Keep going strong

Hey, it's now Sunday and I've been doing the early morning exercise for a week!
It's great as it gives me the feeling that I am doing something that is good for me, and straight at the begining of the day.
I do short cardio and stretching exercises, just to get the body moving, to get the body to wake up and start burning calories.

A good start

Since 2 days ago, I am waking up a bit earlier and doing a very short exercising routine in the morning! I drink water in the middle of this very short workout and I also have a bit more time to eat breakfast, prepare clothing and leave a bit earlier avoiding traffic.
The 1st day was absolutely amazing! I got to the office and without even realising I was much more energised and got huge ammounts of things done.
The fact that I exercised got my body and mind to wake up a lot earlier and be sharper earlier on.
Also, most of the times my mind was negative from the early beggining 'I'm late!', 'I've got shit loads to do', 'I'm having a shit breakfast'... but with a bit more time for myself I feel I am treating myself, taking good care of me. I feel valued and this generates positive thoughts.
Definitely a better way to start the day that can have an impact throughout the rest of the day.

It's important to start the day well

Do you know those days when you get out of bed and smash your toe against a door and then... the all day seems to go badly from there?
Or when you wake up feeling greatly restored, have a really nice wholesome breakfast and you feel great up for the rest of the day (never minding the traffic or the mad demanding boss at the office)?
Sometimes a good start of the day can have an impact on the rest of it.
A good idea is to wake up 20 minutes earlier and do something for me, something I really want to do for myself and that gives me pleasure, something I like to do...
It surelly makes a difference from waking up late, eating breakfast on the go and cursing through traffic as you're running late into the office.

Continued

And what I've learned from that book is linked somewhat to what some now very popular books like 'The Secret' from Rhonda Byrne are preaching... What you think is what you attract, focus on positive thinking.

Interesting, the insight is quite simple, be aware of your thougths! If you are aware, you will often realize that most of the negative thougths are quite unrealistic! Sometimes we paint some negative scenarios in our minds that are high unlikely to ever happen!
On the positive side, these thoughts are useful as their purpose is to protect us from hurt, from wrong decisions, etc. But on the other side, most of them are unrealistic and will only prevent us from doing things, taking action, taking control of our life and moving it forward!

Practical benefits of meditation

I am reading the book 'The leaders way: business, budhism and happiness in an interconnected world', by the Dalai Lama and the business consultand Laurens van den Muyzenberg. Quite a good book, exploring the touching points between budhism and business and how business leaders can benefit from budhist learnings.

I took out quite an interesting learning yesterday from this book, that helped me see meditation in a more practical way. Meditation is presented as a way to reach more mindfulness. Mindfulness meaning greater awareness of your thoughts. And if you are more aware of your thoughts, you can acknowledge the negative ones and therefore begin to erradicate them. Negative thoughts are damaging.

I find it pretty cool as it gives meditation a practical spin. I am quite motivated by objectives, and having this awareness of how meditation can practically help is really helpful for me.

The Power of Thinking

Thinking is powerful. Thinking are the lenses through which we see the world.
I have been a bit down lately, letting things get to me and feeling demotivated at work. But in the last couple of days, everytime I notice a negative thought, I replace it immediately with a positive one, I repeat inside my head something positive about me, or something that I am grateful for. For example 'I appreciate myself and I am doing a good job'.
And after a couple of days I can tell you that the impact is absolutely powerful! I feel happier, lighter and more self confident. Life seems easier as I don't let the bad stuff just run around in my mind creating havoc.
The only requirement is that you do need to be aware of your own thoughts, so tat you can identify the negative destructive ones. Probably meditation can help you become more aware of your thoughts.

Great quote

"Dream as if you'll live forever; live as if you'll die tomorrow."
James Dean