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The four levels of happiness are interconnected and there is a natural progression moving up the four levels. However, one of the four levels is going to be most dominant in your life. The choice you make reveals which level of happiness is your priority. As you repeatedly resolve conflicts of desire in favor of one particular level, that kind of happiness becomes your meaning in life. You start living for it and the other levels fade into the background.
The desires of Level 2 motivate us to pursue many good things. It is very good to achieve a lot with our lives—to further our education, to have status, security, self-esteem, and the power to get things done. But people who get caught up in the "comparison game" can find themselves trapped. Moving on to Levels 3 and 4 becomes necessary if they are to avoid unhappiness.

The Comparison Game

In our society today, the most divisive and extreme outlets get the most clicks and views. Ridiculous opinions are the best route to popularity. This doesn&#39;t only apply to political commentators. It also applies within the Church. 
It always saddens me that the non-Catholic world typically encounters two extremes of Catholicism. On the one hand, you have progressive Catholics like Fr. James Martin, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and the like. On the other hand, you have the ultra-trad conservatives who preach endless negativity and a standard based on preferences disguised as requirements for holiness. 
The sad reality I&#39;ve come to see as a content creator is that these two extreme groups have the easiest path to gaining support for their content. I&#39;ve found this to be pretty discouraging. 
In today&#39;s episode, I share some of my experiences and some recent things that I&#39;ve come across that support these distinctions.
 
<a href="https://youtu.be/T7Aw5izFsZk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Here is the link</a> to the Lila Rose / Patrick Bet David interview I referenced! 
 
To support the podcast,<a href="seekingexcellence.locals.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> join our Locals channel here</a>

Ep 229 | Extreme Catholics are the Popular Catholics

Addiction to pornography is a growing epidemic in our country and around the world. These alarming statistics have only gotten worse over the last decade:
<ul>
 <li>Pornography is very prevalent in our society, and porn addiction affects about 5-8% of adults.</li>
 <li>People addicted to porn spend at least 11 to 12 hours per week viewing porn.</li>
 <li>Most people who have a porn addiction say that porn hurts their personal relationships.</li>
 <li>Many conditions co-occur with porn addiction, including anxiety, depression, sex addiction, social anxiety and substance use disorders.</li>
</ul>
 
What can you do to battle addiction to pornography or help others who are facing that battle themselves? Find out in today's episode with my friend Julia Hoyda.&nbsp;
Julia is a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. She is a cradle Catholic born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a graduate of Hillsdale College and the Associate Director of Special Projects for <a href="https://www.magdalaministries.org">Magdala Ministries</a>, a rapidly growing organization that helps women battle sexual addictions.

Ep 153 | Battling Addiction to Pornography feat. Julia Hoyda

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
04:16 The Misconception of Single Income Family
06:42 The Challenges and Realities of Multiple Income Streams
13:26 Choosing What to Sacrifice and Suck At
17:20 The Importance of Momentum and Deadlines
23:27 The Journey of House Hacking and Airbnb
29:02 Financial Benefits and Tools for Airbnb
30:29 Planning and Anticipating Future Needs
30:58 Tracking Finances and Projected Profits
33:24 Forced Appreciation through Home Renovations
36:13 Building Community and Intentional Friendships
41:24 Balancing Work and Family Life
55:27 Finding Creative Opportunities to Increase Income
 
 
Summary
In this conversation, Nathan and Emily Crankfield discuss their journey as a single-income family and how they created multiple streams of income through house hacking and Airbnb. 
 
They share their experiences and challenges in finding a house that could be converted into an Airbnb, the renovations they had to do, and the importance of setting and respecting deadlines. They also talk about the financial benefits of having an Airbnb and how it replaced Emily&#39;s income from her job in youth ministry. 
 
They emphasize the importance of community and intentional friendships, as well as the need for balance and support in their roles as a stay-at-home mom. They encourage listeners to be proactive in building community and exploring opportunities to increase income.

Money Mindset For A Catholic Family w/ Emily Crankfield

About a month ago, there was a very interesting blog released from the truly excellent Catholic ministry The Young Catholic Woman. This blog was titled Why I unfollowed you: An open letter to Catholic influencers. Knowing that I, myself, have had a number of frustrations with popular catholics on social media and in the big time catholic speaker circle, you can assume that I was eager to read what the author had to say. 
She broke down her reasons for unfollowing into three main categories. One I wholeheartedly agreed with, one I mostly disagreed with, and one was about 50/50. In today's episode, I break down her three reasons and share my thoughts on each of them. 

Disclaimer:  I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the work that is done at The Young Catholic Woman. I also have no hard feelings toward the author of the blog, since I have never interacted with her in any way. I would have gladly posted this same blog on my own website, because I agree with many points that it makes and believe we have to be open to tolerating things that we may disagree with, so long as they don't lead people away from the Church or the Truth. 

Please go check out the Young Catholic Woman on Instagram @theyoungcatholicwoman

Be your best!

Ep 143 | Catholic Influencers

Catholics often talk about the need to honor the body through chastity, which is undoubtedly of the utmost importance. But honoring our bodies, the very temples of the Holy Spirit, is not just about what we ABSTAIN from doing, it's also about what we actively choose to do.&nbsp;
Fitness, nutrition, and rest are critical to being a good steward of the body God has blessed you with. As a former professional athlete, Josie Kuhlman should know! She has experienced the great ups and downs of constantly pushing herself mentally and physically.&nbsp;
Today, she shares her journey with fitness and how it has become so intertwined with her spiritual growth!
Follow Josie @mjkuhlman and check out her other episodes!&nbsp;
Follow SE @seeking365 and be sure to share this episode with a friend!&nbsp;
Oh and subscribe!!!

Episode 72 | Train Your Body, Train Your Soul w/ Josie Kuhlman

This is Episode #274 of the Seeking Excellence Podcast.
To support the podcast and to get access to exclusive swag, resources, and daily content, <a href="https://seekingexcellence.locals.com/">⁠join our Locals community.⁠</a>
Seeking Excellence provides purpose, direction, and motivation to young men and women who are striving to fulfill their potential and get the most out of life.
For daily inspiration, follow Nathan on Instagram, Twitter, Gettr, and at @nathancrankfield
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