Chris Loper has been writing about self-improvement and helping busy adults with habit formation since 2017. He also writes an education blog for parents and students for Northwest Educational Services. Along with Greg Smith, Chris is the cocreator of Parenting for Academic Success, a series of transformative classes that create empowered parents, confident students, and harmonious families. His most recent endeavor combines his academic and habit-formation expertise to help students thrive in college. Visit SmartCollegeHabits.com to learn more. In 2021, Chris published a humorous memoir titled Wood Floats and Other Brilliant Observations, a book that blends crazy stories with practical life lessons. He lives in Issaquah, WA where he is the owner of South Cove Tutoring.
Here are two helpful ways to think about an obstacle or setback that life throws at you: “It’s all good mental training.” or “It’s all good: mental training.”1 Huh? I should explain. What is mental training? Mental training is any endeavor that sculps your mind into one that is healthier, stronger, or more resilient. Mental training could be practicing mindfulness, compassion, gratitude, or patience. It could be pushing yourself to… Read More »Mental Training
This pile of rubbish is what I collected while on a short hike last week, but I’m not here to complain about it. I have a different point to make – one that you can apply every day. I was visiting Twin Falls just outside North Bend, Washington. Twin Falls is a popular trail through a beautiful, mossy forest. It follows the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River and ends… Read More »Picking Up Garbage
What’s your #1 asset? Is it your home? Is it your education? Is it time? What’s the most important resource you use in your work? What’s the most important thing you have to offer the world? What’s the one thing that you bring with you everywhere you go? What’s the one thing that, if you improved upon it, would improve your entire existence? What allows you to use all your… Read More »Your #1 Asset
Everyone knows willpower is important, and the clever among us work to simultaneously develop stronger willpower and strategically use less of it. But we should also consider the timing, location, and frequency of willpower battles. We should also choose our willpower battles wisely. Here are three strategies you can use to do just that. #1 Choose easier battles. Some willpower-using activities are relatively easy, while others are quite hard. Let’s… Read More »Choose Your Willpower Battles Wisely