There is something about the way you start your day that really sets you up for a success. If you feel like working on yourself, growing and trying to be your best, is overtaking your life and getting too time consuming. It can be broken up into a simple hour first thing in your morning. Let’s call it your hour of power.
Personal growth is obviously one of my highest priorities, however, there is so many tools and strategies out there, everyone has their own philosophy, that to do them all will literally take up my entire day and I will have no time for life in general. So, the solution? 3 blocks of 20 minutes as soon as you wake up.
The first 20 minutes is for movement. Move your body, with whatever workout suits you. Sometimes I’m down for a really intense workout and sweating up a storm, sometimes my body craves a gentle walk or some yoga and stretching. Do what works for you. Moving your body first thing in the morning helps you produce your happy hormones which set you up well. It wakes you up and it also helps lower cortisol, the stress hormone. When it is broken down into just 20 minutes it seems easy enough. Make it even easier for yourself by having your workout gear ready to go the night before, put it close to your bed so you can grab it first thing.
The second 20 minutes is for your inner self. A time to reset your body and mind. This is a great time to journal. Something that can be really handy is just free writing, write whatever comes up, hold no judgement to it. Just let your mind wonder and word vomit onto the paper. You will be surprised about what actually comes too. Usually, it can be a lot of self-doubt or criticism to begin with, because this is mainly what is right under the surface for everyone, them feeling like they are not meeting their own expectations and beating themselves up for it. This reset time is also great for meditation. You can do it in either order. Clear your mind with free writing and then follow it with meditation. Or calm your mind with a meditation and then write and reflect on what came up during the mediation. As always are do what feels right for you.
Your third and final 20 minutes Is to grow your mind. Read a book on a topic you are wanting to learn more about, listen to an inspiring podcast, Look up a YouTube video on something you are interested in learning. Be careful to watch this YouTube time as we all know how easy it is to fall into the rabbit hole of clicking on “just one more video”. This growth time is for you to take the time out of your day to improve your knowledge on something that is going to help you become the person you want to be and get you closer to your success.
It is easy to wake up, check your phone get stuck in social media, and lose your first hour just scrolling. It is also easy to have high ambitions the night before and then the alarm goes off and snooze suddenly sounds so much better. If you want to accomplish more and improve your life, you have to be willing to be committed. The secret to making this a habit is consistency. The key is also to make sure you are getting a sufficient amount of sleep to make this hour of power work for you. Waking up at the same time each morning is the best way to get into a good morning habit. Getting out of bed as soon as that alarm goes off before your mind can tell you that staying in that warm bed is a better idea is also really important.
What time you wake up and start your hour of power is up to you. This time is designed to give you one hour in your day that is dedicated to just you, to helping you grow and become the person you want to be. Therefore your aim is to do it when it is quiet and you can be with yourself. Find the right motives of why you want to set out time to keep you on track. Decide why this is going to be the best thing you can do for yourself, and I assure you it is. That way, you have done the 3 keys things to helping you work towards personal growth and it hasn’t consumed your entire day. Once you have completed you morning hour of power you have the whole day to harness and be productive. Start your 3 blocks of 20 minutes this week and see how much better you start to feel.
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