Music can make it happen

19 Oct
Music guitar

Image by doug88888 via Flickr

This set of Samba music is pretty good at starting some wiggle action in the reluctant morning body.  http://pl.st/p/22570909451

Latin music, samba, bosa nova, any island sounding music gives a happy feeling like I am on vacation somewhere exotic.  I know it is just a trick to pick up my soul tempo but I don’t care. It feels pretty good, that’s what counts.

You can easily make your own playlist too at Playlist.com.

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Focus

18 Oct
Focussing Hard

Image by Sam Judson via Flickr

Focus is something I seem to lack when I wake up.  I am a person that does not like alarm clocks in general, so usually I just wake up.  But when I do wake up it feels like everything is a blur.   It is like the whole world is mentally out of focus because I have been in the dream world.

By trying to focus on something, I can then climb into reality, and begin to function, get out of park and into drive so to speak.

Whatever you choose to focus on is up to you.  When you do focus, I think you will find getting up a little easier.

I try to narrow my focus to achieving one of the 8 things in my basic  day template like Yoga.  Then the other 7 things kind of follow.

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Motivation or Inspiration?

13 Oct
W6 - Women

Image by Siddy Lam via Flickr

Motivation is a something that drives you. Intrinsically or extrinsically.

  • Being chased by a barking German Shepherd would motivate me to run away fast.  This would minimize impending pain!
Inspiration is something that leads you to be creative or inventive.
  • A beautiful woman with two ice cold Mai Thais would both inspire and motivate me to run towards her fast.  It would be a beautiful thing if I could get there fast to share that lovely Mai Thai with her.  Perhaps we could create beautiful music together!  It is motivational in that this could maximize pleasure!
Either way there is running!
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I’m sure there is more to it than that.  But if you are lacking drive today  you might want to ask yourself which you are lacking in.  I suppose you can persevere or run for the sake of running some of the time, but it is nice to have a goal to run towards or away from.   That’s just my thought on it.
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From wikipedia:

Inspiration or Inspire may refer to:

Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic.[1] The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding mortality. Conceptually, motivation should not be confused with either volition or optimism.[2] Motivation is related to, but distinct from, emotion.

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Elusive Motivation

11 Oct
Golf twilight golf.

Image via Wikipedia

“I sometimes suffer from a lack of motivation when I wake up.” 

This is not true if I am heading off to the golf course, or waking up to go fishing at 4am, so what’s the deal?

Ideas:

  • Maybe I am subconsciously remembering crummy things that happened yesterday,
  • Perhaps manually remembering something good from yesterday would help.
  •  OK, well, lunch was good yesterday, and I made some progress business wise so that was good –
  • Maybe I don’t need to dread today so much.  
  • Is there anything to look forwards to today?
  • Perhaps something good will happen today that I am not expecting!
  • Perhaps I could plan something good and try to fit it in today.
  • I know, I’ll stop by the Library and check out a book later today.  That would be fun.

Today might have some redeeming value after all!

  • Even though it is raining this morning, I am going to try and look forward to today.  Let me just get some coffee now.

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Basic Day Template

10 Oct
Nervous sytem.

Image via Wikipedia

There are many ways to start a new day.  For me it boils down to the following 4 things:

  • Brush teeth – Start off with fresh breath and get the germs out of your mouth for health reasons.
  • Do some Yoga or Stretching of some kind to get your nervous system engaged.
  • Bath and get dressed to get yourself presentable.
  • Eat something healthy to get your energy reserves charged up.

Also good to add:

  • Put on some music to get in a good mood.
  • Make a list of what you are going to do today to improve your organizational productivity.
  • Be loving to those you live with to inspire and nurture your friends and family.
  • Clean up after yourself to reduce the messy footprint on your environment.
  • Say out loud something you are thankful for as an important grounding and uplifting life thought.

Yoga and stretching are somewhat of a luxury because they can be a little time consuming, but I think the reward is worth getting up perhaps a little earlier for!

That’s it for this post.  More of a guide post than a personal blog but it fits with my purpose for starting this site, which is to help others who struggle as I do with getting up in the morning.

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Break Medium Speed

30 Sep
downward dog posture I took this picture for u...

Image via Wikipedia

Roll out, feed cat, get coffee going, grab toothbrush (Sonicare), turn on my Clubmix V1 at Playlist.com  http://pl.st/p/21433295371 crawl back in bed while teeth are brushing.

Start my easy Yoga routine

View this sequence at YogaJournal.com

  • child pose
  • child pose reaching with crawling claws
  • camel pose (hump back)
  • looking up arched back (cat pose)
  • camel (again)
  • cat (again)
  • downward dog
  • right leg lunge stretch
  • left leg lunge stretch
  • right leg lunge stretch (again)
  • left leg lunge stretch (again)
  • Sun salutation
  • straight leg toes touch
  • bent legs toes floor touch
  • straight leg toes touch (again)
  • bent leg (again)
  • Tree pose
Get coffee!  Make toast.
Shower
Add cheese to toast, peal a hard boiled egg.
Grab an apple for the road and break home camp.
1.5 hours from bed to car.  Not a break fast by any means!  But I felt like a champ when I left.

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Break Slow!

29 Sep
A Swiss Train

Image via Wikipedia

Routine is boring!

Last night I went to bed really early, like 9pm.  I was bushed from a 1 hr 17,5 mile bike ride Tuesday after work, and a hard workout Wednesday after work at the health club where i am doing TRX.  Learn more about TRX HERE.

So today I was able to get up really refreshed at 6:45 and I don’t even have to commute today!

Nice thing abut being a consultant is I can occasionally work from home.  So today it is: Get a cup of coffee and a piece of Dave’s Killer bread toast going, and email my clients that they can reach me at home this morning.

I am not going to hurry today.  But I will still get a lot done.

After my coffee I stretch and do some yoga, then I plan to work on a few web development tasks for clients.

I can here the train whistling but I don’t have to hustle, nice.

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Break Fast!

28 Sep

Roll out of bed, find Sonicare toothbrush, load some toothpast and climb back into bed while teeth are being brushed.  God, I am lazy in the morning!

Roll out again, rinse, put toothbrush back,  and head to kitchen.

Start a pot of 12 Hard Boiled Eggs, hop in shower.

A dozen boiled eggs with lion marks visible in...

Image via Wikipedia

After shower feed cat, grab a container and drop in some goodies for breakfast snacks

  • 3 hard boiled eggs,
  • 1/2″ thick slice of jack cheese cut into 1/2″ strips,
  • break up some cauliflower pieces.

Eggs – protein check, Cauliflower – carbs check, Cheese – fat check.  Good to go!

Put the rest of eggs, cauliflower and cheese back in refrigerator.

Grab a cup of cold leftover coffee and head out the door.

Bed to car in 15 minutes with food and coffee to go.

Now that is breaking fast!

On the way to the bus station I munch on cauliflower and cheese and drink coffee.  Eat an egg at the station and get on the bus!  Whew, I just made it!

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