"Next Level" Thinking

I recently had shoulder surgery, and have gone through recovery. With that time off work, I’ve had lots of time to reflect, as well as ponder future episodes :-)

I’ve also started moving in the direction of visualizing the next chapter of my life - that is, after full recovery of my shoulder.

So at this time, I want to introduce you to what I call my “next level” mindset; also referred to as “next level thinking”. With all of us on this revolution of ‘self-help’, empowerment, and improvement, I know my “next level thinking” may sound redundant - but just hear me out!

I listen to a LOT of podcasts that, for instance, suggest ways to make your mornings more effective or productive. And in MY full transparency to YOU, I have to say that in my heart of hearts, with the best intentions, I want to carry out some of these suggestions that I hear. But in the daily grind of work, life, family, routines, and addressing unexpected issues, I simply struggle with executing these ideas. Now, some people would counter that and say ‘there’s usually no good time to start, you just have to jump into it...’ that may be true. There are those who can take a suggestion for improvement and execute at the flip of a switch. Unfortunately this is not me. I happen to be the type of person who prefers taking the time to process the suggestion, VISUALIZE it, and strategically execute it. But again, the daily grind and routines of life get in my way. I know life never hits the PAUSE button, but with my time off to recover from surgery, I can’t help but feel I have SOME time to think about what this ‘next level’ looks like, and how to execute it FOR ME.

As part of my journey thus far, It’s taken some time, but over the years, I’ve learned to hold a steady schedule for mindful meditation & breathing. I’ve also changed my daily habits to insert nearly every gap of time I have with an opportunity to learn, via reading, podcasts, audiobooks, etc... All these changes have gone quite well, and are now part of my daily routine in my journey for growth. BUT, when you want CONTINUOUS growth in your life, what things can you learn to get to that “NEXT LEVEL”??? That is what I’m talking about.

Here are some of the ‘next level’ thoughts I’ve had, and want to execute, based on ideas I’ve heard from many podcasts hosted by my wonderful and knowledgeable colleagues:

1. Verbally express gratitude each morning. I am truly grateful for everything god has blessed me with. Internally, i feel and breathe this every day. It’s one of the mindful elements i cover in my meditation. I just feel that doing this in a more verbal way allows me to closer connect with my humility, maintain a grounded nature, and see the bigger picture in where my gratitude lies.

2. Before leaving work, write down the first 3 things I will do the next morning. One podcast i listened to explained how people gravitate to checking their emails, and how its actually considered “busywork” that is not much value-add nor productive. I agree with this, and want to begin my workday with doing meaningful tasks that will move the productivity needle. I totally subscribe to the practice of setting up tomorrow’s success the night before; and writing these 3 things down can only help me start tomorrow off with the best foot possible. To be successful with this, I know 2 things must happen: One, I must be completely intentional and two, I can’t “push back” or procrastinate those nagging, less than desirable tasks (you know we’ve all got them...)

3. Meditative questioning. This was a breakthrough when I heard this one. I think Meditative questioning can be a total game-changer for me. As I mentioned earlier, I practice mindful meditation every morning; so making a slight tweak to how I meditate would be HUGE - asking myself questions like “how can I bring a smile to someone’s face today?” Or “How can I bring positive light and energy to a negative or problematic situation?” This is a game-changer to me because while the source is inward focused, the manifested energy is outward-focused. Its not only intended for your personal growth, but for the improvement of those around you!

4. “Some is better than none”. I can’t remember what podcast I was listening to, but when I heard this phrase, it completely resonated with me. For instance: Whenever I decide to start a workout schedule, lets say, an hour a day,, 4 days a week, if something unexpected happens where I’m unable to commit my full hour of workout time, I just wouldn’t do it, and plan to go another day. Now, if I have 15 or 20 minutes open for a workout, it may not be the ideal hour i aimed for, but it's better than not exercising at all. This is a positive and productive effect on my health, and 15 minutes of activity is better than 0 minutes on an intended hour workout. Additionally, since I’m now 51, my younger, marathon days of 3-hour workouts are far behind me.

So there you have it, my 4 areas, where I’d like to take my growth to the “next level”. A quick recap: 1. Verbally express gratitude each morning. 2. Before leaving work, write down 3 meaningful tasks I will do the first thing the next morning. 3. Meditative Questioning, and 4. Some is better than none.

Thank you all so much! If you'd like to hear the audio version of this story, just visit road2rediscovery.com. While you're there, feel free to join my mailing list for early notifications on upcoming podcast episodes.

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