#17
Today’s world is designed to steal your attention as soon as you wake up.
Phone notifications, the news, the neighbours, distractions, noises, pets, kids – it’s the easiest thing to tend to other people’s needs before your own.
A sense of urgency triggers the ego that wants to feel needed – to prove itself worthy of love, to defend its status of hero (or heroine), to chase after new titles and compliments.
Here comes the mastery of the great ones who understand that you must devote time and love to yourself first before you can give to others from your greatest self.
The way you start the day, of course, doesn’t determine the quality of your day. It just shows you where there’s room for improvement.
To slow down and make the most of the first hour of the day, try these 3 things.
1. SET AN INTENTION
This could be a mental, physical, emotional or spiritual focus. It will be your guiding principle for the day, so that you go through routines and tasks with more intention. This can also help you try new approaches and remain open to new knowledge.
For example:
“Today I will do things in a playful way.”
“Today I choose to slow down.”
“Today I am focusing on myself".
“Today I will be giving to others.”
“Today I will talk to strangers.”
“Today I will move more and sit less.”
2. EMPOWER YOURSELF
This is about practicing the grounding habits that quiet the mind from intrusive thoughts, keep you in the present moment and connect you to your authentic self. The goal is to engage the mind and the body before you start the day and start giving to others.
For example:
Go for a run
Do a meditation
Journal
Read
Visualise
Dance
3. WRITE / CHECK YOUR AGENDA
Having a plan for the day can help you bring order to the chaos and be more purposeful towards achieving your next milestones. It doesn’t matter if you only accomplish half of the items on the list. Your agenda for the day is the map. But any journey has a lot of detours. Learning to flow with the rhythm of life is a lifelong lesson!
