A week without urgency After a period of movement and transition, this week was about staying put. The routines I put in place last week began to hold, and the days took on a steady, predictable shape. On the surface, things felt settled. In practice, learning how to stay inside that stability proved more demanding […]
Most people try to grow from one of two unhelpful extremes. Either they convince themselves that things will work out without adjusting anything, or they look at their situation and decide that improvement isn’t realistic at all. Both mindsets feel true in the moment, but neither can sustain real progress. I know this because I
Positive Realism: The Mindset That Makes Real Growth Possible Read More »
The first week of a new phase After building up to it over the past weeks, I entered a new phase of my life. I settled into my apartment, returned to my workout routines, and formally moved into the next phase of Hagen Growth. On the surface, the pieces were in place. In practice, the
When I don’t have systems in place – or don’t follow the ones I’ve built – I drift fast. I become scattered, unfocused, emotional, and eventually a version of myself I barely recognize.It happened when I moved to Thailand. My routines collapsed as my environment changed, and within weeks I felt disconnected from the person
Systems – Build the structure that makes growth sustainable Read More »
Between transitions This week sat between two transitions. I had left Asia after 1.5 years, but hadn’t fully settled back into life at home yet. At the same time, the relaunch of Hagen Growth went live, while much of the supporting work is still in progress. Both in life and in work, things had moved
Discipline is the ability to act right when comfort, emotion, or distraction pull you in another direction. It’s the capacity to hold a decision long enough to follow through. Discipline is trainable, but it’s also limited. Most people overestimate how much they have and underestimate how quickly it depletes. Used selectively, discipline becomes a reliable
Reflection is the process of examining what you did, how it felt, and why it happened. It reveals the patterns behind your choices and shows how your habits and mindset shape each other. Without reflection, change still happens, but it happens unconsciously. With it, growth becomes deliberate and directed rather than accidental. Reflection works closely
Mindset is the lens through which you see and understand yourself and the world around you. It shapes how you interpret challenges, how you respond to opportunity, and what you believe is possible. A strong mindset doesn’t promise outcomes – it guides perception in a way that supports them realistically. When your mindset aligns with
Life doesn’t move in a straight line. Stress, illness, and sudden change can disrupt even the strongest routines. When that happens, most people try to maintain full output until they burn out and stop completely. MVO is a way to prevent that collapse. Instead of pushing through at full intensity, you temporarily scale down to
Self-awareness is the ability to notice what is happening in your thoughts, emotions, and body in real time. It gives you access to early signals – tension, resistance, clarity, or shifts in energy – that otherwise might go unnoticed. Without this awareness, patterns unfold automatically and often repeat themselves. With it, you gain the information
