Hello and welcome to Uplifted Living, the podcast for Living Uplifted. I'm Nick Gilbert, and I'm truly grateful you're here today. As a lifelong learner in the field of education, my goal is simple: to explore ideas that bring more clarity, intention, and purpose into our lives, and to share what I'm learning along the way. If you're someone who wants more than just staying busy, if you want to feel more present, more grounded, and more aligned with how you live, you're in the right place. Let's get into today's conversation. If you've read the books, listen to the podcasts, watch the videos, and you still feel stuck, I want to start by saying this clearly the problem isn't you. More often than not, it's the way self-improvement is taught, and, once you see this, things begin to shift. Many growth oriented people aren't lazy, they're not broken, they're not lacking discipline, they're overloaded. You probably know what to do, but you're not doing it consistently. And that gap, the space between knowing and doing is where frustration quietly builds. Here's what I've noticed. Most people who are drawn to self-development don't have a motivation problem; they have an over consumption problem. They're taking in ideas faster than they can integrate them. Every new book adds another habit. Every podcast adds another should. Every video raises the bar just a little higher, and slowly, almost without noticing, self-improvement stops feeling empowering and starts feeling heavy. What once felt hopeful begins to feel like pressure. Here's an uncomfortable truth that doesn't get said often enough. Self-improvement doesn't fail because you don't want it badly enough. It fails because it's framed as more when what most people need is less. More habits, more optimization, more effort. When real change usually comes from subtraction. There's a trap that thoughtful, self-aware people often fall into. You start preparing instead of becoming, you're learning, but not living consuming. Not practicing because consuming feels productive and it doesn't require discomfort. And the deeper you go, the more knowledge you carry, the worse you feel for not acting on it. That's not growth, that's guilt disguised as progress. So if this resonates with you, I want you to hear this without judgment. There is nothing wrong with you. You didn't fail at self-improvement. Self-improvement failed to support you properly because

progress requires fewer decisions, not more. What actually works is simple, not flashy, not exciting, but deeply effective. One priority, one system, one small promise you can keep, daily. Not motivation, not willpower, evidence. You don't build confidence by thinking your way into it. You build confidence by keeping small commitments. If you're feeling burned out, here's a gentle reset to consider: stop trying to fix your entire life at once. Choose one thing that would make everything else feel a little lighter. Then shrink it until it feels almost too easy. 10 minutes. One page, one. Intentional action. Consistency beats intensity, especially when you're tired. There's also an identity shift that matters here. Instead of asking, what should I do, try asking, what kind of person keeps this promise? Identity follows evidence. Every small win is a quiet vote for who you're becoming. So, if you feel stuck right now, it's probably not because you lack potential. It's more likely because you're overloaded with advice and under supported by simple systems. Simplify. Momentum has a way of returning. As we close today's episode, I invite you to reflect on this. What's one thing you could simplify this week? If this episode resonated with you, please consider following or subscribing to the show and sharing it with someone who might benefit from hearing it. And if there's a book idea or topic that's been meaningful to you, I'd love to hear about it. Your suggestions often shape future conversations here. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing and make it a priority to uplift both yourself and those around you. Thank you for listening.