As a university lecturer in my 40s and the father of a 3-year old, I never predicted Pilates to play such a large role in my life, especially since until recently I knew almost nothing about it. My introduction to this fitness regimen came from my wife, who recently earned her Level 2 Pilates teaching certification, who is currently working on Level 3, and who spends most of the day teaching Pilates. It is her passion-and perhaps obsession. However, it isn't only my wife's Pilates career that has had such an impact on me: Pilates has unexpectedly influenced my own work, in which I recently developed a course teaching young adults several fundamental, rarely-taught life skills.

To give a little background, my wife and I have a mutually supportive relationship. We encourage one another to grow in our separate careers, and we hope to pass that philosophy on to our daughter. As parents, we often discuss what may be the crucial lessons to grow up happy and successful. It was this concern that led me to ask, "What are the most important skills a person needs to be successful and happy in a competitive and changing world?" The answer came after a great amount of research from which I derived the essential life skills that I now teach in my Practical Leadership course at Sungkyunkwan University.

And now, even though I've clearly identified these essential life skills in my course, there seems to be an inherent problem getting my message across to my students. How do I convince a young adult to implement and put these lessons into action this year and for the following years to come? After all, taking consistent action is the essential ingredient to this recipe for success. So, I decided to start out boldly. At the beginning of the first lesson of this course, I make a bold statement. As we discuss the effects that this course will have on students' lives, I claim that this may be the most important class a typical student can take because it can have the greatest positive lifelong impact. Yes, I told you that it was bold, but I sincerely believe this to be true. The importance of these lessons is obvious to me and might be to you, as well, if you are over the age of 30 or a parent. Sure! Those of us who are a little older or who have children have experienced many of life's challenges. We can look back at lost opportunities and mistakes, and say "If I knew then what I know now…" But how do we get our children and students to see what we see? Well, would you believe that Pilates may be part of the answer?

Before we go further, I would like to share with you an experience that led me toward that answer. My course incorporates several student activities to help put theory into practice. One of these activities centers on the topics of mentorship and networking. Each student identifies a person whom they admire in their field of study, researches that person, and then contacts him or her by writing to them by following a formula taught in class. It seemed only appropriate that I complete this activity first since I am the instructor. Yet the person who initially came to mind was not a hero in my field or someone I grew up admiring. Actually, I had been reading about her because of my recent interest in Pilates. She is best known as the only "Pilates Elder" who continues to actively teach, and her name is Mary Bowen. If you didn't already know, a Pilates Elder is one of the original students of Joseph Pilates, the creator of the Pilates Method of exercise. I had been intrigued by Ms. Bowen's life story, her role and contribution to Pilates, and that at the age of 89 she still teaches. This would be a great opportunity for both my wife and me to know more about Ms. Bowen and her views on Pilates and to hear any advice she may have for the younger generation, especially my students. Who better to contact? But would she be willing to reply to my letter?

In April 2019, I opened my email to find that Ms. Bowen had surprisingly replied. Not only did she respond; she responded at length. Her letter covered several topics: how she has used the teachings of the renowned psychiatrist Carl Jung in her own Pilates teachings, her personal experiences working with other Pilates Elders, and asking questions about my wife's and my interests in Pilates. She expressed genuine affection in explaining her thoughts and interests, and I am truly appreciative. Furthermore, she was kind enough to write me on two other separate occasions. What I was able to take from this correspondence-and hopefully pass along to my students, and perhaps you-can perhaps be summarized in Mary Bowen's own words to me: "to understand and work in-depth requires work on oneself." She continued by saying that "each individual's life can be a non-ending adventure into the journey of each person's potential", and that Pilates "can be an excellent, effective tool for the discovery of oneself." This was perfect. These words fell perfectly in line with the overall message that my course intends to impress upon students.

My correspondence with Mary Bowen, my new interest in Pilates, and my desire to see students attain greater lifelong successes encouraged me to look further into the effects Pilates has on a person other than the physical. What I have learned is that there are three areas of impact that relate directly to my life skills course. Those are 1.) confidence, 2.) creativity, and 3.) happiness.

Firstly, our accomplishments all stem from the goals we set for ourselves, and goal-setting is the foundation of my life skills course. As students accomplish their short-term goals, they build the confidence needed to pursue other goals and eventually reach their long-term goals. In Pilates, students learn power posing, in which they stand in a posture of confidence. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy argues that these postures help mold how we see ourselves. Such postures can affect testosterone and cortisol levels, and even positively affect our chances of success. Furthermore, as Pilates students progress with their exercises, their bodies get stronger, more flexible, and healthier. They start to see visible changes. This feeds their confidence levels even more.

Secondly, Pilates includes a component of mindfulness in which a person focuses their awareness on the present moment. This focus has been shown to help build a person's ability to think creatively. Breathing, alignment, using the right muscles, and listening to the instructor require control in thought, which is essentially mindfulness, and this mindfulness meditation has been proven to boost creativity. Thinking creatively is a skill that opens the door to resourcefulness. Resourcefulness, a major lesson in my class, is the ability to take the limited resources we have, and use creativity and problem-solving skills to make the most of them. This skill has a high impact on determining lifelong happiness and success. It is also a quality that is sought-after by many employers. In essence, as author and life coach Tony Robbins once said, "Resourcefulness is the ultimate resource." Pilates includes a component of mindfulness. Mindfulness improves creativity, and creativity is essential for resourcefulness.

And thirdly, in the end, everyone wants to be happy, right? We all hope to lead happy lives, and we want the same for our families. Perhaps my favorite lesson in my essential life skills course covers the science of happiness. You may be surprised about what makes a person happy, and what misconceptions we have about the topic. Scientifically speaking, there are components to happiness that are outside our control, and others that we can certainly influence. Pilates can have a direct impact on our sense of happiness. Studies show that after exercising, people's moods significantly improve. Furthermore, the chemical dopamine is produced, and this plays a direct role in happiness. Additionally, meditation has also been shown to increase an area of the brain called the precuneus. People with a larger precuneus have been shown not only to experience happiness more intensely, but also to feel sadness less intensely. It may not be surprising that those who practice Pilates are happier for doing so.

So how can we answer my earlier question, "How do we convince the younger generation to look more toward their futures and take action on developing the skills they will need to create the lives they actually want?" Well, if we help build confidence in our children and our students, if we can surround them in an environment that promotes creativity, and if we can show them how to gain more control over their sense of happiness then they may start to see more potential in themselves and gain the belief that they alone are the designers of their futures. Pilates is a great start to getting them there. Here they may find more confidence, creativity, and happiness along with healthier habits for a lifetime. As for my class, I plan to recommend Pilates as an option to consider when students set their goals at the beginning of the course. I bet my wife would agree.