Adopt My 3 Simple Daily Practices to Shift Your Mindset, Raise Your Energy, and Change the Trajectory of Your Life
As an ambitious woman who wants to squeeze as much juice as possible from her amazing life, you’re likely juggling a career, family, friendships, building healthy habits, keeping the house clean, staying ahead of errands (and then somehow trying to carve out some “me time” and rest).
You expend a lot of energy to keep all of these activities organized and in motion. The danger we face is when we get out of balance and don’t invest enough attention in self-care and replenishment. Just like when you make the unfortunate mistake of leaving your headlights on and coming back to your car hours later to find the battery completely dead, ignoring our needs can leave us completely drained.
Overwhelmed and Drained Dry
I experienced this first-hand about a decade ago. I was in hot pursuit of the ‘have it all’ lifestyle … juggling ambitious career goals while parenting young kids and trying to reclaim the pinnacle of fitness I had achieved as a dancer. I was dreadfully overworked, extremely under-rested, and so very tired. I’d read my kids a favorite bedtime store and could relate a little too much to the tortoise … while secretly wondering where on earth that zippy little hare found all of his energy!
And you know how it goes … when you’re super-tired and under a lot of pressure, your mind can naturally drift toward the negative. Your mood starts to contract and sink. And pretty soon you’re more focused on what’s NOT working rather than what IS working.
Now I’m blessed to have an absolutely incredible mother (Mary Morrissey, in case you didn’t know). She could see that I was in a rough patch, so she invited me to a women’s retreat.
And that’s where I ran head-on into the emotional equivalent of a concrete wall. I woke up one morning with the overwhelming sensation that my life was just not working. Being at the retreat was a lovely, restorative break. But I knew that if I slipped back into the same way of living once I returned home, I’d keep getting the same results.
It’s incredibly painful when you wake up to your reality and fully acknowledge that the life through which you’re stumbling and sleepwalking is NOT the life you’re meant to be living. It was my painful wake-up call from the universe, and it left me with a decision. I knew it wasn’t going to be convenient or comfortable to make the changes I felt called to make. I didn’t feel like I had the time.
But with my mom’s love, encouragement and full support … I said yes anyway. I embarked on one of the most eye-opening, heart-expanding, uplifting and humbling journeys of my life … and today, I’m in an absolutely incredible place. My business is successful, my health is better than ever before, I’m the happy mommy I always wanted to be, and I feel vibrant and deeply connected to my authentic self.
Mary has always been an incredible mother, and during this time, she became one of my greatest mentors. She shared some of her secrets for balancing the demands of a career and family — without losing your connection to the life that breathes you. And we experimented together to find other quick, easy and highly effective ways to take good care of ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
What we’ve both learned and experienced — and what I want to share with you — is that the best way to keep yourself ‘charged up’ is to take small daily actions rather than waiting until you burnout. It’s just like with your car. Normally, the battery gets charged up every time you drive the car. It works great – the battery is always ready to go when you are. But when you drain the battery completely, then you get stranded, without enough juice to get you where you need to go.
We ended up codifying our favorite activities into a 28-day program, Project Lighten Up. In less than 10 minutes a day, you can learn and apply the very same practices that Mary and I use religiously to keep our energy high.
I’d love to share three of these practices with you today! In Project Lighten Up, we offer practices to lighten energy in seven key areas of life. The tips I’m giving you today focus on helping you maintain a positive mindset. Because as they say … attitude is everything!
Mindset Practice #1: Praise the good in your life!
Praise is an easy and incredibly effective way to refocus your attention and elevate your energy. Heck, the word itself includes “raise”! By pausing to give voice to your appreciation, you’ll actively shift into a state of gratitude, which is one of the highest energetic states you can experience.
In the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, it’s easy to lose sight of how much good there is in our world. But you’re truly surrounded by good and positive things. Take a moment right now to not just notice a few of your blessings, but also to praise them. I promise — You. Will. Feel. A-Maz-Ing!
Thank you, heart! You’re beating all day long for me!
Thank you, lungs, for breathing the air I need to live this life!
Thank you, flower, for blossoming so beautifully and brightening my home!
Thank you, house, for providing safe and comfortable shelter for me!
Thank you, food, for nourishing my body and giving me energy to live!
Here’s a little tip … if you start with a minute or two of praise in the morning, you have all day to ride the wave of good feelings and well-being! You can even ‘top off the tank’ by taking breaks for praise throughout the day. (I often set a timer to remind me to pause at the top of every hour to connect with my gratitude.)
After years of this simple practice, I can share this: The more consistently you engage in praise, the easier and more natural it will be for you to stay in a state of appreciation and abundance.
You might be surprised to see how much this simple activity lightens your heart and improves your day — even in just a few seconds!
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
~ Oprah Winfrey
Mindset Practice #2: Quiet Your Inner Critic
An all-too-common contributor of negative input into your mindset comes from inside your mind…
Your inner critic!
This negative narrator keeps up a steady commentary about what we’re doing wrong and how we could have done better.
Although this “advice” may be offered as a way to help us stay safe, the result is that it tears us down and lowers our energy, much like a steady drip of water can wear away rock over time.
Trying to ignore our negative inner critic doesn’t work. As the saying goes, “What you resist, persists.”
Instead, when you notice the Negative Nelly is your head, acknowledge her … and deliberately shift your focus and mindset to something positive. I like to look for something that I like, love or appreciate about myself!
For example, what do you love about your body? Maybe it’s a specific feature, such as your sparkling eyes or curly hair. Maybe it’s something that your body can do, such as lift a 40-pound sack of cat food or run miles at a time.
Another option is to praise something that you’ve done recently. Even a “small” accomplishment is worth praising — such as getting up on time and getting your work done vs. hitting the snooze button for 30 minutes! Or maybe you appreciate yourself for committing an act of kindness, such as mowing a neighbor’s lawn.
Any baby step that moved you closer to the life you would love to live, such as choosing to drink lemon water instead of soda, is a “win” worth celebrating!
I love to write my acknowledgements on a sticky note and then post it someplace where I can see it, like on my computer or the bathroom mirror.
Think of how you would praise and appreciate a dear friend or cherished loved one, and then do the same for yourself. You’ll be astonished at how much this simple act of self-love quickly lifts your energy.
Mindset Practice #3 — Take a News ‘Fast’
One way to raise your energy and vibrancy is to simply avoid the things that drag you down. (Crazy idea, eh?) 🙂
Here’s a place to start: Avoid the news!
Andrew Weil, MD., an internationally recognized expert on integrative medicine, medicinal herbs and mind-body interactions, suggests taking a 7-day news fast to see how you feel. Most of what is shared by professional news organizations is negative — because those are the headlines that grab attention.
But …yuck! Filling your head with gloomy predictions, conflict, and sad stories really drags down your energy. You can’t help but be triggered mentally and emotionally by what you see, hear and read.
Experiment with taking a break from the news. Don’t check news sites, toss your newspaper straight into the recycling bin, turn off the television, and scroll past headlines in your social media feeds.
Worried that you’ll miss something important? Trust me, if anything truly earth-shattering happens, someone in your life will tell you!
Food fasts may be challenging … but news fasts are incredible! You’ll be amazed at how much more centered, focused, and joyful you’ll feel. (Hmmm, maybe ignorance really can be bliss…)
Daily Maintenance for Your Soul
Many things in our lives require regular maintenance to keep them functioning well. We exercise regularly to keep our bodies healthy, check our heating and cooling systems periodically to make sure they’re functioning, and get regular oil changes on our cars.
You can do the same with your energy. Give yourself a daily ‘tune up’ to stay connected to your highest essence and experience your full vitality and vibrancy.
Even the tiniest tweaks and adjudgements can change the trajectory of your life in a significant way. The simple practices I shared here are from just ONE lesson in Project Lighten Up. Imagine what you could experience and create with another 27 days of Mary and I pulling back the curtain to reveal our time-tested secrets to living our fullest, best lives.
When you join us for Project Lighten Up, you’ll receive a short video lesson (most are 3 to 5 minutes long) where we share our recommended practices. Then you’ll get a quick action assignment so you can play with the concept in your life – and watch your energy soar!
If you agree that living in a state of joy, vibrancy and vitality is worth the tiny investment of 10 minutes and $1 a day … you’ll love Project Lighten Up. I hope you’ll join in the fun!
Now it’s your turn! I’m always open to exploring new ways to get even more from life. Tell me — what are your favorite ways to lighten up your day and life? Please add your ideas below!
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