Choose to Take the Journey

So I started out trying to maximize my day by upgrading my morning ritual. My intention was to complete the following before I left for work:

1) Sleep better the night before so I wake up refreshed.
2) Eat a healthy breakfast at home for both health and financial reasons.
3) Make a healthy lunch to bring to work, again for the sake of my body and my bank account.
4) Work out because I never feel like it after dinner.
5) Write.

None of that panned out as implicated by my lack of updates on the matter. But! What has come out of my efforts was an evening ritual that accomplishes my original goal: more energy and more productivity.

Here’s my evening ritual:

1) Work out 5 days/week. The first thing I want to do when I get home is eat, rest, and digest. But now I don’t allow myself to eat dinner until I’ve hit the gym.

2) Prepare a healthy dinner and lunch for the next day, 5 days/week.

3) With the increased energy from exercise and a balanced diet, I write. Alternatively, I read, watch, or listen to something that either makes me think or makes me laugh (i.e. no mainstream media).

4) Go out 5 nights/week. This is a completely new habit I’ve taken on because of its fun factor and more importantly, its tendency to build my social confidence.

5) Meditate (occasionally). I sometimes find my thoughts racing after reading something, writing something, or spending my night out doing something. I’ve taken to meditating to calm my mind when needed before going to bed.

6) Eat breakfast at home the next morning. With my loaded evening schedule, you might question how I manage to get enough sleep and still wake up early enough to have breakfast. My answer to that is, initially, I didn’t. I was late for work every day. But with the pain from corresponding pay deductions and persistent all-day headaches from sleep deprivation, I found a way to make it work. I now do some of my reading and writing during down time at work (which is not very often) or during a designated block of time on my days off. When I’m out on weeknights, I sometimes set an alarm to remind myself to get home at a decent hour and I also ascetically limit my alcohol intake to improve the quality of my sleep.

Why do I even do all of this? I’ve found that your rituals, whether they be by daylight or candlelight, set the trajectory for your ascent into ever higher levels of achievement and self-satisfaction. That is to say, it makes you feel awesome.

Related Posts:
Upgrade Your Morning Ritual, entry 1
Upgrade Your Morning Ritual, entry 2