We’ve become too passive in our own lives. We go with the flow instead of stepping up to be in charge of the journey.
Today’s episode is a call to be warrior in your own life. It’s a call to stop being a victim of your circumstances, to stop acting as if stepping into your potential is a burden or a chore – it is the purpose of your life and the path to a much more fulfilling version of yourself.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
In episode 456 of the Primal Potential podcast I talk about mise en place – a French phrase that means “everything in it’s place”.
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Mise en place is one of the first things young chefs are taught. Before you begin to cook, you first get prepared. You make sure you have everything you need. You gather your ingredients. You collect all the pots, pans & utensils you’ll need. What needs to be chopped gets chopped. Everything is in it’s place before you begin so you are prepared and in control. You’re efficient. You’re setting yourself up for success.
Before you begin, you get your stuff together.
Think about the cooking experience of a chef who prioritizes her mise en place and a chef who doesn’t. The chef who begins with everything in it’s place will be far more in control. The process is more manageable because (s)he has everything she needs.
But the chef who didn’t get set before beginning has much more work to do. Everything feels more challenging. It takes a little bit longer. Mistakes are more likely to happen. This chef doesn’t have more work to do, but it certainly feels harder and more overwhelming.
As I shared in episode 456, the idea of mise en place extends far beyond the kitchen. We need to get our stuff together before we begin.
Some people go through their days feeling prepared. They feel in control. They have what they need which makes them more able to do what they need to do with less resistance.
They prioritized getting everything in it’s place before beginning.
Their lives aren’t necessarily easier, but they feel easier because of the little bit of time investing in being prepared.
It leads to efficiency. It reduces feelings of overwhelm.
A good day begins the night before.
What will you need in order to be successful? What contributes to a great, easy, collected day?
I’ll tell you what this means for me. Before going to bed each night, I make sure:
My house is clean & tidy (keeping up is infinitely easier than catching up.) To clean once a week could take hours. To keep every every evening takes only minutes.
I have a plan for the following day – my work and personal schedule is defined. I know what happens first, second, third, ect.
My coffee pot is cleaned and filled with water, ready for me to grind the beans first thing in the morning.
I take 5 minutes to care for my body. I brush & floss my teeth, wash & moisturize my face, take out my contacts and get in bed. No dozing off on the couch.
The following morning, I keep it simple. Sure, I could lounge around and watch the news letting precious time slip away on Facebook & Instagram. I don’t. I go right to the first thing first.
I journal. In my journal I answer a series of questions like “how can I make today amazing?” This takes about 5 minutes.
I drink a glass of water. I used to go straight to coffee but these days I begin my day with water.
I meditate for 20 minutes. I explained my meditation practice and what it’s done for me in episode 454. Without question, this helps me be focused and productive as I dive into work.
I get light exposure. If it’s a sunny day, I’ll spend 5 minutes walking outside while listening to music or a podcast. If it’s not a sunny day (which it’s often not on Cape Cod in the winter), I’ll spend 10 minutes in front of my Joovv light.
Then I dive into my work. I do the most important thing first. Lately that has been writing my book. If I don’t feel like writing, I ask myself “What could I do to make this easier?”
Recently, I shared with my clients that I was having trouble getting motivated to write. I felt uninspired and the idea of writing for 40 minutes felt like staring at a blank screen for 12 hours.
I asked myself, “What could I do to make this easier” and I decided that I would simply write for 10 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. Instantly, I felt more focused.
I don’t let myself off the hook with hard work. I don’t turn to distractions like social media or television. I just figure out what would make it easier or what I’m willing to do to begin and then I get started.
Everything in it’s place.
What do you need to have in place to set yourself up for success?
Two completely random things inspired me this week. They reminded me of how I’m probably the least likely person on the planet to end up with a podcast about fat loss.
My journey has been hard. It’s been full of struggle. And yet, I’m here.
“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song” ~ Mike Posner
I hope you’ll take a listen to this inspired episode about my heart, my mission and my passion.
Today’s message is simple and it comes from a poem written by Nayyirah Waheed.
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a lie
is
simply a lie.
it draws its strength from belief.
stop believing
in
what hurts you.
~ power
This came up, in a roundabout way, from a post shared within the Primal Potential Masters Club yesterday.
Here’s part of what someone shared:
Ever since our webinar, I have been pondering EB’s challenge about attacking the one thing that we continue to fight battles with but never win the war. For a week, I listened to myself because I couldn’t quite figure out where my main battlefield was. And then I read this and I figured it out!
This is from Lynne Twist’s The Soul of Money (pg. 121): When your attention is on what’s lacking and scarce — in your life, in your work, in your family, in your town — then that becomes what you’re about. That’s the song you sing, the vision you generate. You engage in lack and longing and what’s missing, and you call others to the same experience. If your attention is on the problems and breakdowns with money, or scarcity thinking that says there isn’t enough, more is better or that’s just the way it is, then that is where your consciousness resides. Those thoughts and fears grow from the attention you give them and can take over your life. No matter how much money you have, it won’t be enough. No amount of money will buy you genuine peace of mind. You expand the presence and the power of scarcity and tighten its grip on your world.
So here’s what I figured out: replace the word “money” above with “food”. Scarcity thinking had become my “water”. (You know how the one fish asks another “what is water?” because he’s unaware he’s swimming in it.) I saw those lies of scarcity as being true or at least a reason for having the cookies that wouldn’t be around tomorrow, starting to eat clean on Monday, having treats when my husband was gone because I wouldn’t want to eat them in front of him, I might be hungry later if I don’t eat now, etc. NO MORE! My one thing is to consistently reject all lies of scarcity. My one-word affirmation this month is “consistency”. It’s getting easier with each beat-down of the scarcity spector.
Lies of scarcity. Thoughts of not enough. Of lack. Stories of what you’re missing instead of stories about what you have.
Not enough time. Money. Affection. Sex. Sleep. Food.
What are the lies of scarcity you tell yourself?
Please know that their power comes from your belief in them.
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Brady said, “Football isn’t a game of perfect, it’s a game of mental toughness.”
It made me think about how so many of us are playing the wrong game. Too many people approach health, weight loss or really any goal, as if it’s a game of “perfect”. Like there’s a gold standard and you’re trying to hit it every day. You’re falling short of this standard of perfection. Every evaluation of choice or thought is measured against your idea of perfection.
That’s a trap. There’s a different way. A better way. A more effective way.
Health is a game of attention. Weight loss is a game of attention. Goal pursuit in general is a game of attention.
Many of us play it as if it’s a game of intention, but we aren’t paying attention.
Most of us are drifting through our days. Yes, we have goals. But most of the time, we are on autopilot, reacting to what’s in front of us, following a pattern of habit, familiarity & ease, failing to bring regular attention to what we want most, why we want it & what we can do today to move in that direction.
When we pay attention, we not only have the presence to ask ourselves what we can do today, but we’re also constantly evaluating if it’s working – if we’re making progress.
My guitar teacher shared with me the other night that one of the most important parts of becoming a “real” guitar player is asking & answering the question:
How did I do?
That is paying attention. That is being dialed in. You aren’t drifting. You aren’t going through the motions.
You’re taking action and then looking at your progress.
The key is paying attention.
While getting treatment before a game, Brady said that his personal pursuit is straight forward. He is working to be:
Physically fit. Emotionally stable. Spiritually sound.
You won’t drift to any of those things because you desire them, because you hold them as values or because they’re your goal or intention.
None of us can achieve progress without paying attention.
Whatever it is that you want to achieve, improve or become, you have to bring your daily attention to it.
The more of your daily attention you’re giving to your past or to things that aren’t real or don’t matter, the less of your attention you have available to give to your pursuits.
You can’t simply acknowledge the desire or intention.
Identify actions you can take, on this very day, to move in that direction.
Then, pay attention to what you did, the impact it had & the progress you’re making.
Whatever the goal, it requires that you pay attention.
Your intention isn’t enough. Your attention is required.
Are you paying attention?
What will you give your attention to today?
What will you do to pay attention today?
Are you in the habit of asking yourself, “How did I do?”
