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There is something magical about the 4th of July. There’s the feeling of impending fun, the magic of fireworks, the warmth of family and friends or maybe just some well-needed rest.
It’s with that same momentum that we encourage you to not just celebrate independence, but claim and declare it for yourself, every day in your life!
Today we are declaring independence from the habits that are wearing & tearing you down …
This Fourth of July, Let’s Declare Independence from…
1. …Bad Sleep! Start sleeping like a true CHAMPION:
Champion athletes like Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps all sleep between 8-12 hours per night. The good news is you only need 7 1/2 – 8 hours of sleep each night according to the experts. But the key is the QUALITY of your sleep vs quantity.
Sleep expert Shawn Stevenson shares; ‘When it comes to health, there is one criminally overlooked element: sleep. Good sleep helps you shed fat for good, stave off disease, stay productive, and improve virtually every function of your mind and body.’
A few tips from Shawn Stevenson’s bestselling book Sleep Smarter – 21 essential strategies to sleep your way to a better body, better health and bigger success!:
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- Be cool. When it’s time for your body to rest, there is an automatic drop in your core body temperature to help initiate sleep. If the temperature in your environment stays too high, then it can be a bit of a physiological challenge for your body to get into the ideal state for restful sleep. Studies have found that the ideal room temperature for sleep is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Be early to rise By waking up early you start the process of helping your endocrine system link up with the diurnal patterns of the earth. Get up when the sun rises.
- Avoid the screen. This is likely the #1 thing you can do to improve your sleep quality immediately. The artificial “blue” light emitted by electronic screens trigger your body to produce more daytime hormones (like cortisol) and disorient your body’s natural preparation for sleep. If you want to give your body the deep sleep it needs, make it a mandate to turn off all screens a full hour before bedtime.
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2. …Sadness & Depression Vs creating & experiencing the happiness you desire & deserve!
Author, Shawn Anchor shares in his book The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work that there have been 200 studies on over 275,000 people concluded that happiness leads to success in nearly every domain of our lives including:
- Marriage
- Health
- Friendship
- Community Involvement
- Creativity
- Jobs
- Career
- Business
To access this happiness and defend against depression or sadness he recommends a few daily habits to incorporate:
- Meditation: Studies shows that it can actually grow your prefrontal cortex (part of your brain responsible for feeling happy). Regular meditation (5-10 min per day) can permanently rewire your brain to raise levels of happiness, lower stress, even improve immune function.
- Find something to look forward to: Anticipating future rewards can actually light up the pleasure centers in your brain much as the actual reward will. One simple way to do this is to create a very specific vision board. Put the exact things that you are looking forward to, physical, financial or otherwise and put it somewhere you will see it daily. Take a photo of it and make it your background on your phone and your computer.
- Commit Conscious Acts of Kindness: Decrease stress and strongly contribute to enhanced mental health. Find ways to infuse kindness into your daily habit.
3. …Not living a life true to yourself (one of the 5 regrets of the dying.)
In my bestselling book LIVE IT! Achieve Success By Living With Purpose I talk about the process of designing your Ideal Day. Growing up as the son of the #1 Personal Development icon on the planet is an experience that can either build you or break you especially if you decide to stay in the same industry and attempt to build your own brand.
At one point it was my goal to emulate everything my dad ever did… after a few life-changing experiences … including being told I had 6 days left to live by a doctor while volunteering in a rural farming village in Kangulamira, Uganda, I decided it was finally time to figure out what living fully meant to me. I took time to redefine what I now call my “ideal day” … Where I’d wake up, who I’d be with, everything I’d want to create, what value I would add to the world around me.
A day that would be so rich and so fulfilling that if I were to die in just 6 days (like the doctor said) that I would be able to know that I lived fully, loved deeply and truly mattered. Knowing that people would remember me far beyond my physical presence here on this planet because of the way I chose to show up each day. Living fully, loving deeply and doing stuff that matters in the world around me.
Take time to design your ideal day… and LIVE IT! If you need help grab a copy of our best selling book on Amazon: (https://www.amazon.com/Live-Achieve-Success-Living-Purpose/dp/147782474X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=)
Or Our brand new high-performance program (www.HighPerformance47.com)
4. …FEAR.
This begins by learning to use fear vs allowing fear to use you! Fear is one of those things that stops even the bravest people dead in their tracks. It causes us to question who we are, what we are capable of and keeps us from really living the life we know we were meant to live.
Fear keeps us from saying hello to that special someone we’ve always wanted to talk to. It keeps us from asking for that promotion we know we’ve earned … just to chicken (or fearful) to take that first step. Well here is a simple exercise from authors Phil Stutz and Barry Michaels that can help you to conquer the fear(s) that hold you back.
These easy-to-use techniques transform everyday challenges—big and small—into
opportunities to bring about bold and dramatic change in your life.
This tool is called “The Reversal of Desire”
Cues to Use the Tool
- When you have to do something uncomfortable and you feel fear or resistance, use the tool right before you act.
- The second cue occurs whenever you think about doing something painful or difficult. If you use the tool every time you have these thoughts, you will build a force that will allow you to act when the time comes.
The Tool in Brief
- Focus on the pain you are avoiding; see it appear in front of you as a cloud. Silently scream, “Bring it on!” to demand the pain; you want it because it has great value.
- Scream silently, “I love pain!” as you keep moving forward. Move so deeply into the pain you’re at one with it.
- Feel the cloud spit you out and close behind you. Say inwardly, “Pain sets me free!” As you leave the clouds, feel your self-propelled forward into a realm of pure light.
I hope you enjoyed these tools and use them the next time you find yourself struggling to regain your balance. Happy Independence Day, today and every day!
To Your Success,
Jairek Robbins