The Next Chapter

Hello everyone. It’s been a while since I’ve written here. I’ve been in an interesting season for the past few months- one in which I am making an intentional effort to find enhanced clarity of purpose & direction.

While I am in a solid groove right now, I am always trying to further my understanding of self- to further fuel the internal fire that keeps me excited and moving forward with ferocious tenacity/excitement. As external circumstances change, internal states typically do too. With that, I pumped the breaks on my writing the past few months. Not just for this newsletter, but across all fronts.

I’ve been thinking about what I want from this project and how it fits into my bigger picture plans. I’ve sat with my thoughts and in these deep reflections, it’s become very clear to me why I started the Mindful Man. I needed it. Selfishly, for me. I needed a space for reflection, solidification of thought, and feedback from others on those thoughts and concepts. I wanted to put out content that might help others, while in turn, helping myself.

I started this newsletter just over a year ago in July of 2024. In those last 12 months I’ve been in a season of unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) personal transformation. Thus, the discomfort paired with the unknown territory brought on the fear of navigating it alone. So I sought a way to work through this season of change externally, in an effort to release me from the weight of these fears internally. Truthfully, I didn’t have many people in my life I felt could relate to my circumstances, as the path I’ve chosen is rather uncommon. This newsletter gave me the ability to get out of my own head and process my experiences in a way that was nothing more than raw expression of thought. It freed me during these challenging times.

What they don’t talk about when you make major changes in your life is that in order to sustain the growth and success you pursue, you have to change your entire way of being. When others start counting on you, and it becomes bigger than self, there’s no option but to rise to the occasion, and become the man capable of handling these responsibilities. I’ve been fortunate to have great success and growth in a short time, but with that came the lagging effect of needing to catch up to my new reality. The personal development needed in 3 short years here has been painful. It’s been unnatural, and at times had to be forced into reality to prohibit things from falling apart. At times I wasn’t sure I had it in me to rise up. This is the behind the scenes truth that you don’t get from the highlight reel on social media.

Anyway- this newsletter helped me through the really challenging parts of that journey. And I am grateful to have been able to share my words with you along the way. I’m now at a point in my path where I no longer need this outlet, I can confidently say I know who I am, and am no longer struggling through the growth. I can handle it in stride now, and am proud of my ability to do so. I have risen to the occasion, and will continue to do so.

With that, I feel that because I don’t have the same passion/energy for this project, it would be unfair of me to continue forcing the weekly editions out. The words for the relevant subject matter are no longer coming to me with ease the way they used to.

So, I’ve decided to retire the Mindful Man. At least for the forseeable future. Maybe I’ll need it again some day, but for now, it’s farewell.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support. For reading my words. For interpreting the message. And for FEELING the meaning behind that message, whatever it meant to you. Your support will be forever appreciated.
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Now- onto the good stuff. I’ve been cooking up a new project in the newsletter space. One that feels more aligned with my current energy and purpose. It’s lighter, more digestible, and hopefully more shareable.

Introducing Better in 5, A Free Weekly Newsletter to Help You Live Better in 5 Minutes or Less. Each week, you’ll get 5 hand picked health and wellness insights (usually in the form of tweets) from top voices across performance, science, and mindset: so you can sharpen your perspective and upgrade how you feel, think, and live… in 5 minutes or less.

I hope you’ll join me on the evolution of my newsletter project in the Better in 5 community. I think it will enable me to further my personal mission of improving other’s lives by inspiring healthier choices & building connection. I’m pumped for this next chapter here, and hope you are too. Looking forward to hopefully staying in your inbox each week in this new way.

Once again, thank you for your support. Much love.
-DB

Quote of the week

The final quote of TMM, this one hit home for me. Onwards we must carry ourselves, into the unknown territory that lies ahead, one step at a time, leading with honesty, integrity, and our best efforts. Here’s to the new. LFG.

Rise and Reflect - 3 Questions to Inspire Impactful Action and Critical Reflection

1. What have I learned about myself over the last 12 months as a result of reading this newsletter?

2. Has there been a specific newsletter that had a profound impact on me? If so, let Dan know which and why!

3. How will I take the learnings from these writings and carry them forward with me?

My Ask of You

Subscribe to Better in 5 at this link here. Share it with your friends, family, on social. The evolution of this project is super exciting for me and I hope you’ll join me in becoming Better in 5 each week.

As always,
Thank you for being here.

Sails up, eyes open.
Dan Baird

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