleep, and the kindness we show ourselves and others.
Here’s how our September reflections unfolded, one day at a time.
09/01 (#63):
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Zig Ziglar
09/02 (#64):
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” — Fred DeVito
09/03 (#65):
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein
Mistakes are not failures.
They are signs of life,
of effort,
of growth.
Every error is a teacher.
Every setback is a pause to listen.
Every correction is a gentle hand pointing forward.
The only true failure
is closing the door to learning.
Step into today with openness, ready to learn and grow…
09/04 (#66):
“आरोग्यं परमं भाग्यं, संतोषः परमं धनम्।
विश्वासः परमं मित्रम्।”
(Ārogyaṁ paramaṁ bhāgyaṁ, santoṣaḥ paramaṁ dhanam, viśvāsaḥ paramaṁ mitram.)
Health is the greatest blessing.
Contentment is the greatest wealth.
Trust is the truest friend.
It’s almost like a compact life manual: care for your health, practice gratitude, and nurture trustworthy bonds…
09/05 (#67):
Mushin (無心) — “no-mind.”
The mind’s natural state is stillness, free of thought.
Like muddy water, the more we stir, the cloudier it becomes.
Clarity comes not from effort, but from allowing it to settle.
Start today by giving your mind a moment to simply be…
09/06 (#68):
“Happiness is found in three things: letting go of what was, enjoying what is, and having faith in what will be.”
We often carry the weight of the past or worry about the uncertainty of the future. But real happiness lives in the balance — releasing what we can’t change, appreciating the present moment, and trusting what’s ahead.
Maybe today is a reminder to pause, breathe, and find joy right where we are.
09/07 (#69):
I came across this and felt it was worth sharing: When your goal in life is to experience, every single thing you do becomes a win, no matter the outcome.
“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” — Unknown
09/08 (#70):
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese Proverb
You’ll never look back and regret starting too early. But you might wish you had started sooner.
Today is the youngest you’ll ever be. So start now— let time be your ally, not your excuse…
09/09 (#71):
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” — Wayne Dyer
You have two choices: you can use your energy to worry; or you can use your energy to believe, enjoy, create, manifest, heal, grow, and glow.
Choose the path that lifts you and watch how the world around you begins to shine….
09/10 (#72):
You’re not expected to have it all together.
Life doesn’t work that way.
Some days are for doing.
Some are just for being.
And both are part of the process.
“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.” — Rumi
09/11 (#73):
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Try. Fail. Learn. Repeat.
Journal it, and turn lessons into growth….
09/12 (#74):
「千里の道も一歩から」 (Senri no michi mo ippo kara)
“Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Japanese Proverb
Every big change, every dream, every transformation starts the same way: one step.
Take it today. The path will unfold as you walk….
09/13 (#75):
“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” — Zen teaching
This weekend, I want to practice slowing down.
To let each moment have its space.
Just walking while I’m walking,
just biking while I’m biking,
just eating while I’m eating,
just being in the moment, and enjoying what is…
09/14 (#76):
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” — Cicero
Gratitude shifts perspective.
It turns absence into enough,
striving into appreciation,
and the ordinary into abundance.
09/15 (#77):
Lessons from this weekend:
The more you move, the better you feel.
The more you lift, the more muscle you build.
The more you get outside, the happier you are.
The more time you spend with the people you care about, the more complete your life becomes.
Move. Lift. Get outside. Be together…
“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter,
for in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”
— Khalil Gibran
09/16 (#78):
Sometimes peace is found in the simplest lessons:
Leave people where they are.
Accept situations for what they are.
Remember that not every action needs a reaction.
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” — Buddha
09/17 (#79):
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” — Rumi
Take that walk today.
Trust that each step will open the path ahead…
09/18 (#80):
“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” — Buddha
Speak positivity into your life.
Think big, think peace, think growth.
Begin with energy and light—today is yours.
09/19 (#81):
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Start the day with belief, carry it with courage, and finish strong.
09/20 (#82):
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
There will always be times when we cannot change the outcome.
But what we can choose is how we respond.
In that choice lies our strength, our peace, and our freedom.
09/21 (#83):
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
The hardest part is always the beginning.
We imagine the work to be heavier than it is, so we delay.
But once we take that first step, the weight shifts and momentum carries us.
Starting is the spark that makes everything else possible…
09/22 (#84):
“Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, for all the people you can, while you can.”
I came across this line in an article on The Washington Post, and I’ve been thinking about how much we need more of this mindset in these trying times…
09/23 (#85):
日本のことわざ（にほんのことわざ）
自分（じぶん）のものでなければ、取（と）らない。
正（ただ）しくなければ、しない。
真実（しんじつ）でなければ、言（い）わない。
分（わ）からなければ、黙（だま）る。
Nihon no kotowaza (ni hon no kotowaza)
Jibun (ji bun) no mono de nakereba, tora nai.
Tadashiku (tada shiku) nakereba, shinai.
Shinjitsu (shin jitsu) de nakereba, iwa nai.
Wakara nakereba, damaru.
Japanese Proverb:
If it’s not yours, don’t take it.
If it’s not right, don’t do it.
If it’s not true, don’t say it.
If you don’t know, stay quiet.
09/24 (#86):
Yesterday, while listening to the Hidden Brain podcast episode “Passion vs. Paycheck” on my drive back from work, I couldn’t help but think of times when work has truly felt like a calling. For me, it has always been about the people I’ve had the chance to work with.
The last two years especially have reminded me that passion may be less about what you do and more about whom you share it with. For that, I feel deeply grateful.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
09/25 (#87):
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd
True growth begins when we gently step beyond the safety of our harbor.
09/26 (#88):
I was listening to a podcast yesterday and came across this: when you are listening to someone, you should listen to what they are saying and not to the implications of what they are saying — how true!
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey
09/27 (#89):
Ten years from now,
a future you will be wishing
you had savored this moment
just a little more.
一期一会 (ichi-go ichi-e) —
“One time, one meeting.”
Treasure it,
for it will never come again.
09/28 (#90):
You’ll never truly know who you are
until you’ve tried.
“We know what we are,
but know not what we may be.”
— William Shakespeare
Each new attempt brings you closer
to the person you have the potential to become…
09/29 (#91):
I was talking to a close friend yesterday about how with every decade, our perspective on life changes. What once felt urgent and important begins to shift, and our priorities evolve. Achievements, possessions, and milestones still have their place; they shape us and give meaning to certain seasons of life, but their weight lessens over time. What grows heavier, what feels lasting, are the connections we make and the friendships we nurture.
“Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.” — Epicurus
09/30 (#92):
竹は折れず、樫は折れる。
(Take wa orezu, kashi wa oreru.)
The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. — Japanese Proverb
Let your plans be like a riverbed. Firm in their direction, but flexible enough to adapt to the flow of reality. Too much rigidity and you’ll break. Too much flexibility and you’ll go nowhere. Adapt without surrender. That’s endurance.