I cannot speak enough on how my life has continually and repeatedly fallen apart. My life is that old pair of sneakers you keep in the closet and pull out occasionally because you’re nostalgic and just don’t want to let go. It is that blanket you had as a kid–the one you got from your dad that has since lost all the padding but, despite being cleaned a million times to the point of being threadbare, still smells like him. It is the toy you taped up because you just knew you’d never be able to get another one like it. My life is all of these things, and my life crumbles on a monthly basis. The more it falls apart the more I come to recognize the individual pieces and threads that hold it together. I can see, for example, how I start my days and how that impacts each day that I start differently. Seeing alone isn’t understanding, but breaking it down gets me one step closer to figure out what to do and what not to on the road to making what is left of my life as joyous and productive and momentous as possible. So, here is some of what I learned.
- Start with a Song. Energy isn’t necessarily triggered by music but it is certainly harnessed by it. A piece of music that means something to you and carries the tonal qualities of what you woke up feeling or want to feel might be just the thing to kick the day off right. It isn’t just the music. You have to let it in. You have to move and dance and sway and really allow the sound to seep into you, collecting those vital energies you need to make the day matter.
- Move. Remember, you just woke up. A body at rest tends to stay at rest, so get into motion. I’ve been riding a bike lately, but a morning walk or stretching or anything of the sort ought to get your physical form activated and able to process the needs of the day.
- Laugh. Positive emotion is empowering–especially in a world that appears to want to scare you to death all the time. Before you turn on the news, or look into how much work you have to do, or worry about your relationship, etc. Find a way to laugh. Keep a book of jokes nearby. I’ve taken to watching 30 minute comedy specials while I ride my bike. Infusing joy into my life gives me the strength I need to persist–especially when I don’t want to persist.
- Plan. I’m very bad at this one, but it matters. My partner keeps a daily sheet expressing what needs to get done each day. I used to rock a planner and lay out my day in this fashion. I’m about to get back to it, because without knowing what needs to get done and writing it down, I tend to wander off into the land of ‘don’t care’.
- More to come here, but ten minutes is ten minutes.. and at the very least a good start.