In November 2025, I completed my ninth book in the Cultivating Love series, Cultivating Love: Wisdom for Life. As a psychotherapist, it has always mattered deeply to me to place quality counseling tools into the hands of the people I see each day, and also into the lives of those who may never walk into my office but still need encouragement, insight, and support through my blog.

Writing these books to contribute to the mental, spiritual, and relational health of others has been one of the great joys of my life. And just when I thought I might be “backing away from the keyboard,” something unexpected happened; I started practicing one of the exercises from the book itself. It’s called “Wisdom Tool #17: Wisdom that Sticks.” The exercise is simple: jot down meaningful, inspirational, or motivating statements you’ve encountered along your life journey, write them on a Post-It™ Note, and place them somewhere visible in your environment.

Well, I’m now 50 notes in, and in my heart, I’ve committed to creating 365 of them. I share these notes on my blog and across social media platforms, hoping they inspire thoughtful, deliberate, generative, and wise living. In many ways, this small daily practice has become both a personal discipline and a quiet ministry.

Two thinkers have deeply influenced this project.

The first is Dr. Dan Siegel, whose work in The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology references the concept of “3G2P.” He describes it as bringing “three g’s to two p’s”: generosity of kindness toward ourselves and others, gratitude for life, and purposeful intentions and actions aimed at giving back, improving the lives of people and the health of our planet. That idea resonates deeply with me and serves as one of the driving motivations behind the Wisdom that Sticks  project.

The second influence comes from Erik Erikson, the Neo-Freudian developmental theorist who studied under Anna Freud and created the Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development. I find myself approaching the final stage of his model, Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Age 65+), a season centered on reflecting honestly upon one’s life and discerning whether it has been lived with meaning, intentionality, and love. To me, those are essential ingredients of wisdom, and they continue to shape both my work and my daily choices.

So what’s the point?

My hope is that you might consider using your creativity, your time, your mind energy, and your resources to engage in behaviors that help both you and others become better today than yesterday. Growth rarely happens through grand gestures alone; often, it unfolds through small, consistent acts of intention. In my case, it’s happening one note at a time.

Dr. Ken McGill, LMFT provides attachment-focused therapy for individuals and couples, integrating psychology and spiritual formation, including attachment repair for couples, faith-integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy, and healthy adult mode schema therapy with his clients. Telehealth is available statewide in California and Texas, with in-person sessions in Plano, TX. To learn more or schedule a session contact Dr. McGill at www.drkenmcgill.com or drkenmcgill@live.com.