Dear Reader,

Writing this from our home in Colmar.

I’ve spent so much time here or in the forest lately that maybe it’s not worth mentioning anymore. But maybe it is. Maybe there’s something about that consistency that matters.

This morning I was in the forest with Cléo. No schedule, no rush. Just us.

And still, by the time we got home, that pressure was there.
The pressure to “get things done.”
To answer messages.
To finish notes from yesterday’s sessions.
To write this letter.

Even though I’ve designed my life not to run on a strict weekly calendar, there’s still this part of me that feels bad for not being “productive.”
Even when the most valuable thing I could do today was walk slowly through the woods with my daughter.

Even when I know—know—that being present is the point.

It’s hard to unlearn.

That’s why I wanted to share something small but beautiful from one of my clients, O.
We’ve been working together for almost two months now. And yesterday, he said something that stopped me:

That space he’s describing—the one between trigger and response—that’s the work.​
It’s not flashy. It doesn’t show up on to-do lists. But it changes everything.

It’s also what I remind myself of when I’m watching Cléo push a trash bin around the house naked, clapping her hands and playing with the dog.
No urgency. No agenda. Just full presence.

She doesn’t need to “get things done.”
She is done. She is the moment.

And I think—on good days—I get to meet her there.

And if you’re like me (or like O.), still fighting the pressure to be productive even when the most important thing is presence—
I made a tool to help.

It’s called Breath Breaks — a simple one-page practice I use daily to pause, check in, and reset.

Just three questions.
Three breaths.
Three times a day.

Let me know if it helps.
And if you need a little reminder today: maybe your biggest accomplishment… is just being here.

Stay rooted,
​Mihai

Wake Up. Live Fully.

​

P.S. I’m not a TV. These emails aren’t a broadcast—they’re a conversation.

If something resonates—or challenges you—hit reply.

I read every message.

(Need a little structure to wake up & live fully? The Dad Reset’s still open.)

​Unsubscribe · Preferences Wake Up, Live Fully, Now 111