When I was a kid, right after the days of having to bike to school downhill both ways (true story), I would have to wake early enough to feed our baby calves, cats, and dog before boarding the school bus. It made for early mornings since we were the first stop on the bus route, and the bus would arrive before 7:00 AM. Somehow in my adult years this translated into a routine of early rising rebellion which meant I set my alarm to the very last minute I would need to get out of bed, make myself presentable, and race out the door for work. There was no grace period for unforeseen circumstances to delay my preparations. It was a daily race against time and myself to see if I could manage to get ready faster than ever before! This meant I could never hit snooze and my feet had to hit the floor the minute my alarm blared it’s daily greetings.
Needless to say some things had to change in my routine to adopt the belief that time set aside in the morning to center yourself and create a positive attitude for the day creates a good mood, a good mood creates a good day, 365 days create a great year, and great years create a great life. It all is as simple as how you begin your day.
I have previously blogged about the SAVERS routine, which I discovered by reading the book “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. In short, the book endorses beginning your morning with time for silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and journaling. These six activities allow you to not only set your intention for the day but also to step by step, day by day create the life you have always wanted. I diligently practiced my own version of these activities for about a year. I began my morning reading 10 pages of a motivational or educational book, reading a long list of affirmations, visualizing myself working my dream job (FRS before FRS existed), and meditating (silence). I would exercise later in the day which has been my routine ever since I was a kid. While I do enjoy bullet journaling, I have yet to incorporate this as a daily activity. (Life goals!) As I’ve discussed in past blogs I immediately noticed I had more energy waking earlier and getting less sleep than I did on the days I slept longer and would forego the routine. I also immediately noticed the things which used to feel like big hurdles in the road were far less impactful to my day. If something did occur which would trigger upset or an emotional response, it took far less time and effort for me to return to a place of peace-filled calm. The payout from this routine far exceeded the amount of effort or sacrifice (loss of sleep) it took to make the routine happen.
I know what you are thinking…If this routine is so awesome and enlightening, why did I do it for a year and then stop? For me personally, this routine and the additional internal work I continue to do regularly allowed me to level up. Just as we all have to crawl before walking, this routine was like crawling as it strengthened the necessary “muscles” to be able to walk a peaceful life. Slowly but surely I began to be present in the here and now no matter what was going on around me. This doesn’t mean I don’t have emotions or get triggered sometimes. I am human and absolutely do have feelings, emotions, reactions, and unforeseen surprises happen (the ones we’d rather not experience) just like everyone else. However, instead of getting swept away by the old emotional tornado or cyclone, which left a wake in it’s path, I breath through the situation, I ask questions, I look for the positive things even in uncomfortable circumstances, and I catch myself when making up a story line based on past experiences or emotions. This allows me to handle the current circumstance for what it actually is rather than making assumptions and creating an emotional mountain from a mole hill based upon my past experiences. By being able to honor each experience as it’s own, and removing my old filters of limiting beliefs, thinking, and emotions, I am able to live in the present moment. Being present creates a deeper sense of harmony for not only myself but for those around me. Being present also creates a good day, which creates a good week, which creates a good month, which creates a good year, which creates a good life. You get the picture. It’s the best kind of snowball effect you can get!
Were you curious how it was true going to school was a downhill adventure both ways? I began school in a one room country school about 2/3 mile away from our farm. There were two hills between our farm and the school. I went downhill both ways, but I also went uphill both ways. Perspective is powerful! Being present helps cultivate an optimistic perspective and an optimistic perspective helps us stay present through uncomfortable situations. Both allow for the good to be seen and felt more often than the bad. I’m wishing you a wonderful week of downhill coasting while in the present moment so you can feel the wind on your face and all the pleasantries of the experience! Thanks for stopping by!
Peace & Love,
Janessa