Third stop on our Compass Tour: Nourish
For me, the word Nourish involves the mind, body and spirit.
Here are the ways I nourish myself
Meditation
Exercise/taking walks outside
Healthy food
Morning Routines
Emotional Sweet Spot
Singing
Piano
Listening to uplifting music
Learning new ideas from classes, videos, books
Supportive community
Watching uplifting movies
Looking at these words, they look more like a “to do” list rather than anything inspiring. I love when people say “That sounds great, but how do I nourish myself?.” and other people respond by quoting the old Nike slogan “Just do it.” There are few things I find more annoying than this slogan. My husband learned early in our marriage that if he wants to have a happy life that he must never say those words to me. Part of my journey to purpose is to answer those “hows” for myself, and hopefully it will benefit others who are like me.
Here is what I know
It is important to replenish your body with healthy food that feels good when you eat it. While dark chocolate is healthy, I probably shouldn’t eat a small carload of it, even though I want to. But I will forgive myself if I do, because what I have realized is that if I take actions from a place of being nourished, I won’t want to use my unhealthy coping mechanisms, like stress eating or binge watching videos, and I feel more peaceful, happier and energized.
When I learn new ideas either from meeting people, listening to podcasts, reading or watching Ted Talks, MindValley or Google Talks, my world expands. I have a new perspective on something which inspires me throughout my day. I get to experiment with whatever I have just learned, and that information makes me explore even more possibilities.
How?!
Okay, here goes: It is not what you do but how you do it. It is the energy or thoughts and emotions you feel when you create that matter. When my kids were toddler age, I used to wake up every morning completely drained. Even on the weekends. One day I stumbled across a podcast called French Kiss Life with host Tonya Leigh. She was talking about “Having An Elegant Morning”, which at the time sounded ridiculous to me. I had 3 young sons, and I began every day drained, even on the weekends. There was nothing elegant about my life, much less my mornings. But I was rather desperate for change, so I was willing to give it (or just about anything) a try. I thought about how I would like my mornings to go. So I started by getting up a couple of hours before I had to wake my boys and get them ready for school. I made my favorite tea, put on some inspiring music, I lit a scented candle, I even did a little stretching and then I began to journal. I have to admit. I felt a little silly the first time I did this. It felt odd doing something for myself, but as I wrote out how I would like to feel that day and what I wanted to create for myself, it helped me get out of the fog and monotony of my usual routine. By the time I got to the gratitude part of my journal, I actually felt a little better. Soon I was waking my kids up with some nice music playing and even though mornings still felt chaotic, by the time I dropped them off at school I felt less and less like I had been shot out of a cannon each morning.
Your Emotional Sweet Spot
Tonya talks about starting your day in your “Emotional Sweet Spot”. I love this idea. You are creating what and how you want to feel on purpose. When I begin my day by nourishing myself with what makes me feel good, such as eating foods that feel good to my body, clearing out the clutter in my mind by journaling and getting clear about what I want to experience for my day and playing beautiful music and stretching. I feel stronger, happier, and have a clear vision for my day.
I also use this process before I do any task that is challenging for me.
The music I listen to lifts my mood and inspires me. When I am happy and excited about something new that I have just learned, then I am energized. Before, my philosophy on life was that if you had something challenging to do, you should just “rip off the bandaid” so to speak. I would force myself to just start the task, which usually meant I was already in a stressed or cranky mood. Then I would not allow myself to stop until the job was done. No matter how long it took and no matter how cranky I got I would not move from my desk. Whatever I achieved during those efforts was, to say the least, unpleasant, not inspired and definitely not my best work.
Now, before I start a project, I set the mood with music or a funny video. Sometimes I will move my body or stretch so I feel more energized. I will make sure that I have whatever I need around me, such as some beautiful flowers for inspiration, something to drink, maybe a healthy snack. I create a pleasant environment to be in. I have learned that how I feel matters.
Your emotional sweet spot is where your thoughts and feelings are elevated
When I am in my sweet spot, I am happy, inspired, and I want to play and create. Because of that, whatever I do that day seems easier. Once I have filled myself to overflowing with inspiration, then I am ready to create and share myself with others. This is a beautiful state of being, and what being nourished feels like to me. It is the only way that I can truly create things or moments that I am proud of and that feel like they come from the best version of myself.
How do you begin your day? Do you put on inspiring music? Do you have a morning ritual? I would love to hear what works for you.
