What makes effort feel worthwhile? In this reflection on the past year, I explore the connection between energy, alignment, and the neuroscience behind how we perceive and sustain effort. Balancing adrenaline pushing us forward with dopamine giving us a sense of reward, effort is only sustainable when it aligns with what truly matters to us.

Key Insights Include:

• How the nervous system acts as an internal compass for making decisions, helping us feel the "expansion vs. contraction" nature of possible choices.

• The ways compensatory and protective neurological patterns affect movement and how similar patterns show up in our thoughts and behaviors.

• Why meditation isn't about "performing" a certain end state, but about meeting reality as it is—even if it includes grief, anger, self-judgment, or anything in between.

• Lessons from some of my favorite books of this past year, including Waking Up (Sam Harris), No Bad Parts (Richard Schwartz), The Psychology of Money (Morgan Housel), and Discipline is Destiny (Ryan Holiday).

Tune in to discover how neuroscience and awareness can help you align your effort, release limiting patterns, and move forward with clarity and purpose.