I’m not going to claim to be an expert on your personality, background, current situation, or how you should use these tools but over the past 2+ years of meditating on personal growth, here are the 3 daily habits at the bottom of the “funnel”. If you do these everyday, I promise you, you will figure it out.
Note: These are in no particular order. In my experience, each of these tools must be used together to work effectively.
1.) Meditation (NOT what you think, read on)
2.) Physical Exercise
3.) Gratitude
1.) Meditation:
Don’t Worry!!! I originally thought this was some mystical bullshit. It’s not and meditation doesn’t mean sitting cross legged with your eyes closed (all the time ).
For me, Meditation is about taking time for myself, slowing down my mind and being present. I Meditate at the same time in the early morning, each morning. This time allows me to organize my thoughts, think about processes, and correct inconsistencies (Past/Present/Future) in a level headed, balanced setting. Meditation can be done in a variety of different ways, Here’s a list of popular techniques. Try some and figure out what works best for you.
I’m sure you’re skeptical, I was too. But I promise, this is the easiest, single source of personal growth arbitrage out there… and it’s 100% FREE! With Meditation, nothing is impossible. I continue to scream this point but unless you’re willing to do the work, you’ll never be able to feel what I’m talking about. The saying, “Built it in your mind and it will happen in your life” is 1000000000% true. I’ve proved it over and over and over again with worldly and non-worldly items. Ask me to prove it to you or read how I ran a marathon after training for 7 days as an example.
Still Don’t Believe Me? Google the most successful people in the world (however you quantify success) and research if they take time for themselves on a daily basis. The first ones on me 👊 Bill Gates, Why I’m Into Meditation.
2.) Physical Exercise:
This isn’t for your Body, this is for your Mind. Take 30+ minutes out of your day to do any type of physical exercise (gym, run, walk, hike, bike, etc.) From a mental standpoint, thinking about life or difficult issues while releasing endorphins has been proven to increase optimism. If that’s not enough, your body will “Thank You” and you’ll be at a lower risk for head disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. (google it on your own time… we all know exercise is a good thing).
If you don’t currently exercise, start slow and build your way up.
For example, I like reading but I’m slow… which makes it frustrating. To get better I didn’t start by sitting down and reading an entire book front to back. I sat down and read one page a day for a week, then 2 pages, 5 pages, 10 pages,… you get it. Start by going on a 5 minute walk and work your way up from there. If you start with 30+ minutes a day, you’ll get burnt out and be in the same place you were before.
3.) Gratitude:
I talk about gratitude a lot but this is one of the most important parts of this triangle.
Give anything back, to anyone, at anytime.
Personally, I write thank you cards to friends/colleagues/family, have a stack of dollars in my car for anyone who needs it and make sure to be thankful for what I have as I work toward my future goals.
The greatest gift you can give is your time, so get out there! Volunteer, send some thank you’s, reconnect with an old friend, tell the people you love how you feel and create some joy. At the end of the day, life is all about relationships; do you want to be the person providing joy or taking it away?
These 3 tools have helped me through some of the deepest valleys and heartache. To this day, this combination has never failed me. With time and sacrifice, it will do the same for you.
Agree, Disagree or have Questions? Comment or shoot me a DM.
Original Source: gregmarkzimmerman.com
LOD, greg