Minisode 17: Morning Mindfulness Practice for Mission Driven Leaders
There you are - waking up for work in the morning, stressed and frantic. You are throwing on your clothes, MAYBE remembering to brush your teeth, and running out of the door in a state of panic. You give and give to others all day, and at the end of the day feel depleted. You race home and have zero energy to give to the person doing it all – YOU.
Does this sound familiar?
Then you are in the right place, because today’s episode will give you a solid morning mindfulness practice that will allow YOU to run the day, not allow the day to run YOU. Grab your notebook, pen and get ready to change your morning mindset!
Show Links:
· Want to get your team Hybrid Hyped? Check out this free download
· Send us a voice message here!
· Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review!
Connect with Erin Diehl:
Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
“I love this podcast and I love Erin!!”
If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Minisode 17 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
Welcome to improve it! The podcast. Oh No, no, no, no. Oh Crap. Crap. It's seven 15. Oh my God. OK. <Laugh> why did I do this to myself again? I was supposed get up forty five minutes ago. All right. I gotta go take the dog. I've gotta brush my, oh my God. Oh, Invisalign retainers. Still gotta shave my legs. Nope. No time for that. Gotta run out the door. Oh crap. Did I set the coffee machine? I'm not time coffee. I'm gonna into the, oh my God. I ready is gonna outfit for, or I it up go. Does this sound familiar? Does this sound like you every morning of your life improve it! Peeps? I gotta tell you a sad, but interesting fact, that is, that was me about 10 years ago. That is literally how I lived my life. Now, granted, 10 years ago, I did not have my, nor did I shave my, but I did shave my you point to is this I'm in that moment, that alarm was startling wherever you may be.
Erin (01:37):
I apologize for the alarm going off, but that's what it feels like for a lot of when we wake up every single morning and we start the day from a place of frantic from a place of, oh my God, I'm already behind. And then we don't run the day. The day runs us. So this crazy erratic woman was yours truly. And the only predictable thing in my life at that time was my armpit, sweat, and my rushed sense of stress. I'm starting off today's minisode with this story, because I think a lot of us can relate. And I related to this for about 30 years of my being of my existence. It wasn't until I got super clear and super laser focused on my mission, my place, and my reason, my purpose for being here on earth for talking into this microphone for sitting down with you today, that I made massive changes in the way that I start my day, so that I could run the day, the day could not run me.
Erin (03:04):
So maybe in your you're in this period of life right now, where you're trying to figure out your purpose, your mission, your assignment here. And let me share this with you. You cannot find that assignment in a state of panic. You cannot find that purpose in a state of constant stress. It wasn't until I made myself a priority in the mornings that my assignment became so clear to me and it became so loud. And in my face that the only choice I had was to run right at it. So today's episode is for the person who wakes up and stresses for the person who at the end of the day feels like they give and give and give. And they've given nothing to themselves in return to the person who wants to know what their place on earth is for the person who is constantly asking, what do I do next?
Erin (04:15):
This is for you. So I wanna just kinda take you through the journey of my own. I'll call her stressed, Susan. Okay. I don't know why I'm giving myself the name, Susan. It just feels right. So Susan, Aaron, start off with first. I'm gonna sit you down on a couch. We're gonna have a little psychology class. All right. I'm gonna start off with my childhood. I dunno where I developed this pattern. I really could not tell you. My dad has gotten up early and has had a very specific morning routine. His whole life, my mom, same way. They're both morning people. So I don't know where this pattern came from, but I developed it and so much. So I have had that same pattern of running late in the mornings, being stressed. Since I could remember, especially in high school, once we were able to drive, my best friends would pick me up.
Erin (05:14):
We would ride to school together and they would tell me they were coming 15 minutes earlier than they actually were because I was always late. I was the person making them wait in my driveway for me for like 10 minutes, what a jerk. Right. And we still talk about, they're still my best friends to this day, but they're just shocked at how much I've changed. <Laugh> because they had to do that. And they're like, thank God. Thank thanks somebody found you. Okay. So then I went to college and this pattern continued. And my college roommate, we were paired together. She was from Iowa. I did not know her. I was not really excited about not living with somebody I knew, but I knew no one. When I went to Clemson, long story short, she's still one of my best friends to this day. We lived together all four years at Clemson, but freshman year was a doozy.
Erin (06:09):
It was a real slap in the face and I wouldn't get out of bed for class. So she would literally make me oatmeal in our tiny, tiny dorm room. And the smell wouldket WAF me to wake up and she'd be like, Erin, I got your oatmeal time for class. So this pattern developed as I went into my freshman year of high or of college. So my sophomore year, I was a dancer. I danced for the football and basketball teams at Clemson. I had morning workouts. I had extreme extreme structure. Every single minute of my day was accounted for. I was an athlete. So I had practices after class. I had to do homework. I thrived in that setting. That was when I really saw myself come together. Having structure, I thought to myself was okay, this is where I'm supposed to go. Routine helped me through those next three years of my life.
Erin (07:05):
But then once I graduated, I had no routine. I don't know if you've listened to the show for a long time, but in my twenties, I had so many different odd jobs and I was traveling around the country. I had no schedule whatsoever. That was consistent. So I continued to be a lunatic in the morning. And this continued and developed late into my twenties. I had a job at a recruiting firm and I will never forget this. A client of mine from that recruiting firm saw me in a coffee shop one morning on my way into work. And she told me this after the fact she was, you know, I saw you last week in Starbucks and I didn't say hi, because you looked, wake up, call all. You would think it was a wake up call. This continued as I built and scaled and prove it.
Erin (07:54):
And we had an office in Chicago and I would get off the red line, which is the Chicago train. One of the Chicago trains. And I would have stood in an armpit for like 10 minutes and then walked four blocks. I was either sweating or covered in snow. And then I'd walk in the office, huffy and puffy and angry and mad. And it was just this really awful way to start my day. At some point, a light bulb went off and I realized I had to change. And I'll tell you when this point was when I was dealing with a battle with infertility. So that's where this morning routine began. And I have practiced this routine for the past nine years of my life. It has changed the course of my days, which has ultimately changed the course of my life. Today's show is actually a question that was asked to me by one of our improvement peeps, our very own Stacy Corbin, Stacy and I had a conversation and I asked her what she wanted to hear on the show.
Erin (09:05):
So Stacy, if you're listening, this episode is dedicated to you and I know it's gonna serve so many members of our improve it! Peeps. So I wanted to share with you today how my morning routine has impacted my life, how it's made me realize my mission here on earth and how it's propelling it forward. So grab your coffee. Let's all take a step. I'm drinking coffee, and I'm recording this at noon. All so let's without ado, here are the things your day. So number one, I now set my alarm one hour earlier than I want to wake up. So for you, maybe you wanna get up at 7:00 AM, maybe 8:00 AM. Was your wake up time for me, that time is 6:00 AM. My son wakes up around 7 45, 8. So I really wanna squeeze in a lot of things before he gets up in the morning. So that's step one, set your alarm an hour earlier than you want to get up.
Erin (10:24):
It sounds crazy. However, you have to go to bed earlier with this concept. So we'll get into that in a little bit, but I really want you to focus on just getting up one hour earlier every single day. Now I do this and I will tell you it is hard for me. It is still hard for me. My natural body wants to wake up at seven. Like my body, it could sleep. If you gave me a 10:00 AM, wake up call. I would do it every day, but I have to work at this. This is something I have to work at. So what I do is I put multiple alarms on my phone, so I'll set my alarm to wake up. And then five minutes later, I put another alarm for actually get out of bed. Then I put a alarm for when I wanna start my workout.
Erin (11:12):
And then I put an alarm for when I do my meditation and so on and so forth, but it keeps me accountable and it keeps me on track. And if I'm laying in bed, as all these alarms go off, I'm more apt to get up and go start the morning. So number one, set your alarm one hour earlier. This is number two. This is by far the most important thing that I want you to implement. If you do nothing else, this is the one thing I want you to try. Do not for that time that you get up that one hour earlier, answer any text messages, any emails or open any app on your phone? No news, no social media, no email app, no talkies, no Instagram rails. This is your time. Okay. So that is one of my most important pieces that I want you to take away.
Erin (12:18):
Number three, I want you to incorporate movement of some kind for 30 minutes of your morning. Now you get outta bed. You brush your teeth, you put your contacts in. If you're like me, you remove your Invisalign retainers. Okay. So cute. So cute. Maybe wipe off the zip cream off your chin, speaking for a friend here, and then you start movement. So it could be perhaps you go outside and you walk 15 minutes one way, and then you turn around and walk back 15 minutes. And during that time you're listening to a podcast. I know a really great one. If you're in need, you're listening to a book on audible. You are just walking in silence for 30 minutes, but it's 30 minutes of movement. If you wanna not take it up a notch, you go for a run. If you want to do some weights, there are so many.
Erin (13:19):
If you don't have Peloton or any of those apps that give you weight training exercises, you can literally YouTube exercises on exercises, on exercises for free. So if you have internet, you can find a strength training video. And if you don't have the weights, use cans of beans or water bottles. But I really want you to think about moving your body for 30 minutes of your morning. So you wake up an hour earlier. 30 minutes of that time is for movement. Number four is to get still. Now some people are like, I cannot meditate, Erin. It is super woo. Woo. I cannot clear my mind. I don't like it. I actually hate it. That's okay. And I'll tell you what meditation has changed my life. It has made me a more mindful human being, but if that's not for you, that is a okay read for 10 or 15 minutes journal.
Erin (14:27):
Write down statements and affirmations about yourself. Give gratitude, spend 10 minutes of just listing things that you love from the day before, or just things that you love about your life, but allow 10 minutes of stillness in your morning. 10 minutes of stillness in your so you've woken up. You've gotten 30 minutes of movement in. You've got some time to reflect and own the day and be still with your own thoughts. Number five is I want you to eat something that fuels ya bod okay. Cars cannot run without fuel and the proper fuel. I'm no truck driver, but I'm pretty sure you need Dail to run a truck. You cannot put the incorrect fuel in, or you can put the incorrect fuel in your body. That's what I'm trying to say. You can put the incorrect fuel in your body and your body's not gonna run properly.
Erin (15:35):
I want you to think about what you're putting into your body in the morning specifically, because it actually is fuel for your brain. It starts your brain and it makes you start thinking in a certain way. So if I had a piece of deep dish pizza at eight, you better, I'm doing anything creative by eight. If I had piece of cake for breakfast at eight, she's a lap, she's gonna run a couple laps around the neighborhood, but then she's gonna come back and shes gonna crash. You need something that is sustain you and it's gonna fuel. So things like yogurt, eggs, avocado, fruits, veggies, things, geez, things that grow on trees and think of it this way. If it's gonna go bad in your fridge or sitting on your counter, you should eat it. So put that in your body first. All right, I have eaten the same breakfast for probably 10 years.
Erin (16:42):
I'm not even joking. I eat Greek yogurt with fruit, and then I have raspberries on top. I'll throw in some Monds that's starts my day and love it's crave in stray. So your know, this is by the way know, number one, that once I have it, I know how I feel after. So it it's a constant feeling for me. It gives me energy. It gives me a feeling of I'm eating something healthy. I feel good. And I know it's gonna fuel me. So I do it because I know what's going to happen to my body and how I'm gonna feel after I have the same thing that I've had every single day. So you don't have to do that, but I want you to find something that's giving you a well balanced meal. And finally, the sixth thing is right. A to do list. Before you even touch an email before you even touch a text, I'm talking about don't answer anything or look at anything until you've done all six of these things.
Erin (17:48):
What I like to do is make a list of what must get done today. And it's usually five or six things. And then below that, what I'd like to get done today. And if I don't get on the like, to get done list or to that list, then it goes to the next day. And I figure out when I can get it done, I'll put it on my calendar, but I'm using my Google calendar to drive this to-do list. Everything I do goes on that calendar. So know that these six things are what work for me and Stacy. I wanna thank you for asking this question. What is a great way to start your morning with mindfulness? How can you make this bleed into the mission of your life, your organization? I want you to find any one of these things that works for you.
Erin (18:33):
Now, a lot of people listening may say, oh, this is too much. This is way too much. I I'm never gonna do this. Right. And if that's you that's okay. I just wanna remind you that you cannot fill somebody else's teacup from an empty kettle. So start the day so you can lead it. It does not lead you. When you have that tea, kettle full, you can pour into your team. You can pour into your clients. You can pour into your family when it is dry, there is nothing to give. So the next time you hear that alarm, I won't play it again, cuz I know it was jarring. I want you to jolt out of bed and know that you were jolting into the most exciting part of your day. I wanna leave you with this. I recently lost a woman who I had only known briefly, but the time that I met her made a lasting impression.
Erin (19:41):
My life, she just passed away. This weekend actually of cancer. She's a mother of two young girls and every day that she got she yourself, you get to get out of bed. You get to be healthy and move your body. You get to be still and have the ability to listen to your inner voice, to calm your brain. You get to eat amazing foods and you get to do the work that drives you and the work that allows you to bring light and love to others. So I want you to try one of these things for the next 30 days, whether it's just setting your alarm back one hour, whether it's waking up and exercising for 30 minutes and eventually you can incorporate all of these things into your morning, but remind yourself that you get to do them. It's going to spill over into every area of your life and your mission and your why.
Erin (20:53):
And your purpose will become so clear because you have allowed the space for it to show up for you. You know what I'm gonna say? Keep failing, keep improving and improve it! Peeps. The world needs that special. It that only you can bring. I'll see you later this week. Hey friends, thanks for tuning in to improve it. I am so happy you were along for the ride. If you enjoyed this show, head on over to iTunes to leave us a five star review and subscribe to this show. So you never miss an episode. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Now, if you're really feeling today's show and you've improved it even just a little bit, please take a screenshot and tag me at keeping it real deal on Instagram and share it in your stories. I'll see you next week, but I wanna leave you with this thought, what did you improve today and how will that help your future successful self? Think about it. I am rooting for you and the world needs that special. It that only you can bring see you next time.