Greg Morin | Personal Strength and Regulation

If we’re leaning into the healthy sine wave, it means we have a support network—those three to five people in our lives that we lean into, that hold us accountable, that challenge us, that encourage us. And we have mentors that we can learn from, that we can lean into and help understand how I get to where I want to be. We also have wellness practices that keep that wellness triangle strong—Mind, Body, Finance, and Spirit. Keep all those aspects of the wellness triangle strong.

The other option is that unhealthy sine wave—the bad habits, the unhealthy influencers in our lives that constantly goad us into living a life that we don’t necessarily want to live. Regulation helps us choose which version we want to live, which version we want to invest in, which version we want to be—and ultimately gives us the opportunity to choose to do the things that help us become our best selves.

So let’s get into the impact of regulation on personal strength. Regulation allows us to live life on our terms rather than life living us. We get to decide how we do things, how we navigate the sine wave of life—versus being relegated to “it is what it is.”

The catalyst for personal strength is the wellness triangle. When we focus on a strong wellness triangle, we’re focusing on Mind, Body, Finance, and Spirit. Having a strong mind means I’m clear, I’m connected, I’m curious, I’m constantly learning, I’m engaged with people in my life, I’m learning new things academically, I’m learning—having new experiences. That’s what comes with a strong, healthy mind.

Body—I’m physically able to live the life that I want to live. That doesn’t mean that I have a six-pack. That doesn’t mean that I’ve got all these material aspects of life. It means that I can physically live the life I want to live. I can play with my 7-year-old at the drop of a hat and not be winded. I can tie my shoes without having to hold my breath. I physically can live the life and do the things that I want to in that life. Sleep, exercise, nutrition, hydration are all a part of that body process.

The third piece—and one of the most important pieces of the wellness triangle, and one that’s often not in other wellness triangles—is finance. Do I have enough money to live where I want to live and how I want to live? Do I have enough money to live where I want to live and have the quality of life that I want?

That big ball in the middle is Spirit, which consists of character, relationships, purpose, and service.

So having a healthy wellness triangle is a direct connection to our personal strength—directly connected to giving ourselves the best opportunity to increase our personal strength intentionally. It helps us become the best version of ourselves. It helps us lean into struggle, lean into challenges, see them as opportunities. It helps us conquer fears and obstacles. And it allows us to live the life we want to live.

So think about this: reflect on your wellness triangle. What’s the health of each area of your wellness triangle? Is what you’re doing to strengthen those areas working, or do you need to do something else to catalyze growth in each area of your wellness triangle?

Think about the wellness triangle—it’s not just something that creates a structure in our lives. It itself is a wellness practice. Because in life—I can’t manage what I can’t measure. So if I look at that wellness triangle and I rate myself in Mind, Body, Finance, and Spirit, then I get to see and understand where the work needs to go.

Think about what wellness practices you have and are utilizing to help you develop personal strength. What people in your life help you build personal strength? Have you had that confidence and ability to navigate hard things? Who provides accountability? Who provides support? Who provides encouragement? Who challenges you in your life?