3 MORNING WORDS THAT MAKE EVERY DAY KICK ASS!
Gratitude + Goals + Grinds
Recently I decided that I really wanted to be more intentional about my thoughts in order to reach my goals. I’ve always been a goal setter, go-getter, inspirational-quote-to-get-you-going kinda gal. Yet I knew I needed to do more than just think. To do this, I needed to commit to waking up at 5:00 AM when it’s quiet and the kiddos are still sleeping. Clearly at that hour you need some grinds, coffee grinds that is, in your life! So here goes: Gratitude + Goals + Grinds = the 3 words that make for a kick ass day! It’s such an awesome way to get going and set your intentions. It’s a recurring meeting I’ve added to my calendar, 7 days a week. After all, a habit is something you do every day – even on the weekends, even on holidays, even when you’re not feeling 100%. A habit, then, is a commitment.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
I’m already feeling more alive than I did before. I am feeling more grateful for all that is in front of me right now instead of worrying about the future. I’m focusing on the things that matter to ME versus wasting time on things that serve no purpose. It’s also an awesome way to get my words down on paper. I like that I can flip back to what I wrote and remember the feeling I had when I wrote it. There’s power in pen to paper. It activates something much different in the brain than using a keyboard. When you’re writing about your purpose, your passion, your thoughts, your feelings - there’s something about the smooth rolling of a pen on paper that allows you to feel more creative and alive. What I’ve found is that all these things I’m writing down will eventually become blog posts right here! So, it’s also life planning at its best!
What does it look like? Writing comes very easy for me. It always has because I have an affinity for words. I love them! Growing up, we had a huge dictionary set up on a special stand. Anytime I had a question about a word or how to spell, my parents would say “go look it up in the dictionary” and little did I know how powerful that one exercise would help guide me today. I’ve started this with my 8-year old because she’s always asking how to spell things, and when I hear her speaking into her iPad asking Siri how to spell— it absolutely drives me crazy! So, out comes the gigantic dictionary and she must go look things up on paper now! 😊 #oldschool
Let’s walk through what Gratitude + Goals + Grinds looks like and show you the steps that work for me.
Step 1
Rise to the alarm slowly and let my mind and eyes open. Do a little stretch and get up feeling grateful. It’s important to note that rising slow has been the key for me with this new habit. This DOES NOT mean hitting the snooze button. In fact, that’s an absolute NO. When you let your body wake naturally you feel much calmer and it’s easier to rise out of bed. It’s a way for me to not jolt my adrenaline as if I’m getting up to run away from a tiger. I’m hyper to begin with so staying calm takes a lot of work for me. Also note, that when you prepare ahead of time for rising early, it means you’ve taken the steps to go to bed at a time where you will get 8 hours of sleep. Therefore, your sleep cycle will begin to gradually wake you up two hours ahead of your alarm. If you’re jolted up before your body is ready, you’ll be in a state of what’s called sleep inertia. It will have you feeling very foggy and tired.
Step 2
Get the espresso machine fired up so I can hear those grinds getting ready for the perfect double shot. As an added bonus, I also get my diffuser going with my favorite essential oil blends to start the day. Loving the Citrus Fresh and Peppermint combo from Young Living because it’s like a dose of summer and crisp air. But honestly, any combination works because the smells from pure oils are unlike any other smelly thing out there and they’re a much better option from a health perspective. I’ll talk about all that in another post. Let’s get back to the steps.
Step 3
Once I have my grinds brewed to my liking, I sit down and begin with my Rise Journal where I write down the following for the day: G.O.A.L.S. V
G – Gratitude
O – Objective
A – Affirmation
L – Learn
S – Serve
V – Visualize
This has been a great way to frame my day, go about it intentionally, and with such a grateful heart. Colin Henderson wrote “Project Rise – 8 winning habits to build the best version of you” and created the journal to go with it. I bought a copy, read it and decided to get a set for my hubby, too. He’s now reading the book and loving it as much as I did! This is an easy to follow guide for living your best life and using some great techniques to get there. I’m a lifelong learner because I’ve always felt knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you can do. The more you can do, the more of a positive impact you can make on the world. And that, my friends, is why I believe we are all here - to make positive impacts on as many people as we can.
Step 4
Once I’ve finished up with the GOALS-V, I jump into free form writing in my journal. This gives me the space and time to write things down I’m thinking of. Things like what I want to do and the goals I have for myself. It’s part planning, part getting things off my chest, and part diving in to a specific word I want to talk about or discuss here. As I mentioned above, the practice of handwriting is something that feels good to me. Both from a tactile perspective but also because I’m looser with how I write in that format. I get into a flow and feel my whole body feel happy and relaxed. It’s a very different feeling than typing on a keyboard. Plus, there’s a lot of research out there to prove how our brains work better with handwriting versus a typing on a keyboard. For example:
In a University of Indiana study on handwriting and cognitive development they discovered writing by hand increases neural activity in certain parts of the brain similar to that of meditation.
Slow down: Mindful writing rests the brain, potentially sparking creativity, according to neuroscientist Dr. Claudia Aguirre.
For me, a keyboard is used when I’m working and slamming through a million emails or prepping a blog post to publish. So, a journal where you can use pen and paper seems to be the perfect way to get those important thoughts and ideas down. Call me old-school! I’m cool with that!
Step 5
Now I’m in a flow and know what I want to accomplish for the day. As I continue to sip the grinds that have been made into a yummy Americano, with a tad bit of coconut oil mixed in, I dive into my day. It feels good because I feel centered with a grateful heart and a list of goals to work towards.
As with any habit, you must practice every day. It takes discipline, but we all have it inside us. Excuses have no place in my world. They hold you back from the things you want most. Typically, because you’re afraid of something. We’ll dive into fear on another post, but for now just understand that we all have the time, the skill and the mindset to make our dreams reality. The only person that is stopping you from reaching them is you. You’ve heard this a million times, in a million books, by a million people. This is not rocket science people. This is simply stating what you want and stopping at nothing until you get it. Check your attitude and mindset each day with intention and I guarantee you will find what you’re looking for.
// Krissi
Extra Inspo + Actions