Monday Mastery

Helping you improve by 1% each week

The Evolve Journey involves developing the four pillars of happiness (health, wealth, relationships and freedom) to raise your baseline level of happiness... 

Health

We post on TikTok about healthy habits and our take on the guide to the good life. Come say hello on there, it makes us happy! 

Wealth

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”
― L.P. Jacks

Relationships

There was once a King named Solomon. He was amazing at giving advice, people would come from far away, and he could instantly recognise their problems, their blindspots and come up with incredibly sound advice. 
 
The only trouble was when it came to his own life, his decisions were disastrous; he couldn't apply wisdom that was so helpful to others to himself. 

This is named the Solomon paradox. Just think now, when a friend has come to you with a problem, how easily you can spot the solution and the way forward. This mix of rationality and kindness makes all the difference and it's why when we journal, we write 'Advice for future you'. 
 
It's our little hack for avoiding dear Solomon's paradox and shortcutting to some wisdom while uncovering blindspots and illuminating the best path forward. Talking to loved ones too helps a great deal!

Freedom

You’ve already achieved goals you once believed would give you lasting happiness. 
 
Are you caught in the happiness deferment trap? Promising yourself you'll be happy if you could just achieve this, earn that and so on. 
 
This isn't to say don't have goals. Instead. what you can do right now to find joy in the journey—while you're working your ass off towards creating the future you desire.
 
Does it have to be at the expense of the joy today?

Wealth

“If you want to die the richest man, then just stay sharp. Keep investing. Don’t spend anything. Don’t eat any capital. Don’t have a good time. Don’t get to know yourself. Don’t give anything away. Keep it all. Die as rich as you can. But you know what? I heard an expression that puts it well: There’s no pocket on that last shirt.” - Susie Tompkins Buell

Relationships

It's easy to sit in quiet and think about being kind, and generous and tell yourself the next time the opportunity presents you won't engage in gossip. 
 
Being in a group of people gossiping and refraining when you have something juicy you could drop is another thing. 
 
We use the 'Advice for future you' section of our journals to reflect on how we're doing in this department. With each journal entry, we get closer to what my parents always used to say, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.' 

Freedom

Have you heard of Toyota's 'Five Whys'? 
 
It was originally developed for manufacturing efficiency but we find it equally effective for personal growth.
 
It involves asking “Why?” repeatedly—typically five times. In asking the right questions it forces, like a persistent and curious child, us uncover the deeper cause behind an issue, breaking past surface-level bullshit to reveal hidden motivations or limiting beliefs.
 
Much like with Socratic questioning, we can use the Five Why's to encourage self-awareness and critical thinking.
 
For example, if you struggle with procrastination, asking “Why?” multiple times might uncover fears of failure, perfectionism or simply that something isn't congruent with our values.
 
By getting to the root cause we can take the action that will serve us the best and skip past the surface level mental masturbation that can be so alluring.  
 
Try it now about a problem you're stuck on or a direction you're unsure of taking.
 
Scribble out the results in the weekly reflection page of your journal. 🖊️...

Health

Seems that science is catching up to what we have long experienced ourselves, that is why exercise feels easier when you’re not alone. Not to mention it's two pillars in one!

Research from Oxford Uni shows that exercising with others strengthens social bonds through shared endorphin release and mutual support, but also tends to feel easier because the group atmosphere provides distraction, motivation, and accountability.

Exercising with others can help us stick to our routines more consistently, leading to better physical and mental health outcomes for us all.

Wealth

If you had to charge 10x the price or command 10x the wage you currently do, what would your service offering or product look like?

A new reframe to help you think about how you could offer more value. After all, reward is the most likely outcome of increasing value.

Relationships

75% of the time children and parents spend together is over by the time the child turns 12.
 
By 18, you’ve had 90% of your moments together.
 
Let that sink in.
 
The bedtime stories. The car ride conversations. The shared meals and everyday moments that once felt endless.
 
Whether you’re the child looking back or the parent in the thick of it—be present.
 
Call them. Hug them. Take your time.
 
Because one day, all that’s left are the memories you made while you had the time.

Freedom

One of the things we've been designing for is a life lived on our terms. Day by day, decision by decision. The freedom to choose how we work, where we work, and on what we work on. 
 
It's been a struggling and continuous process that takes creativity and needs energy to build freedom in this way, to carve our own way. 
 
But, the last few weeks, working remotely from a sunny Madeira have been a nice reminder of the rewards of this design. 

There have been many temptations along the way to optimise for observable metrics like better pay or a fancy title but it would have been at the sacrifice of hidden freedom and peace of mind. 
 
What freedom are you optimising for?