This is optimal living daily. It's not easy to take my own advice, and finding magic in the mundane,

both by Stella Grizant of StellaGrasant.com, and I'm Justin Mollick, the guy that reads to you

every single day of the year, including weekends and holidays, to help you live a more meaningful and

positive life. And I have two posts today, so with that,

let's get right to them as we optimize your life. It's not easy to take my own advice by StellaGrasant

of StellaGrasant.com. Almost every morning, I wince. I walk into a course of compliance. My four-year-old refuses to put

on clothes because he's too cold. My 10-year-old glares at the lunch I packed. I love them deeply.

They're incredible, but the whining, it's grating. Last Saturday I was recovering from strep throat.

My husband graciously gave me the morning off and took our son to a diner.

My daughter was still asleep while I snuck into the shower.

Then came the knock.

Where is everyone?

When she realized her dad and brother I'd gone out without her, she crumpled. They always

leave without me, cue bracing myself for a windstorm. I took a breath and made the conscious

choice to a tune. So I said, oh geez, that must feel really upsetting that they left without you.

She kept going. I listened for about three minutes, but quietly I was thinking, come on, I planned a play date for you in an hour.

We went to Target last night. I'm sick. Can we not? So I pivoted, trying to help her reframe.

I get it. But hey, you're going to see your friend in an hour.

That's fun, isn't it? And Papa was just letting you sleep in. That was actually kind.

She narrowed her eyes. Why are you making me seem like the bad guy, like I'm ungrateful?

Ouch, she wasn't totally wrong. She had caught me nudging her out of her feelings because

I didn't have the bandwidth. I was sick, tired, and out of emotional steam, which is often how

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