July 2, 2019

 

 

Note From Rochelle

 

Dear Writers,

 

Happy July! Today’s a brand new moon and the start of the second half of the year. Are you set up to accomplish your goals this year? If you need help, consider setting up a consultation with me. We can get you on track to accomplish your goals

 

Last week, I had a great launch event for my new book, Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination and Increase Productivity. 

 

Today’s post is a quest that I have adapted from my brand new book, Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination and Increase Productivity.

Enjoy!

Rochelle

 

Master Your Mornings

by Rochelle Melander

 

No matter how dark the night, morning always comes, and our journey begins anew.

– Lulu, Final Fantasy X

 

Productivity experts talk about the value of morning routines to set up our days for success. Each morning, I spend time journaling. Over the course of 10-30 minutes, I work through four exercises:

• I express gratitude for the gifts in my life.
• I set my intentions for what I will accomplish during the day, sometimes even planning the small chunk I will be writing that morning.
• I write several vision statements about my life in the present tense, as if they have already happened. (E.g., I lifted weights today, and I feel great. I have a new agent, and she is working hard to sell my book.)
• I write down 2-3 positive mantras that help me combat the inner critic throughout the day. (E.g., I am on the right path.)

 

At first, I did these exercises during my morning walks. It was helpful, but I still found my mind wandering over to worry. Writing the exercises helps me stay focused. I have a record of what I’ve been working on over the past months. And I am seeing results. I am calmer, less worried, and accomplishing more. The morning routine has become a habit, and I miss it when I am unable to do it.

 

In this quest, you’ll create your own morning mindset routine and practice it for several weeks.

 

The Quest

Morning mindset routines can help us reset our mindset, increase our feelings of well being, and get stuff done. In this quest, you will choose from helpful mindset tools and design the ritual that works best for you.

 

Practices to Avoid

Most mindset writers agree that when we do any of the following practices first thing in the morning, it can create a negative mindset or trigger monkey mind: watching or listening to news, checking email, surfing social media, and texting.

 

Practices to Include

The following tools are often part of a healthy morning routine. Choose 2-5 of the following ingredients and play with combining them in an order that works for you. When you find the magic combination, practice it for a week or two and see how it affects your writing.

 

• Essential oils
• Exercise (walking, running, yoga, light stretching)
• Gratitude (verbal or written)
• Healthy food
• Journaling (morning pages; gratitude; day, week, or life planning; mantras)
• Meditation
• Prayer (written or verbal, traditional prayers or mantras)
• Reading (spiritual essays, artistic essays, poetry, personal development, or other affirming literature)
• Water

 

Game Play Tips

• Play with the practices. Try different practices, vary the order you do them in, or how you complete them. Even small tweaks can make a big difference.
• Combine well. I can’t sit still in the morning, so combining my morning meditation ritual with walking has helped me focus. Consider how you can combine healthy rituals to get more out of your morning routine.
• Give these practices time to work. It often takes 2-3 weeks before a routine can feel, well, routine! And it takes 66 days for that routine to become a habit. But stick with it, because it’s in the midst of nourishing routines that we often get our “aha!” moments.
• Change your routine with the season, event, or project. Different circumstances may require different routines. It can be helpful to have routines for unique circumstances—such as a change of season, holidays, big projects, or being stuck inside with a virus.

 

For the Win

Our mindset can make a huge difference in how we approach and appreciate life. When we transform a small part of our day, we ignite a process that can transform our entire day.