Taken for Granted AND Missing Out?

Someone asked me recently what I take for granted. Good Lord what a laundry list. But still, I took a few minutes to reflect. And I bet this will resonate with any of you hustling away building something bigger than yourself.

A Paradox Hidden in Busy

Here's the truth: I catch myself getting wrapped up in the small stuff constantly. The project that's moving slower than it should. The laundry pile that simply does not die. A nagging sinus infection that you can let ruin your day.

But then I zoom out just a little bit, and holy sh*t - I live in an amazing city, have the flexibility to take mid-day dog walks, and can generally call my own shots. On a global scale, my daily life is better than probably 90% of people around the world.

And yet.

We get stuck in our screens for 8, 12, even 16 hours a day, feeling like we're missing out on life while simultaneously taking for granted the incredible freedom we actually have. The irony would be funny if it wasn't so damaging to our relationships and wellbeing.

Forward to just one friend, founder or colleague you know who needs Appairent.

👉 Full service relationship concierge that prioritizes your partnership.
👉  Date night calendaring & milestone coordination
👉 2-way, consistent, actionable partner prompts

60 days free. $29/month after.

Waking Up

Want to know when I actually appreciate being able to breathe through my nose clearly? Only when I can't. It's such a simple thing, but it's a perfect metaphor for how we treat our health, our relationships, and our time.

We push our bodies with late-night meals (guilty as charged), one more glass of wine (also guilty), one more stressful email before bed… and little rest when we’re sick b/c “someone will reward me”.  We skip the gym because "something came up at work.". We postpone date nights because we're "too busy”, and we finish our nightly chores to return to screen time instead of talking to our spouse for 10 minutes.

Name one of those choices that makes sense in hindsight. And then one day, something breaks. Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's your marriage. Maybe it's both.

Choose to Change

I’ve talked about my dad’s 15-minute approach before here. So here's what I'm trying to implement, and I think it could be game-changing for you too:

Take 15 minutes 1-2x a week and calendar it so you stick to it. Look at these 3 things:

1. One about your partner

2. One about your health

3. One about your freedom/flexibility

A Ripple Effect

The immediate action is rarely where huge change manifests, but it’s where it starts.

Share gratitude about and to your spouse? You start noticing more things to be grateful for. You start acting on that gratitude more naturally. And they’re more likely to reciprocate. Not b/c they “need” to, but upward lift, not downward spiral.

Your health is the same way. It’ll give back to you. And you already know this. And if you’ve already got good health regimens, you already know you’ll love this challenge b/c it’s a 1 degree, marginal change for the better. 

An intentional human moment for yourself, or with people you care about? We’ve lost the thread if we can’t see how that connection, reset, fresh air, or interrupt to your current rut won’t pay back to the thing your working on the hardest.

You’re paying compound interest into your life. Weekly deposits of genuine appreciation and intention lead to massive returns over time.

By All Means, Keep Building

We're all building something - careers, companies, families. But if we're not careful, we can build our way right past the things that actually matter. The partner who supports our crazy dreams. The health that lets us pursue them. The freedom that makes it all possible.

I get it: another morning routine thing to add to your already packed schedule? But here's the deal - this isn't about adding more to your plate. It's about changing how you view that sloppy ass, heavy buffet plate you’re carrying around.

Practical tips:

• Set a recurring calendar reminder for this, but simply shift it around when week’s change…you do it for work all the time.

• Keep it simple - one sentence per category is enough

• Focus on specific actions/moments rather than generalities. It’ll help. 

• Actually follow through on the action steps. Tiny acorns are big ass oaks and all that. 

Take those 15 minutes. Your future self (and your relationship) will thank you.

🍻 Hat

Want help making sure you actually follow through on being more present and intentional in your relationships? That's exactly why we built Appairent. T

Tech-enabled accountability partner and concierge for executing on gifts, milestones and date nights.

Free for 60 days then $29/month. 

Check us out at appairent.com