Before I jump into the post, I want to say any step you take towards self-improvement is a step in the right direction. You might find this post is perfect for you and you will put all of these activities to work. You might find only one or two of these activities sound like things you want to do and can commit to doing. You might read this and think none of these will work for me, and that’s ok. But I urge you to find what you can commit to to improve you and your life.
In my attempt at self-improvement, I have been listening to a lot of podcasts. One theme that keeps coming up is the 5 a.m. Club. If you haven’t heard of it, here’s the premise: You wake up at 5 a.m. so you can have an hour of time to yourself before your family wakes up. During this hour you spend 20 minutes exercising, 20 minutes for meditation and journaling, and 20 minutes learning or reading. This “club” was created by Robin Sharma, who is considered one of the top leadership experts in the world.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I am not a morning person, AT ALL! Yes, maybe if I got into a routine, mornings might not be SO bad, but for me, and probably some of you, these tasks can be done at different times of the day. I am no Robin Sharma, but let’s take a look at the activities that are the basis for this early morning routine. Most of these I will touch on in their own posts at a later time to go into a little more depth.
- Exercise – This does not have to be an hour or more workout. This can be a walk around the block, or some jumping jacks in your living room. Don’t forget to S-T-R-E-T-C-H!
- Journaling – I always think of my middle school diary whenever journaling is mentioned. This doesn’t have to be a total recount of the day. But should touch on your goals and achievements. I’ll go over journaling a little more in a future post because there is so much that you can do.
- Meditation – This is the hard one for me. I have a very difficult time clearing my mind and just “being.” I have started listening to different guided meditations to help me. Again, I’ll go over this in a future post.
- Visualization – generating visual images is another that is difficult for me. I have been reading a phenomenal book, The Silva Method to help with my visualization skills and have found a few podcasts that guide through visualization steps.
- Prayer – If you are not religious or spiritual, prayer may not be for you, but if you are, take a few minutes to pray.
- Gratitude – I think this is a must and can be combined with some of the other activities here. Gratitude turns your focus to the positive, which can lead to more joy and contentment.
- Affirmation – Most people my age will remember Stuart Smalley’s affirmations on SNL, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough, and doggone it people like me!” I 100% agree that affirmations are important. We need to say kind words to ourselves, everyday. Tailoring our affirmations to match our goals is important.
- Reading – Millionaires spend their time differently and one thing most do is read a lot. Bill Gates is said to read 50 books a year. While Bill has said he reads only non-fiction books, any reading is good for your mind. I’ll have a list of my favorites coming soon.
- Reflection – Reflection is a review of your day, how you felt, what you accomplished, what you didn’t accomplish, and a myriad of other things. Reflection can also be combined with your journaling activity. Google “reflection questions” and you will find thousands of websites that list reflection questions. Your daily reflection should also include a review of your goals.
All of these sound great, right? But now you are probably thinking, how would I complete even 3 of these activities in an hour. Well my answer is you don’t have to. For me, I look at each of these and know that meditation in the morning is going to lead to one thing, me wanting to go back to bed. I need more than 20 minutes of reading time and I don’t want that time to be at 5 a.m. Exercise is definitely a morning task for me, but it doesn’t have to be for you.
The important thing is, you should choose to start doing at least one or two of these things everyday and dedicate the time to do them, it doesn’t have to be 5 a.m., it could be on your lunch hour, or after the kids have gone to bed. Hell, you can read in the school pickup line.
I like to combine Journaling and Reflection into one activity. My journal includes my long term and short term goals and my planner. I can take a look at my tasks I have on my planner and reflect on those. Did I complete everything I needed to today, and if I didn’t why. How did I feel today, was I stressed, happy, overwhelmed, at peace……and what made me feel that way. You could incorporate Gratitude in here too. While you are reflecting on your day and recording that in your journal, end your journal entry with what made you grateful or what people or moments brought you joy or contentment that day.
Another combination of activities could be Prayer and Gratitude. Since I was a child, I have prayed right before bed. Once you have journaled and your gratitude statements have been recorded, you can include in your prayers what you are thankful for from that day, that week, the month, the year……
If you choose to Exercise in the morning, like me, during your after workout shower get in your Affirmations. Sometimes speaking well about ourselves can be hard, don’t let it be! Start off with the easy things, you are smart, kind, funny, pretty, a good mom or dad……then affirm your intentions. “I can and will” statements are perfect, or “I am committed to” statements. Consider your goals, you want to be healthier and workout, then your affirmation can be I can and will work out three times a week and I will commit to those days by putting in my planner.
I know for me the downfall to all my planning and committing to an activity or task is when I miss a day or two or three. Life happens. Don’t let a missed task be the end of all your hard work up to that point. Don’t throw in the towel! Get back up on the horse and carry on. We all have missteps that may set us back. Those are just small potholes on the road to a better you, a happier you, a healthier you……
So what will you commit to today that will change your life tomorrow? I can do it, and so can you!
Stay tuned for the follow ups on each of these activities that WILL help you in your own self improvement journey.
“Happy is the person who knows what to remember of the past, what to enjoy in the present, and what to plan for in the future.”
-Arnold H. Glasow
Sweet Peas In Summer 