Today's quote courtesy of Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project speaks volumes to me and has me appreciate my spouse more each day and it also puts a level of empowerment upon the strife and challenges that come up in life. I have grown to realize the truth within this quote over the last year of marriage:
"...the faults of married people continually spur up each of them, hour by hour, to do better and to meet and love upon higher ground."
— Robert Louis Stevenson
Mar 24, 2011
Mar 23, 2011
Waking Up Earlier is Worth It
Ok, so I'm really the last person EVER who would say early rising is worth it. It's a harrowing experience for me...but I've realized it's only short term. The last few weeks I've noticed that for the most part, my mind has been stuck in "muck". Mucky brain, is essentially a state of mind where you are not in tune with your creativity. You allow distracted thoughts and habits that don't suit you to get in your way; to block access to your real power, expression, and worst of all...satisfaction. So I've re-established the simplest way I know to un-muck, as it were.
This morning I woke up early, naturally as a result of a bad dream. Normally I'd soothe myself and go back to sleep, even if I have just 20 minutes remaining (damnit!) Nope, not today. Thoughts were rampant and annoying. Stomach was growling. Sigh...I decided to just get up, and do some "morning pages". I don't know if Julia Cameron has trademarked that term, but her guidance to creativity nearly solely focuses on this consistency (among other variety of things...but always morning pages). Yet here I am, finally absorbing the full intent of her instruction, about 12 years after first ingesting her recommendation! I'm not normally a slow learner, but in this case, I can definitely appreciate the path I took to get here and I'm totally ok with it.
"Morning pages" involve waking up roughly half an hour earlier than you'd normally do so that you can write 3 journal pages of "whatever" comes out. Since the advent of computer usage and my ability to type fast, I find it more valuable to journal online my morning pages. I have a safe spot that is only viewable by me, so the effect is the same. I can write anything and everything. It has the effect of a palate cleanser, but on your whole thinking brain. It's simple. And it's brilliant.
So here's the value I found in "morning pages": mind training. Yes, mind training. Still trying to master that one. I definitely think morning writing is like a meditative version of mind training. I get to bark out all the thoughts that I want, so that the space becomes a clear pathway. Like right now I'm truly able to see the perspective that is most valuable. It's present for me. It's almost too miraculous to believe. Why write? Why wake up early?
Holy shit, why don't you?
Everyone should do this who has blockages in their life. It's truly underestimated in its ability to clear the cobwebs of recycled, useless thought that is human mentality. Not bad thoughts per se, but not our highest work either. Not our most effective work. Walking and other basic tasks we perform without "thinking" also required training and practice at one point, so why do we not try more in life to train our thoughts? It's like we take the default, the mis-guided thoughts in many cases, as-is. Like that's what we're dealt. But it's not true. Thought is maleable. Yes thoughts will come and go seemingly without control, but yet we can decide what to focus on, to stop and linger, to pay attention. That is the most valuable practice. the awareness of this ability alone can be earth-shattering. revolutionary. Writing down the thoughts in your brain each morning can allow you to better focus on this ability. True story.
Next time I lay in bed not wanting to rise, let this serve as a reminder. Do I want to throw off my whole day by gaining just 20 minutes of sleep? It's such an easy question.
This morning I woke up early, naturally as a result of a bad dream. Normally I'd soothe myself and go back to sleep, even if I have just 20 minutes remaining (damnit!) Nope, not today. Thoughts were rampant and annoying. Stomach was growling. Sigh...I decided to just get up, and do some "morning pages". I don't know if Julia Cameron has trademarked that term, but her guidance to creativity nearly solely focuses on this consistency (among other variety of things...but always morning pages). Yet here I am, finally absorbing the full intent of her instruction, about 12 years after first ingesting her recommendation! I'm not normally a slow learner, but in this case, I can definitely appreciate the path I took to get here and I'm totally ok with it.
"Morning pages" involve waking up roughly half an hour earlier than you'd normally do so that you can write 3 journal pages of "whatever" comes out. Since the advent of computer usage and my ability to type fast, I find it more valuable to journal online my morning pages. I have a safe spot that is only viewable by me, so the effect is the same. I can write anything and everything. It has the effect of a palate cleanser, but on your whole thinking brain. It's simple. And it's brilliant.
So here's the value I found in "morning pages": mind training. Yes, mind training. Still trying to master that one. I definitely think morning writing is like a meditative version of mind training. I get to bark out all the thoughts that I want, so that the space becomes a clear pathway. Like right now I'm truly able to see the perspective that is most valuable. It's present for me. It's almost too miraculous to believe. Why write? Why wake up early?
Holy shit, why don't you?
Everyone should do this who has blockages in their life. It's truly underestimated in its ability to clear the cobwebs of recycled, useless thought that is human mentality. Not bad thoughts per se, but not our highest work either. Not our most effective work. Walking and other basic tasks we perform without "thinking" also required training and practice at one point, so why do we not try more in life to train our thoughts? It's like we take the default, the mis-guided thoughts in many cases, as-is. Like that's what we're dealt. But it's not true. Thought is maleable. Yes thoughts will come and go seemingly without control, but yet we can decide what to focus on, to stop and linger, to pay attention. That is the most valuable practice. the awareness of this ability alone can be earth-shattering. revolutionary. Writing down the thoughts in your brain each morning can allow you to better focus on this ability. True story.
Next time I lay in bed not wanting to rise, let this serve as a reminder. Do I want to throw off my whole day by gaining just 20 minutes of sleep? It's such an easy question.
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