Insights Blog
Four Pillar Friday
May 9th, 2025 // Adam Bruderly
Four Pillar Friday
Your weekly guide to thriving in every aspect of life—Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Financial Wellness.
This Week’s Quote:
“Good.”- Jocko Willink
Physical Wellness
One of my favorite fitness trainers, advocates, and all-around fascinating individuals is Bobby Maximus. His book The Maximus Body—co-authored with another standout voice, Michael Easter—is packed with powerful insights, direct instruction, and high-impact workouts designed to help you become the best version of your physical self.
Years ago, as a frequent traveler and “road warrior,” I came across one of Bobby’s go-to workouts, and it quickly became one of mine too: The Prison Burpee Workout. Stuck in a hotel room all I needed was a little space and a bit of suffering.
Here’s Mr. Maximus’s instructions:
“Stand in one corner of a room—it could be your hotel room, garage, living room, or a gym. Do 20 burpees, then run to the opposite corner and do 19. Repeat the pattern, decreasing by one each time, until you finish with just 1 burpee. Rest as needed.”
It’s simple, brutal, and incredibly effective—just like the book. Whether you’re training in a world-class gym or stuck in a hotel with bad lighting and no weights, this workout delivers.
Burpee: Reps 20,19,18…..3,2,1
Time: 15-20 mins
Mental Wellness
Cognitive reappraisal is a cornerstone of mental wellness—and one of the most effective, research-backed strategies for navigating stress. At its core, reappraisal is the ability to reframe how we interpret a situation, shifting our internal narrative from one of threat or helplessness to one of meaning, growth, or opportunity.
Instead of thinking “This setback is a failure,” cognitive reappraisal invites you to consider “This challenge is teaching me something.” It doesn’t ignore pain or discomfort, but simply allows you to hold it differently.
Neuroscience shows that people who regularly practice reappraisal experience lower emotional distress, greater resilience, and improved long-term mental health. In a world that throws constant curveballs, this isn’t about being a constant optimist. It’s about building the mindset to respond with clarity, not just reaction.
And like most things, it takes practice. But over time, that small shift in thinking becomes a life-changing habit.
Financial Wellness
Can You Really Measure the Return on Life Experiences?
I recently went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to quantify something that probably shouldn’t be quantified—the return on life experiences (ROX).
We talk about ROI in investing, but what about the yield on the things we spend time, money, and effort on? Can we measure the impact of a life experience the same way we measure financial returns? Probably not. But I thought it would be a fun experiment.
Here’s the formula I came up with below…
Where:
Growth = The skills, self-awareness, or resilience gained.
Fulfillment = The joy, meaning, or sense of purpose the experience provided.
Memories = How meaningful and lasting the experience is in framing your story.
Lessons = The insights and wisdom you took from it.
Time = The total time invested in the experience.
Money = The financial cost.
Effort = The mental, emotional, or physical exertion required.
Impact Factor (I) = The weight assigned to how deeply the experience affects the pillars (Physical, Mental, Financial, Spiritual).
This isn’t about turning life into a math problem. The best experiences aren’t just about money spent or the story—they’re about how deeply they shape us. Still, it got me thinking:
Are we spending more on experiences that don’t move the needle?
Are we defaulting to easy, low-ROX activities instead of investing in things that compound over time?
And most importantly, do the moments that shape us get the same attention as the return on the S&P or NVDA year over year?
This is probably the closest I’ll come to doing hard math anytime soon, but any thoughts—what’s been your highest-ROX experience? And what’s one thing you spent money on that felt like a good idea but had terrible returns?
Spiritual Wellness
Water has long been recognized not only as essential to physical health, but also as a profound catalyst for spiritual wellness. Across cultures, it symbolizes renewal, clarity, and transformation. Modern research supports what ancient traditions have always known: spending time near or in water can reduce stress, foster inner peace, and promote a sense of connection to something greater. A study published in Health & Place found that proximity to “blue spaces” like oceans, lakes, or rivers is associated with improved mental well-being and increased mindfulness. Other work has shown that practices like wild swimming can offer not only physical benefits but deep emotional and spiritual renewal, often described as cleansing or transcendent experiences. Whether it’s through a quiet walk near a stream, a mindful bath, or simply sitting beside a body of water, the presence of water has the power to calm the mind and reconnect us to a more grounded, soulful way of being.
Stay Connected:
What steps—big or small—are you taking in physical, mental, financial, and spiritual wellness? Maybe you pushed your limits in a workout, made a mindful financial choice, or found time for reflection.
We’d love to hear how you’re integrating Physical, Mental, Financial, and Spiritual Wellness into your week. Drop a comment, message us, or tag us—because growth happens when we show up and share the journey. And if this resonates with you, share it with someone who might find it meaningful.
Here’s to Living Richly,
The Journey Team