"If you don't have 10 minutes for your life, then you don't have a life.” -Tony Robbins
I heard the above quote from Tony Robbins while attending a workshop where the discussion was about taking time in the morning for meditation /exercise/self-care. These are things I desperately wanted to consistently do, but just never took the time.
Nothing could have hit me harder. I wanted to have a better morning routine that included meditation and exercise but I've never done it with any level of consistency. I decided right then and there that I was going to create new morning habits that included these things. I started the next day.
But why had I not made this solid decision before?
This question led me to some self-discovery and a confession.
A confession that might resonate with you too, especially all the entrepreneurs out there:
I had tricked myself into believing that if I took time in the morning for me, then my entire life, world, business - everything - would just fall apart.
I felt I had to hurry up and and get to the office, and hurry up and check my email and obsessively hit refresh on my email, but the bottom line is:
The world will not fall down around you.
All of you “busy" people and entrepreneurs out there are tricking yourselves.
You've tricked yourself into believing that checking your email or Facebook or texts or whatever it is that you get that dopamine hit from, are the important things in life - and that the world will fall down around you if we aren’t "on it" 24/7.
I was speaking with a friend the other day who owns her own business and she took a 2 hour road trip to a meeting in another city and didn’t look at her phone the whole time. She made the realization that the world didn’t end. Nothing fell apart. We don’t need to be compulsively checking our devices. Plus, there's really no such thing as an urgent TEXT message or EMAIL. I advise you to disconnect from anyone who gets on you for not responding to their “important” text. You don’t need that kind of ridiculousness in your life.
You know that little rectangle smart-device in your purse or pocket? Believe it or not if there is an emergency, it will ring.
I had to stop the mental head-game of "too busy" and make time for what was really important.
Here's the four Hero Tips I used to make the shift.
1. The world is not going to fall down around you.
Realize that you can take time to meditate, exercise, write, go for a walk, whatever. You simply can. Barring any crazy emergency, anything and everything can wait a few minutes for your to do some self-care, relax, exercise or get your head straight. For the longest time I had tricked myself into believing that I couldn’t.
2. "If you don’t have ten minutes for your life, then you don't have a life."
Believe and adopt this statement. Think about it. Not being able make a few minutes for yourself each day with conservatively 18+ hours of useful awake time, is just plain sad. That's a sad life. You are worth more than that. Stop telling yourself that you are too damn busy to do something for you. When you take the time for self-care, you will be clearer, sharper and better at the other things you need to do.
3. Be realistic.
When I first decided to make a habit of taking time for myself each day, I made a promise that I would never skip a day ever again. I would do it each and every day for the rest of my life. Going from never doing something at all, to never not doing it, is a very unrealistic goal. I would then feel disappointed with myself instead of proud of all the times I actually DID make the time. Not cool Jonnyboy, not cool at all. Be realistic with your goal and then don't kick yourself for missing a day here and there.
4. Reward and congratulate yourself.
Often times in life we remind ourselves of all of the things that we should be doing better. The more we should've done or could've done, instead of simply celebrating the fact that we are doing SOMETHING. My first jog was basically a series of jogging and then getting pissed at myself because I was so winded that I had to walk. I also felt like a failure for only meditating 4 days instead of 7. This made me realize how often we criticize instead of praising ourselves. Certainly running for five minutes today before I got tired, was much better than nothing at all yesterday. Pay attention to the times that you did make the change and pat yourself on the back for it. When I first started making these changes, I wasn't giving myself enough credit for doing it way more often than ever before. Focus on the 3 days you did make the time, not the 4 days you didn't. Look how far you have come. Give yourself some grace. As long as you are moving forward on some level - even if it's baby-steps - give yourself that.
When done consistently, creating new little habits can bring about big life changes. I hope this helps.
Get Iconic.