Does your day start with your intention, or are you being thrown into the problem-solving mindset from the second you wake up? Are you living on autopilot, repeating the same behavioral patterns?
There are endless articles outlining the importance of starting your day right, routines from top performers, or best practices for a productive morning. Yet, what many of these articles miss is why starting our days this way is so important, and it's probably not the reason you think...
What energy are you putting out into this world?
A close friend recently told me he immediately feels stressed and anxious from the moment he wakes up, as if he must immediately jump into action and is already behind. Digging further, we discover that much of this energy is driven by this feeling of "lacking" - he didn't have enough success (measured by money, status, and progress), and therefore needed to solve more problems.
When we begin our day by immediately shifting into problem-solving mode, we move out of a state of natural relaxation and into one that's focused on what is wrong around us. However, when we start our day with the energy of abundance, we feel excited about taking steps with to create even more of those positive feelings.
I asked him to instead start his day with intention by focusing on the abundance in his life. What was he grateful that he already had? Shelter, a warm bed, bountiful opportunity, a beautiful sunrise, a fulfilling relationship - whatever it was, the purpose was to focus on the positive in his life. By setting this baseline, he could now approach the work that truly mattered to him.
Adopt a mindset of abundance and love...
We get more of what we focus on, so if we focus our energy on what we don't have in life, we'll only feel like more is lacking. The energy of "lacking" - which is often the energy of fear - is a very powerful force. As difficult as it may be, we do have the power to chose our focus and direct our energy. This is especially important at the start of our day.
Esteemed speaker Tony Robbins describes this well: “Fear cannot coexist with positive emotions. You cannot feel both scared and joyful, or afraid and peaceful. You can’t feel fear and gratitude at the same time, either – but you can replace one with the other. When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
Seems easy enough, right? Then why aren’t we doing it? “Because, instead of focusing on how to express gratitude, the human brain is wired for a single purpose – survival," explains Tony. "The mind is not designed to make you happy, it’s designed to help you survive. It is always looking for what could hurt you, and it magnifies the bad. We are wired to operate out of a place of scarcity and fear. But here’s the thing – you have the choice of what to focus on. Remember, what’s wrong is always available, but so is what’s right.”
Try this approach instead...
The first step, and a key step in every SACH program, is to become aware of what’s going on in your head right now, in this moment. What story is your mind telling you right now? What are you feeling? Are you feeling grateful, lucky, or successful already? Becoming fully present is key to being able to change your focus.
Next, look at things in your life that you already have - where have you succeeded already? (If your answer is nothing, revisit your definition of success. Is this really your definition or someone else’s?
Then, revisit your values to determine what are actually the most important things in your life (refer to this previous post on values!)
Lastly, give! Yes, give! The easiest and surest way to get is to GIVE. Start exercising this muscle by switching into the mode of giving, of living out of abundance.
We all like to believe that if we had everything in the world, we would generously share it with those around us. Well, the truth is that you likely do have an abundance of something you CAN give to those around you, something more impactful than anything material. Even better, when we give with a feeling of abundance, we almost always get more than that in return.