Starting the New Year with The Three P's.

Always, always ask yourself what you want more of, instead of what you don’t want.
- Ms.ZigZag

Happy Freakin-Oh-My-God it's Really 2012! I feel like I woke up in the future, but it's the present and what an amazing present it is.

I spent the glorious moment of midnight snowshoeing up the lower part of Mt. Hood with a handful of new friends. The quiet solitude of snow and moonlight made me feel like I was a kid again.  Across the valley at the foot of the mountain fireworks went off at the ski resort creating a fantastic glow of color lighting up the snow in an array of rainbow light! It was one of the most magical experiences I could have asked for calling in the new year.

The Three P's

Now that we are in 2012 people are getting more and more impatient with the world around them.  I think the internet has created impatient control freaks everywhere. We are addicted to speed and can't seem to accept that things take time to manifest. Someone once told me,"Life is like a good stew, it needs to be stirred slowly."   But I argue that life is not actually slow. If you establish a good routine, do one small thing everyday to bring you closer to your number one goal, you will find that all kinds of success will come your way.

Perseverance. When all is said and done, perseverance is the ultimate success tool. Nothing can replace it. Doing a little bit everyday towards one important goal will give you a sense of self confidence that nothing else can give you. Once you establish a momentum, you will become unstoppable.

Play is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. Unstructured play is important for emotional release, creativity, and overall health.  Find time to play and be silly, whether it be racketball, scrabble, knock knock jokes, or walking silly. Trust me, not only will you appreciate it, but those around you will seek you out for more!

Prayer has been proven to work in many areas of life. Some call it mediation, but I call it prayer. Talk it out - (out loud is the important part) - and see how the world changes around you. Something or someone is listening. Call it God,  Higher Power, Source Energy or Fred. It doesn’t seem to matter what label you give it, it works. So if you need a boost, say a prayer.

My Morning Routine Update:

I've successfully been waking up at 6:45am and doing my morning routine. Some people have asked what my morning routine looks like. See below. My goal is to "book-end" by day with a routine, so that I can train my body and mind to accomplish a lot this year without it feeling like an uphill battle. After about 6 weeks this routine will get easier and easier.

*Keep in mind all the great success stories of any genre (art, sports, business) have a strict daily routine that helps them establish solid habits and a good state of mind.

I've been doing this for two weeks (taking weekends off):

6:45 wake. Usually I hit snooze. This gives me 10 minutes to cuddle with my dog and to mentally go over my gratitude list. (I've been doing a mental morning gratitude list for 3 years.) I've recently added "mental love notes" where I send love to three people. Sometimes I know these people well, sometimes they are acquaintances I've just met. I got the idea for mental love notes reading The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy. This part of my day really feels good.

Out of bed by 7am. No excuses. I walk downstairs to the kitchen and start brewing my tea. During this time I stretch, step out on my porch and take a deep breath of fresh air. About 7:10ish I sit down with my tea and either read or listen to something inspirational. No checking email. No facebook. I either listen to an audio book, or I read for 30 minutes. Around this time my dog wakes up. Believe it or not my dog likes to lay in bed longer than me, but when she gets up I feed her and then walk her. Sometimes I bring my audio book with me on the walk and listen while I walk.

My goal is to be back at my desk by 8:00am. I spend 15 minutes reviewing my daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly goals and then I write 2-5 pages of my book until 9:30.

After that  - the day takes over. I have clients to attend to and I will need to find time for exercise. My weekly workout goal is cardio 4 times a week with yoga or weights 2-3 times a week. So far so good.

Evening Routine

My evening routine is simple. I just go to bed by 9:45-10. I am usually asleep by 11. I try to end the day with more inspirational reading / personal development since they say that the last thing you read/listen to is processed during sleep.

And Finally...

For those that wanted to know if I actually made a naked snow angel in the snow on January 1st. I did and here is the picture to prove it. Yes, I'm screaming. But it was worth every glorious second. Thanks to Brad and Gina for the push.

Happy New Year! I dare you to do the unthinkable this year! 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Jennifer Lockwood]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it, ZZ! What I love most - is that PLAY is #2! I could go on about everything I love about this post - it is a great reminder to me how happy that I am I choose to include HAVE FUN! as the end to my business motto: Get Out. Get Fit. Have FUN! Awesome start to your BEST YEAR! Salud, Jenn

[zigzag]

Jenn - you have helped me so much this last year it's silly! You taught me how to push my body with strong workouts and have fun doing it! I'm looking forward to kicking butt in 2012 with you. =)

[Gina]

Yesssss! Love you, ZZ! Work hard, play harder :-) Happy New Year, you beautiful, crazy panda!

[drew]

Okay...is there some place I can make an appointment? I need a session.

[raymes]

amazing!!