Well, let’s start at the beginning. “Hack” is a word that refers to (among other things) a bit of code that software engineers use to solve a problem or shortcut around a problem in the software. This term then got applied to other little tricks or shortcuts they used to accomplish common problems or tasks more easily, which became known as “life hacks.”
life hack
Definition of life hack
informal
: a usually simple and clever tip or technique for accomplishing some familiar task more easily and efficiently
Taking that definition, and the commonly used ending “-aholic” (as in workaholic, chocoholic, etc., stolen right out of “alcoholic”), which is used to signify an addiction, you end up with life hackaholic. It’s a portmanteau to mean someone who is addicted to finding and using clever techniques to solve life’s challenges.
Sometimes “life hack” is used for low-level problems, like using a clothespin to hold a nail in place while hammering to keep your fingers out of the way. While those kinds of hacks are certainly handy little tricks, I’m generally looking for solutions to bigger challenges. I mean, life is full problems big and small, right? It’s nice having solutions for the little ones, but honestly, I need the most help with the BIG ones.
My bigger life challenges include things like:
- Achieving my goals
- Creating new (good) habits
- Getting in shape
- Minimizing depression symptoms
- Improving memory and cognitive performance
- Attaining financial independence
You don’t need to know a better way to peel a hard-boiled egg. And will knowing that you can hold a nail with a clothespin while hammering so that you don’t risk hitting your thumb really improve your life? No, of course not. Not unless you’re a chef who hates the labor involved with having egg-salad on your menu or a carpenter with a tendency to smash their thumb (in which case, a new career might be a better idea).
What you need is a simple way to improve your quality of life. Because while simple hacks for peeling eggs and hammering nails might benefit you in the short run, what you really want, need, yearn for—and deserve, no matter who you are—is a quality life. The highest possible quality of life. The stuff your dreams are made of. A picture of true health and wellness: genuinely healthy—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially.
And somehow, it seems so far-fetched or undefined, this quality lifestyle. It seems like something that maybe other people have figured out, but you haven’t quite solved the puzzle, or found the key to unlock the door. What you need are some quality life hacks.
That’s what this website, blog, and community is all about. It’s about figuring out what you want for your life, identifying the roadblocks on your path, and finding simple science-based hacks to get around, over, or just eliminate those things that are preventing you from really, truly living well.
What exactly is “Living Well?”
Well, that’s the beauty of it—you get to decide. I’m certain that at some point you’ve wanted something more for yourself. Some ideal picture in your mind, a dream of “if only…” Maybe you’ve seen other people living the awesome life you imagine and wondered how they managed to get where they are. You wonder how they can make it look so easy, and doubt if you’ll ever be able to live that well.
Well, why not? What’s standing in your way? You don’t have the time? The money? The stamina? The self-confidence? Maybe depression is preventing you from being your best self. Or maybe it’s your family that’s holding you back. Or your …(fill in the blank).
For me, I was doing just fine. Really. I consider myself blessed to be born in the United States, a country of so much freedom and opportunity that it’s taken for granted. Just that alone puts my quality of life far above millions—no, probably billions—of people on this beautiful planet. I’m blessed and lucky. But am I really living as well as I could be? Am I living up to my full potential?
I went to a seminar where the speaker said something to this effect: “Right now, in your back pocket, there is a blank check with your name on it. You can write in whatever amount you want, the sky’s the limit. Go ahead and imagine it. What’s your number? Put as many zeros on there as you want. Don’t stop with 6 figures or 7, keep going because you can never overdraw on this account. This account is bottomless, endless, infinite. This check is yours to claim and cash in, so don’t shortchange yourself. Go for it. This check is drawn on The Bank of Your Potential. And how much of it you use is up to you.” *
How much potential do you think you have?
Honestly, have you used it all up yet? Shouldn’t your goal be to at least attempt to use it up? And is that really possible? Can you imagine what a world we would live in if we all kept striving to reach our full potential as human beings instead of settling for “I’m doing fine.”
I have days when that goal seems impossible. When it seems so lofty and far-fetched and unrealistic and difficult. So, I am always searching for ways that will inch me closer to that goal. Inch by inch, life’s a cinch, or so the saying goes. My brain is always on alert for things like “recent studies show that participants who did X were up to 40% more likely to experience Y.” Those are my light bulb moments, because 40% isn’t 100%, but it’s a heck of a lot closer than 0%. I want to try doing X too! Maybe I’ll experience Y!
But sometimes it’s not that simple. Sometimes doing X requires planning or creating a new habit or having the money to fund it, so I look for ways to hack those obstacles. I am absolutely addicted to finding ways to make it easier to reach my goals.
Ok. I’m not going to tell you it’s easy to achieve that dream. But I can tell you that there are ways to hack it. There are simple tips and tricks that you can leverage to break down those barriers to living your most successful life and being the absolute best version of you. You owe it to yourself to find a way around the barriers to your success.
You hear this, but in the back of your mind are all the other messages you’ve heard telling you that success is hard. That you have to have boundless determination and willpower and ability to struggle against the odds. Well, let’s find a way to stack the odds in your favor. Give yourself a head start on the road to living well by becoming a life hackaholic. I’ll share what I’ve found that has worked for me, and you can try it and see if it works for you. Whatever you’re up against, whatever is holding you back, we’ll solve it together. And of course, I’m always on the lookout for new ideas, so if you know something I don’t, please share it!
Leave your comments for me below and let’s get hackin’!
*Giant props to Brian Buffini, a friend and mentor who is always looking for ways to be better at everything.