Monday morning got you down?  Here are a few tips for getting your life together.

1.  Make friends with the birdies.  Getting up early is perhaps the most important thing you can do to set yourself up for a successful day/week.  Of course, this requires that you go to bed at a reasonable hour, which can seem nearly impossible if you’re a night owl.  Behavioral scientists have proven that some of us are hard wired to stay up late while others are just the opposite.  For years I worked the late shift and would often stay up until well past mid-night working, watching tv or milling around the house, until finally I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and I’d crash.  The next morning I’d wake up feeling like crap and would spend the entire day trying to shake the feeling.  I was in a never ending cycle of playing catch up.  That was until I hit my mid-thirties when I found it nearly impossible to stay up late, so I surrendered and started going to bed at a reasonable hour.  Eight hours later, which is usually sometime before the sun comes up, I’m awake full of energy and ready to take on the world.

2. Pray & Meditate:  Sound simple enough right.  Well, I’m not going to lie, early morning mediation can be one of the most difficult things to do, but also one of the most powerful.  If you’re like me you roll out of bed and all of a sudden a wave of thoughts just rush into your head.  “Oooo, this bed feels so GOOD”, “What am I going to wear today”, “What am I going to eat”, “Shit, I overslept” – of the million and one thoughts that move through my head unchecked each morning, not one of them serves my higher purpose.  It’s after I intentionally sit down and dedicate myself to controlling my thoughts that I begin to see things clearly and start the process of connecting to my purpose for the day.  I often start with a simple breathing mediation.  I sit on the floor or on the couch and I take about 20 deep breaths, with each breath I focus my attention on the expansion of my lungs and diaphragm.  After about 20 breaths I begin to talk to God.  I give thanks, I vent, I ask questions, I pray for my folks – it all depends on what’s going on with me.  Then I  move into my visualization exercises.  Now, some mediation teachers will tell you that mediation and visualization are two separate things, but for me they are one in the same.  I use the breathing to gage where I am mentally and emotionally and I use prayer to get direction and  visualization to move me into the space that I need to occupy to have a successful day. Depending on the tasks before me, I visualize what my perfect day will look like, if I find that if I’m nervous about a meeting or I wake up carrying over tension from the previous day, I visualize my self completely free of whatever/whoever is bothering me. Sometime I spend my mornings creating the perfect life for myself, from where I want to work, how I want to feel, how I want to interact with others and how I want them to interact with me.  Doing so re-writes my thought processes and shift my energy in such a way that when I walk out of the door every morning, I already feel like I’ve achieved all that I set out to do that day.  I carry myself with a certain swagger that everyone I encounter can’t resist and as a result they all fall right in to place, and those who refuse to get with my program just step aside so I can keep on steppin’ uninterrupted.

3.  Move .  Exercise is just as (if not more) beneficial for your mind as your body.  Getting your heart rate up, just a little will provide you with the energy and clarity that is crucial for a successful day.  You don’t have to spend an hour on the treadmill, just 20 minutes of yoga will make a huge difference.  ,

4. Let it go .  Yesterday is gone.  Take a deep breath and give thanks for a new day and all the possibilities.

5. Drink 16 oz of water.  Adding a slice of lemon and a pinch of pink Himalayan Salt raises the PH level in your water making it more alkaline.  This is exactly what your temple needs to help boost your metabolism and absorb all the nutrients you’ll need to stay healthy and strong.  Some believe alkaline water helps slow the aging process, allowing you to maintain your sexy for just a little longer – and who doesn’t want that.

Have an awesome week, you F.A.Bulous creature you!!!