Tools for anchoring
I didn’t set out to build a toolkit for living with intent. It began in 2020, during a messy chapter when I was questioning a lot of things about who I was and how I was living.
Around that time, I rediscovered reading and came across Stoicism — a philosophy that helped me see life more clearly. From there, a few simple tools emerged.
These tools have become anchors, helping me live with more awareness, intention, and emotional honesty. Each one offers clarity on its own, but together they create a feedback loop that keeps me grounded and aligned with what matters most..
1. Tune In – Mindfulness
It starts within. With the right teacher, you can begin to pay attention to what’s actually happening—beneath the noise of thought and ego.
Sensations. Sounds. Emotions. Even thoughts themselves. They all appear within consciousness before we rush to label or judge them. Mindfulness has helped me develop the ability to sit with what’s real, without the story.
It’s an underrated superpower. And there’s peace to be found here.
2. Make Sense – Journaling
This isn’t a diary. It’s an honest conversation with yourself. And being brutally honest—especially as a man—is no small thing. We’re not taught how to sit with our thoughts, let alone explore them.
Journaling gives me a way to peel things back. To look at what’s happening in my head and heart, and try to make sense of it all. It’s where I identify the patterns that pull me off course, and the practices that keep me grounded. It’s where I learn what actually makes me feel like the best version of myself.
3. Act Well – Stoicism
With clarity comes choice. And this is where Stoicism becomes a kind of compass.
The Stoics gave us a practical framework for living well. One that still holds up thousands of years later—because while the world has changed, we haven’t. At its core, Stoicism teaches you to focus on what you can control, and to accept what you can’t.
It’s as close to a religion as I’ve found—only without the deities and fantastical stories. Just a clear-eyed guide for how to be in the world. And when it’s aligned with personal values, it becomes something even more powerful: a way to move through chaos with calm.
I still slip. I still drift. But with these three tools—mindfulness, journaling, and Stoicism—I have a way back. They don’t fix anything. But they do something better: they help me see more clearly.
And that clarity brings choice.
Choice to slow down.
To show up.
To stay aligned with what matters—one week at a time.
That’s what Mission 52 is. Not a system. Not a goal.
Just a gentle way of tuning in, making sense, and acting well.