HER Life Hacks has narrowed its focus. As I reflect on my life in this 4th quarter of my life, my perspective has shifted. Therefore, the content I create and share is now reflected in these three pillars: Clear Clutter, Organize, and Preserve.
And this is what I’m doing in my life – Clearing the Clutter, which means simplifying my surroundings to get rid of things I don’t need, want, or love.
I’m Organizing the stuff I have after the clutter has cleared.
And I’m Preserving my legacy and heritage for future generations – nothing so grandiose as to impact the world, but for family – my world.
There was an old song (1972) entitled “I Can See Clearly Now”, which pretty much sums up why I’m taking HER Life Hacks in this direction. I narrowed my content down to these three concepts.
But the driving force behind plans, content, and action is Preserve.
Mindset adjustment: What do you want your children, grandchildren, and/or other family members to remember about you?
Preserving Values, Not Just Things
Many of us reflect on our lives as we age, but preserving our heritage goes beyond nostalgia—it’s about creating a meaningful connection for future generations. It provides a sense of belonging to know where you came from. And that provides a measure of grounding in one’s life for planning future direction.
That’s why preserving family heritage and legacy is so powerful. creating your own legacy – who you are and where you came from – your heritage. The result of your actions can leave a powerful and lasting impact on your family and future generations.
While I possess many precious items from my parents and grandparents, those things are not the most important.
I’ve discovered through the years that my children may not be as sentimental as I am. They have stuff of their own, and my stuff may not fit their lifestyle. There was a time when this concerned me a lot. I wanted to see those things passed along to their children and grandchildren.
But I’ve come to realize that it’s more important to preserve values, not just things.
Our life experiences – the lessons we’ve learned about resilience, kindness, perseverance – are more valuable than any material possessions. And when we see those values reflected in the lives of our children and grandchildren, we then recognize the true impact of living your values.
Those values passed down become a family’s moral compass, shaping decisions, behaviors, and relationships for years to come. Just by sharing our beliefs, struggles, and moral lessons, we can influence how future generations approach challenges and opportunities.
For example, surviving hardship could teach the value of perseverance and gratitude, offering guidance during tough times. We’ve seen that story played out in the lives of the victims of Hurricane Helene and the many volunteers, friends, neighbors, and strangers who have given of their time, possessions, and money to respond to this crisis and provide the help needed. The strength of connection is powerful.
Therefore, preserving and passing on is how I’m framing my decluttering and organizing experiences. And that has shifted my thinking and decisions about what to do with stuff.
Our Preservation Project
My husband, Wayne, and I started a video series on YouTube called HIM & HER. Our first video was about when we began dating – a LONG time ago.
Now, we’re working on telling and preserving our story for our children and grandchildren.
I created My Life, My Legacy Journal to capture and share your story. And that is what we’re doing. We are working our way through the journal, answering the questions in it and videoing the process.
You can see the first video in which we address questions in the Introduction. These are just basic questions to get started telling the story of our lives together. And we completed only half of that section.
We will continue to record and share our responses. Spoiler alert – the second part of the Introduction is hilarious! We reveal our most embarrassing moments! Part 2 of the Introduction to My Life, My Legacy Journal will be released soon!
What are your thoughts? How have you considered and/or taken action to preserve your legacy?
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, go to my website – https://HERLifehacks.com, and pick up my free copy of HER Heritage HOMEwork Checklist. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
Question: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Answer: One. But the lightbulb must want to change.
You’ve probably heard that riddle before. But even though it may make you smile it does get down to the heart of the matter of changing your life. To change your life, you must want it.
Our habits drive our lives. They make things easier because we don’t have to think about them. We just do them.
We brush our teeth twice a day. We have that morning cup of coffee to get us going. We take a shower daily.
Habits are powerful. We don’t have to make decisions about many of the things we do daily. They are simple habits.
Have you ever tried to change a habit and replace it with a new one that serves you better? I know I have. But most of the time, I failed. I tried to change too much all at once. Or I tried to change too many things.
When I tried to count calories by writing down everything I ate, I failed. When I tried to cut out all sugar in my diet, I failed. When I tried to exercise 30 minutes every day, I failed.
So, what did I do? I quit trying.
But what if I changed one tiny thing consistently? How might that affect my life?
Check out this video to see how one microhabit and using a habit tracker changed my life.
And you know what? If you start doing one thing differently until it becomes a habit, it changes your perspective about things. I found that what I drank at meals or snack time wasn’t that important. I could focus more on enjoying the food I ate. I also found that I started feeling better by drinking water instead of Pepsi. And then, I started feeling better about myself because I was successful at doing something to improve my health.
It was a tiny microhabit. But it had powerful results.
So why is it better to make tiny, incremental change in your life instead of revamping your entire life at once? Because microhabits are simply doable
They are easier to start.
Often, the reason we have such a hard time making changes in our lives is that we just don’t know where to begin. The whole process seems so daunting and overwhelming. With microhabits, the difficulty is removed. When you’re only changing one very small thing, it barely feels like a change at all. In fact, it can be kind of fun trying out an incremental change just to see what kind of result you get.
They are easier to sustain.
While big changes tend to get real old really fast (like changing from a diet full of processed foods to something Keto or Paleo), micro-changes (like adding a vegetable to every meal) never feel hard at all. The simplicity of incremental change carries momentum all on its own.
They are fairly painless.
The big changes are sometimes so sweeping that they can actually hurt. Imagine throwing out every piece of unhealthy food in your kitchen. Then imagine standing there staring into the abyss of an empty refrigerator trying to figure out what to eat. You have nothing left that your actually liked to eat!
The nice thing about microhabits is that the change is in increments. So, if you’re working to change your diet, you may be only changing one food – like giving up soda – while still enjoying the things you love.
And ultimately, you may find it much easier to start adding other healthy microhabits in your life.
They use less energy.
Those great big changes are only going to wear you out. It’s like going for a full-fledged workout when you typically rarely leave the couch. Your body certainly isn’t ready for that kind of work, and the whole process (finding workout clothes and equipment, going to the gym, knowing what machine to use and how long, and for how many reps) can be pretty daunting.
Microhabits encourage you to take things slow, leaving you with more energy for the rest of your day. So instead of worrying about all that time at the gym, maybe you’re just deciding to take the stairs at work or to park further away from the building, so you get that extra walking in. That bypasses all that energy you’d spend going to and from the gym, and still gives you some exercise you wouldn’t normally get.
They keep you motivated.
Great big goals can feel a million miles away and easily leave you discouraged.
Microhabits set smaller goals that are achieved in tiny increments. This means you get to your destination a lot faster, leaving you with a feeling of accomplishment. That feeling helps keep you motivated as you continue to work towards change. Creating microhabits is a self-sustaining cycle of change and momentum.
While these might not seem like big achievements, the feeling of having done something special is still perfectly valid and will make you feel good about yourself, and what you’re doing.
Is there something you would like to change in your life? Can you simplify it into a microhabit?
Here is a simple habit tracker I designed and used to establish my habit! My One Thing Daily Habit Trackeris an undated printable that you could print out to complete or use in digital format and save in a file. You have a choice of three colors – green, pink, or white, and can use it over and over because it is undated.
And start your tiny, incremental change toward huge rewards in your life today!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, go to my website – https://HERLifehacks.com, and pick up my free copy of HER Heritage HOMEwork Checklist. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE!
After 5 days of quarantine in the hotel and practice at the studio, the MrBeast challenge was set to start.
Expecting to start the challenge bright and early, I got dressed and waited for directions to board the bus. And I waited. And I waited.
By the time we were bussed to the studio and practiced marching to our cubicles a few times, the official challenge started about 3:00 pm.
Once we stepped into our cubicle, we had to stay inside until we were eliminated. If we stepped out, across the red line at the door space, we were automatically eliminated.
We still had no idea what the challenge was all about.
The only things in our cubicles were a bed with white linens and a pillow, a box underneath the bed with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a few snack items, and a tablet on a podium in the corner of the cubicle.
First order of business was to test the tablet. Pictures of all contestants and their ages were already loaded onto the tablet.
MrBeast then directed us to vote for one person who we thought should win the $250,000 prize. If everyone voted for the same person, the challenge was over.
Most people voted for themselves. I voted for the 100-year-old.
On the tablet screen was a picture of a toilet. If we needed “to go”, we pushed that button and a port-a-potty was wheeled down the aisle on our level and into our cubicle. When we were “finished”, we came out and the port-a-potty was wheeled out and back down the aisle to be sanitized for the next consumer.
Now, we’re ready.
MrBeast announced that he needed 10 of us to leave on our own volition.
If 10 people did not leave, then 25 people would be randomly selected to be eliminated from the challenge. Ten minutes was allotted.
Ten people did not leave. The 1-year-old, 3-year-old, 89-year-old left, and one other person left. That’s all.
I don’t think the 1-year-old and 3-year-old were responding to the request. They just ran out of the room!
Getting down to the business of elimination of 25 people!
A machine with popup ping pong balls with each of our ages on them was used to make the selections.
#18! #85. #82. #73.
OK – good. #73 was gone. The odds were in my favor that #74 wouldn’t be chosen, at least not right away.
So, I sat back on my bed and relaxed. I was feeling pretty confident.
#74!
And just like that, my 15 seconds of fame never materialized!
However, I am sharing exclusive photos that prove I was actually in the challenge.
I missed seeing Howie Mandel, who was a guest of the challenge at a crucial point. Afterward, MrBeast gave Howie a tour of the studio. (Click on Howie to see that!)
In case you missed me, (If you got to the 3 minute mark and didn’t see me – you missed me) here are the exclusive and conclusive photos of my participation:
Look for the yellow circle in the back on right side!
#74 getting settled in!
#73 eliminated! Odds for #74 staying improve!
Walk of Shame: the 25 randomly eliminated before the challenge started!
Until the video was published, I had no idea what happened after that! At the time of this posting, the video had been on YouTube for 3 days. Almost 80 million views. Over 163K comments.
And after all that, I remain anonymous. Fame is fleeting – or nonexistent as the case may be.
Was it worth it? Absolutely!
I took a chance at doing something I never would have volunteered for when I was much younger.
I met some interesting people in spite of my introversion, including a writer from Los Angeles, a family of a mother, father and son who owned a restaurant and a “dueling pianos” bar.
My new writer friend from Los Angeles told me about #82, a mother of 8, grandmother and great-grandmother of a LOT, who had never worn pants before this challenge. She was from Kentucky and requested they send her the fabric for her to sew a skirt to wear. However, the fabric didn’t arrive before she had to fly to the challenge. So, she wore the first pants in her life for this challenge. She was the 3rd person eliminated in the random 25! Bless her heart! (We say that a lot in the South!)
I also met a former principal of a school in a county near me. His wife was in basically the same challenge of ages 1 – 100 the previous year and came in second in the entire challenge! She made it to the last two contestants and made the wrong decision at the wrong time!
Because I live only about 30 miles from where MrBeast lives in Greenville, N.C., I wanted to know what it was like to see him in action and where the studio was located.
It was a great experience!
I also know several people who have won money from MrBeast challenges or “encounters”.
My granddaughter’s roommate was a participant in the 100 girls vs 100 boys. She was one of the remaining girls left who won the challenge and won several thousand dollars.
My grandson’s friend won $35,000 by making a basketball shot.
And my husband’s friend and former co-worker was one of the 1000 people who received hearing aids from MrBeast. I’ll call him G. MrBeast talked with him afterward and asked him if he needed a car, and G said he didn’t. Then MrBeast asked him what he would do with the money if he were given some. G said he would put it in a college fund for his grandchildren. When MrBeast asked him how many grandchildren he had, G replied “12”. He was given $12,000. A nice little jumpstart on college funds.
I didn’t win the money, and I was eliminated before the challenge really got started, but I didn’t come away empty-handed.
We were told we would receive $500 if we didn’t win anything else. But we were given $1000 instead.
I don’t think $1000 is too bad for 5 days in a nice hotel with meals brought to you, high-speed Internet, and all that time to work on my business and watch TV!
I’m a pretty proud Introvert, who put myself “out there” for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
By the way, did you identify what each of the items on my rejected artwork represented in Mr.Beast world (from previous post)?
Here are the answers, clockwise from top:
Tree – 23 million trees planted, estimated to absorb around 2 million pounds of harmful carbon air pollution
Trash bag – removed over 8,000,000 kg (17.8m lb) of trash from the oceans and rivers worldwide
Well – built 100 wells in Africa, bringing clean drinking water to an estimated 500,000 people
Candy bar – introduced Feastables chocolate bars in several varieties, making over $250 million in first year
Numbers – MrBeast first viral video breakthrough, counting to 100,000
Bee – MrBeast red the entire Bee Movie script in a video
Eye and Ear – paid for 1000 people to have their vision restored and donated hearing aid technology for 1000 people
Dictionary – MrBeast read the entire dictionary in one sitting
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!
I participated in a MrBeast challenge. Me. The ultimate introvert – certified no less.
And now that the video has been published, I am no longer bound by the non-disclosure agreement.
So, here’s my story.
First, if you are not familiar with MrBeast (yes, that’s the correct title for him), he is the world’s (yes, I said world) most-subscribed individual on YouTube and the second-most subscribed channel overall.
MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, has over 253 million subscribers, and the video in which I participated already has over 51 million views and climbing after only one day since its release.
In fact, Jimmy – MrBeast was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in February 2024! Have you read the article?
In May of 2023, I came across an online application to participate in a MrBeast challenge. I filled it out. I don’t know why.
It’s not like that was on my Bucket List. And I’m not very good at mingling with people I don’t know. And I like to know what to expect in any given situation.
Then I forgot about it.
In December, I got a call inviting me to participate in a Zoom meeting interview. I was told that this did not mean I was chosen. I was only going to go through a casual interview with casual questions.
Then, in January 2024, I got a call inviting me to move to the next step in the casting process!
I had to complete a Casting Questionnaire, Contestant Intake Form, and sign a non-disclosure agreement that prevented me from sharing any information about the challenge until after the video was published.
At this point, I was still in the running for selection as a contestant but had no assurance of becoming one.
By the end of January, I was issued an official invitation announcing my selection as a MrBeast Contestant!
I was allowed to share that information with family and friends, but nothing about the actual event, of which I knew nothing anyway.
The challenge took place the first week of March.
I was in quarantine in a nice hotel with a kitchenette for 5 days. That included an extra day because of technical issues before starting the challenge.
There were 100 contestants, ages 1 – 100. I’m #74.
We received 3 room service meals and snacks daily.
As a confirmed Introvert, I loved being alone for 5 days, with my laptop and a TV! I worked on my blog, emails, products, did research, and watched TV. That’s what I call fun!
All contestants were invited to submit a drawing of MrBeast-related content for prizes in each age group. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, but I submitted this one. (And – I didn't win! Surprise!) Can you identify what each of the items in the circle represents?
Before the challenge started, we were allowed to go outside for a little while and rotate through doing a Feastable commercial, MrBeast’s chocolate bars and several other stations.
I wasn’t worried about that, because I knew there was no chance that mine would be selected. I’m not exactly an “on-camera” person.
The final station included an individual photo shoot in a number of poses in our outfit for the challenge.
Then back to our rooms until challenge time.
We were issued an athletic outfit that included a blue jacket, matching blue pants, white T-shirt, white socks and white sneakers.
The outfit was in men’s sizes, and needless to say, mine didn’t fit well. The pants were about 18” too long. I just tried to roll them up to keep from tripping over them.
The shoes were too small, and they did not have a larger size available. So, I squished down the heel and wore them like clogs.
MrBeast Contestant Outfit
The day before filming started, we were bussed to the studio for practice. I use the term practice loosely.
The set consisted of 5 rows of 20 bedroom plexiglass cubicles, separated down the middle with a ramp for access. The rows were tiered, so that each row was higher than the previous row. Then everyone could see the front where MrBeast and his pals worked the event.
Row 1 was ages 1 – 20, the next row included people ages 21 – 39, and so on. As a 74-year-old, I was on the next to the top row, followed only by the 80 – 100 year-olds!
First, everyone was lined up in front of the cubicles in age order and we practiced yelling and cheering on cue for the 360-degree camera overhead. We practiced and we practiced. After 45 minutes, I assume they thought they had enough to get some good video. (None of it was used in the final video!)
Then, we practiced marching to our cubicles, which had an open-door area on the back and our age number in the middle of the floor. And we practiced and we practiced.
When we were “good enough”, we were bussed back to the hotel. The challenge started the following day!
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!
Question: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Answer: One. But the lightbulb must want to change.
You’ve probably heard that riddle before. But even though it may make you smile it does get down to the heart of the matter of changing your life. To change your life, you must want it.
Our habits drive our lives. They make things easier because we don’t have to think about them. We just do them.
We brush our teeth twice a day. We have that morning cup of coffee to get us going. We take a shower daily.
Habits are powerful. We don’t have to make decisions about many of the things we do daily. They are simple habits.
Have you ever tried to change a habit and replace it with a new one that serves you better? I know I have. But most of the time, I failed. I tried to change too much all at once. Or I tried to change too many things.
When I tried to count calories by writing down everything I ate, I failed. When I tried to cut out all sugar in my diet, I failed. When I tried to exercise 30 minutes every day, I failed.
So, what did I do? I quit trying.
But what if I changed one tiny thing consistently? How might that affect my life?
Check out this short video about what I did.
(Since I created this video, I moved the “My One Thing Daily Habit Tracker” to my Etsy shop. So, click on the links at the end of this post to access your FREE habit tracker!)
And you know what? If you start doing one thing differently until it becomes a habit, it changes your perspective about things. I found that what I drank at meals or snack time wasn’t that important. I could focus more on enjoying the food I ate. I also found that I started feeling better by drinking water instead of Pepsi. And then, I started feeling better about myself because I was successful at doing something to improve my health.
It was a tiny microhabit. But it had powerful results.
So why is it better to make tiny, incremental change in your life instead of revamping your entire life at once? Because microhabits are simply doable
They are easier to start.
Often, the reason we have such a hard time making changes in our lives is that we just don’t know where to begin. The whole process seems so daunting and overwhelming. With microhabits, the difficulty is removed. When you’re only changing one very small thing, it barely feels like a change at all. In fact, it can be kind of fun trying out an incremental change just to see what kind of result you get.
They are easier to sustain.
While big changes tend to get real old really fast (like changing from a diet full of processed foods to something Keto or Paleo), micro-changes (like adding a vegetable to every meal) never feel hard at all. The simplicity of incremental change carries momentum all on its own.
They are fairly painless.
Big changes are sometimes so sweeping that they can actually hurt. Imagine throwing out every piece of unhealthy food in your kitchen. Then imagine standing there staring into the abyss of an empty refrigerator trying to figure out what to eat. You have nothing left that you actually liked to eat!
The nice thing about microhabits is that the change is incremental. So, if you’re working to change your diet, you may be only changing one food – like giving up soda – while still enjoying the things you love.
And ultimately, you may find it much easier to start adding other healthy microhabits in your life.
They use less energy.
Those great big changes are only going to wear you out. It’s like going for a full-fledged workout when you typically rarely leave the couch. Your body certainly isn’t ready for that kind of work, and the whole process (finding workout clothes and equipment, going to the gym, knowing what machine to use and how long, and for how many reps) can be pretty daunting.
Microhabits encourage you to take things slow, leaving you with more energy for the rest of your day. So instead of worrying about all that time at the gym, maybe you’re just deciding to take the stairs at work or to park further away from the building, so you get that extra walking in. That bypasses all that energy you’d spend going to and from the gym, and still gives you some exercise you wouldn’t normally get.
They keep you motivated.
Great big goals can feel a million miles away and easily leave you discouraged.
Microhabits set smaller goals that are achieved in tiny increments. This means you get to your destination a lot faster, leaving you with a feeling of accomplishment. That feeling helps keep you motivated as you continue to work towards change. Creating microhabits is a self-sustaining cycle of change and momentum.
While these might not seem like big achievements, the feeling of having done something special is still perfectly valid and will make you feel good about yourself, and what you’re doing.
Is there something you would like to change in your life? Can you simplify it into a microhabit?
Here is a simple habit tracker I designed that you could download for free! My One Thing Daily Habit Trackeris an undated printable that you could print out to complete or use in digital format and save in a file. You have a choice of three colors – green, pink, or white, and can use it over and over because it is undated.
Go to my Etsy Shop to get your free copy! Just click HERE!
And start your tiny, incremental change toward huge rewards in your life today!
(If the coupon for the habit tracker has expired in this post, contact me for a new code!)
Disclosure: My blog posts sometimes contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, which is at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything!
