The Daily G.I.F.T. from The GratiDude

Go all in on the tiny lifestyle changes that will make a massive difference.

www.grateful4.org

Gratitude

Intention

First

Things

The G.I.F.T. Today

Grateful: for resisting the urge to get disappointed when plans change and just remember you are being protected.

Intention-feel and flow as you go

First-Dave on main today?

Things-feng shui I say

Morning Platitude from The GratiDude

I fall into the same reflective review of the year energy between Christmas and New Year’s each year.

For many years, a big part of how I would review the year would be based upon the economic performance of my business activities and specifically “did we hit sales and revenue numbers?”.

Inevitably, we always hit numbers.

Inevitably, I always took it too personally as if business production, and specifically our sales goals and numbers were a personal reflection on me, Kevin, and my worth.

When you think about it, a high-pressure sales position is a great occupation for an individual that has a deep need for feeling recognized and valued by people that he loves and cares about.

I was too emotionally vested in business results as a critical factor in measuring “how my year went.”

What I’m learning to do now and what I would encourage all of you to consider doing is to celebrate small victories that you had this past year and be OK that they are small.

I’ll give you an example of a way to fabricate something to celebrate and I’m giving myself credit for not gaining and keeping on any weight this past year.

I had a lot of challenging and new situations, new emotions, new fears to overcome and obstacles and all sorts of interesting opportunities to learn and grow that if I had not embrace these challenges head on, I could’ve easily fallen into some unhealthy behavior like over eating and letting pizza and coffee, flavored ice cream satiate me and help me handle by elevated stress level levels.

Instead, and I’m giving myself credit here, I stayed true to my exercise and diet regiment as a critical part of being healthy and staying consistent in this past year.

I’m celebrating something that didn’t happen and recognizing it as a way of helping myself feel good about where I am today. I’ll admit that I’m energetically stacking the deck in my favor by recognizing some small accomplishments.

Yes, waking up earlier can significantly change your life by providing more time for self-care, boosting productivity, improving mental clarity, allowing for better planning, and potentially enhancing your overall well-being, especially if you use the extra morning hours to engage in activities that nourish your mind and body; however, the extent of change depends on how you utilize that additional time and whether it aligns with your natural sleep patterns.

Key points about waking up earlier:

Increased productivity:

By starting your day earlier, you can tackle important tasks with less distractions and potentially accomplish more in a shorter period.

Improved mental health:

Exposure to morning sunlight can boost your mood and reduce stress levels.

Better time management:

Having extra time in the morning allows for better planning and organization of your day.

Health benefits:

Early risers often have more time for exercise, healthy breakfasts, and relaxation.

Personal growth:

The extra time can be used for learning new skills, pursuing hobbies, or practicing mindfulness.

Important considerations:

Quality sleep is key:

Waking up early should not come at the expense of adequate sleep. Ensure you are getting enough rest to reap the full benefits.

Gradual transition:

If you’re not a natural early riser, gradually adjust your wake-up time to avoid feeling overly tired.

Individual needs:

The ideal wake-up time varies based on your chronotype (whether you are a morning person or night owl).

This is also a good approach as we go into a new year when we have these social pressures to commit to a giant undertaking as part of a New Year’s resolution. Things like; I’m going to lose 25 pounds, I’m going to quit smoking cigarettes, I’m going to quit drinking alcohol, I’m going to exercise every single day, I no longer going to be mean to my dog when I come home from work, I’m going to start meditating every morning when I wake up, etc..

What if we instead decided to eat this elephant one bite at a time and took a different approach more like the following:

Instead of “lose 25 lbs.” how about: I understand that I need to consume less calories to lose weight, so I am going to work specifically on portion control at dinner and not have a second serving as I usually do.

Instead of “I’m going to meditate every morning” how about: I’m going to wake up two minutes earlier for the first week of the year and before I grab my telephone I’m going to breathe and say thank you”

These are both practical and incremental, tangible steps in a process that if consistently done and repeated for months will lead to weight loss or a consistent morning meditation routine.

The very smallest thing you could do to get the biggest return and bang for your buck in making a change in your life is the following:

Don’t look at your phone first thing in the morning when you wake up.

Don’t grab your device and get into it and see what messages have come in as the first thing you do in the morning.

Just stop doing this.

See how different you feel.

It will blow you away.