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Energize Your Mornings

Many of us view the New Year as a new beginning and positive change.  While I do agree with this notion, I also view the mornings as a symbolic representation of a new beginning.  Before the sun rises the sky is dark and there is no light to be seen.  Then the sky slowly changes, and radiant light emerges from the horizon, casting warmth and energy farther than the eye can see.  All the darkness is gone, and we are left with a radiant and new sunrise.   A new day has emerged.

We can compare the sunrise, or transformation from darkness into light, as a new beginning.  The challenges and obstacles we faced are of the past, and the dawn is a new day for us to grow and transform ourselves.  Moreover, there are 365 days of this a year!  This means we don’t have to wait until the New Year for a new beginning.   Opportunity and potential are always in front of us.

Therefore, it is essential that we start our mornings or our new beginnings with intention and focus.  Below are some tips to illuminate light upon your goals and dreams.

Become a morning person so you can take care of yourself. I know this is hard for all of us.  I personally need 8 -9 hours of sleep a night in order to exercise and train others.  However, I noticed that when I wake up earlier, I am more productive and I’m able to achieve more throughout the day.  In addition to waking up early, I will try to work out, exercise, stretch, or listen to music.  Self-care gives me motivation and I’m so much happier afterwards.  This helps supercharge my day so I can make the most of my time.   It’s very easy to stay in bed, especially with the cold weather.  See if you can push yourself to not press snooze and get out of bed.

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Avoid excessive use of social media. I think social media is beneficial to keep up with people’s lives and accomplishments.  However, I catch myself looking at my phone in the morning and before I know it, an hour has passed.  I realized that I could look at other people’s lives and get lost in theirs, or I can get out of bed and invest in mine.  Looking at people’s accomplishments also can create comparison and judgement.  We might wish our lives were better or we had different circumstances.  Social media isn’t bad but remember that there should be limits on how much time you spend scrolling through Facebook and Instagram.

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Change your perspective. Sometimes when I wake up and look at the clock, I wish I was still sleeping, and I groan at the fact that I have to get out of bed.  Upon reflecting on these thoughts, I realized that my perspective was negative.  Consequently, I came to the conclusion that I have the power to shift my perspective into something that will benefit me.  Instead of saying I have to wake up, I now say I get to wake up.  I now have 24 hours to make the most of my day.  Every day I am blessed with the opportunity to motivate and inspire people to change their lives.   After work, I have the opportunity to enrich my life though yoga, dance, and spending time with the people I love.  I am incredibly grateful for all of this, but gratitude only comes when we take a step back in order to adjust our len.

Every day we have the opportunity for a new beginning.  I wish everyone happiness, contentment, and growth, 365 days out of the year!

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