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As a Mindset + Business Coach, the question I’m asked most often is: “Janel, what’s the ONE THING I can do on a regular basis that’ll make the biggest positive difference in my life?”. My answer? 100% your morning routine. The things we do every day make a difference. They make a difference to our mental and physical health and wellbeing, to our mindset, and to how we head into and experience the day. It’s the “little things” we incorporate into our routines and practice every day that can make the biggest overall difference. Now the tips and suggestions I’m about to share with you probably aren’t anything new. Many of us already KNOW the practices that are good for us, the trick is actually DOING those things. Meditate, journal, exercise, eat well; we know these are building blocks to thriving and making us feel better. The difficulty is putting one foot in front of the other to get started… and then to keep it going. Sometimes the biggest block is that it all just seems so overwhelming… if I'm going to start a new morning routine, then it means I have to get up at 5:00am. Then I need to spend an hour and a half doing ALL THE THINGS to fill my mind, move my body, and get ready mentally and physically for the day. And next? Wham, there's an extra hundred million things to add to an already full morning. Enter your mind saying, “This is too hard. There’s too much to do. Forget it. No deal.” Now stop. First, don't think about the 50 million things you have to do tomorrow, this week, this month, etc… Instead, focus on what you can do TODAY. Focus on the one LITTLE thing you can do today, that can be incorporated and repeated tomorrow, and the day after. Focus on the ONE THING you can do today, incorporate it slowly and gently into your morning, and then become consistent at it over time. If you have one of my Learn to Thrive journals you know all about incorporating small changes over time. I call the morning routine “Five to Thrive”, and once you’ve gently incorporated all five into your morning routine it will look like this:
Now you try. Start with waking up just 10 minutes earlier tomorrow and choosing ONE THING (not ALL the things!) to add in. After you’ve chosen this one thing, do it consistently for the next 30 days. Do this one thing (and only this one thing!) until you’re comfortable with it. Only when you’re comfortable with it is it time to incorporate something else. So now that you’re comfortable with it, the next day you get up another 10 minutes earlier, and add ONE more thing, commit to it for the next 30 days, and so on. Does this seem slow? Maybe. But see it’s all about baby steps and simplicity. No complexity and no overwhelm. We’re aiming for one thing to be incorporated slowly and steadily over time. And the compound effect of this gentle routine on your mindset? Trust me, it is truly, truly incredible. Watch full video here for more tipsYou start feeling more comfortable and confident in yourself and in your days. You wake up each morning, practice your routine and eventually find that you feel amazing. You feel amazing and your days and weeks and months are running smoother because you've been meditating every day, been writing in your journal every day, been moving your body every day, been eating a nutritious breakfast every day, been listening to music every day.
This compound effect of all these “little things”? AMAZING! Feeling motivated to get started? Do it! Not so motivated? Don’t wait! Why? Because you may never feel motivated to start, especially if it’s something new (or involves getting up earlier). Instead, take the leap, set your alarm, and jump in. Choose the one thing you’re going to start with and just start. Will it be easy? Maybe. That’s why taking gentle steps over time helps. But sometimes however you might need additional support along this morning routine journey. If this is the case, follow me at janelbriggs_thrive on Instagram and see how I use the "five to thrive " method or simply email me, hello@janelbriggs.com - I'd love to hear from you! Take care, JB
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Are You Overstimulating Your Mind?21/8/2020 I know in we are knee deep in the age of “personal development” everyone wants to learn and grow and heal themselves! Which is AMAZING. But, there is actually an information overload happening. We are CONSTANTLY consuming information, and our brain just can’t keep up. We have over 2 million bits of information coming at us every second, your brain is constantly processing. Information comes in from all of our senses. From the sounds we hear, sights we see all around us, feelings and emotions we are feeling, our body's response to the food we've eaten, to what you are touching or sitting on. Our brain can actually only to process 148 bits of information every second. Because of this the rest of the information coming in gets deleted distorted and generalised. So, if you are a person that loves to "MULTI TASK LIKE A BOSS!" and keep up the HUSTLE to get things done… the truth is you are on the fast track to burnout. And in my experience, this is where that unsettling feeling of not being FULFILLED in life comes from. We are spreading ourselves so thin, we have so much processing going on in our mind - we cannot literally be in the present moment to find JOY. What am I talking about? People today (me included!) are glued to our screens, either on zoom meetings, our laptops, social media or TV for the most part of our day. Most of the time we have multiple screens going at once. How many times have you been watching a show and scrolling Instagram or Facebook at the same time? Listening to the news show in the morning and reading on your ipad at the same time? Or, attempting to do 3 things at once - podcast going, finishing a work email and making dinner all while juggling the kids or our partners needs? We think the more we consume and "fit in" the better off we will be. IT IS JUST TOO MUCH. "Your mind is like an instrument, a tool. It is there to be used for a specific task. And when the task is completed you lay it down”. - Eckhart Tolle There is an incredible book by Eckhart Tolle called THE POWER OF NOW. The essence of the book Eckhart shares through his research that the only way to find fulfillment and feel joy is literally being present in the now. Not 5 steps back in the past processing old hurts and emotions. Not 5 steps ahead in the future worrying about all the "what if's". Not with your head being flooded with an overload of information all the time.. It is about being here and now, NOT multi-tasking every moment of the day. I used to cram in audio books and podcasts to every bit of space I could, while cooking, while cleaning, while doing the laundry, while driving. Then at night I would be watching TV flicking through You Tube videos or Instagram. I was mentally and physically EXHAUSTED, and I had no idea why. I wasn’t sleeping, I felt wired. I would reach for sugar to pick me up in the afternoons. The lack of sleep funks up our emotions, responses and reactions. I know you are probably thinking I have so much to do! And we often feel time is running out. But, it’s not. Everything happens and gets done on time, when you allow it. How do you do that? You focus on one thing at a time, you be realistic with your time frames of what you can get done. And some things will have to go on the back burner. The key is really two things: 2. Make it a priority to build in pockets of quiet time, down time for your brain to process If you have so much noise coming in then you aren’t allowing the time and space for creative thoughts to come out. Get out in nature go for a walk, without the head phones. Take yourself out for lunch, and just be present. I could never work out why I literally have the best ideas in the morning while having a shower – does that happen to you too? Then, I realised it is because it is the ONLY time of the day I was doing 1 thing at a time and having a shower you block out all the external noise! Get it?! Thinking time, processing time is gold. 2. Stop multi-tasking everything, every hour of the day Yes at times you’ll have to juggle, that is for sure. But this notion that we, as women have to hustle and grind and work harder and do more to succeed is such a masculine energy. Or the feeling that WE have to do it all and be responsible for it all is crazy! Sometimes I actually have to say to my husband – not now, I am doing this and I can only focus on 1 thing! He was shocked when I first told him. Because of course I was the ultimate multi-tasker and the holder upper of everything. Watch full video HERE
Focus on 1 thing at a time, with the intention of being present. And see how different that feels, less stress producing it feels. AND how much more productive you actually are. Just like you prioritise work, or the kids or your dog, or exercise. You also need to block time for Personal Development, and also allow space for silence and processing time. You will likely have to get better at time blocking. Start with a baby step – which might look like choosing 1 thing this week, that you would normally be multi-tasking and just focus on that one thing. Allow the silence and thinking time to seep in. Calming the mind, is never a bad thing! Email me or comment below with any questions on this topic? If this resonate with you today please tell me what is your first step going to be to reduce the over stimulation this week?
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Calming Your Anxious Mind at Night17/4/2020 If you are anything like me... some nights sleep has been hard to come by this past month since our world got turned upside down. It's either taken me hours to get to sleep, or I've had that dreaded 3am wakeup tossing and turning as my thoughts churn. Some sleepless mornings have been more productive than others. I've actually come up with some good content and blog ideas! (lol) I can almost handle a 5am wake up if it's an idea that's worth it! But, I am no good with multiple nights of broken sleep. I know some people (like my husband) can thrive on little sleep, what about you? I am NOT one of those people. I need 8 hours to function. The baby years were the HARDEST for me. My lack of sleep typically means get ready... a cold or something else is coming! WHY IS SLEEP SO IMPORTANT ANYWAY?
BUT, WHY CANT I SLEEP WHEN I'M SO EXHAUSTED?
What I've had to learn to do over the years is pretty simple - there are a few key things you can do during the day to help you get better, deeper, more nourishing sleep at night. Now, I actually set up my DAY for a GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. What I realised recently was that none of the SELF-ISO environment we are living in right now is helping our sleep patterns because most of us are...
So, if your sleep has been “off” lately then check out my latest video. I share some simple tips to help you find better sleep! Little things that I do during the day and in the evening to help me find sleep easier and get a better quality of sleep. And I am totally sending you love and good energy if you are in the thick of the no-sleep fog! Take care, Janel |