"An image that arises on hearing mere words without reality (as its basis) is verbal delusion." - Sri Swami Satchidananda
So, I talk a lot about goal setting and positive affirmations on The Traveling Cup. It's no secret (because that's a lie), but there is power in speaking and writing down the future you want.
That's why creating a photo board and pasting it up on a wall along with writing down a positive affirmation every morning is part of the life plan.
Top performers in the world do this all the time. Surgeons, athletes... you name it. The difference, though, for these top performers is that they see every step. They don't just see the finish line sprint. They see the journey, not just the destination.
Macro to Micro
Instead of just speaking, thinking, or writing down an affirmation, there needs to be specific action taken to bring it into... well, reality.
In the book The Secret, the theory goes that if you think positive affirmations and frame your thinking to be optimistic and positive, then the universe will align to bring you said reality. Okay -- that sounds like fun, but there's more to The Law of Attraction than that.
If I think "I am building muscle and cutting fat to 12 percent" yet I'm sitting on a couch and eating chips and guacamole (which are totally delicious), then this positive affirmation will be as substantial as a cloud. It will wisp away with the very next bite.
That's where the power of action comes in. There needs to be specific action taken to bring about said goal. If one of my goals is to get to a certain weight or body-fat percentage so that I can be a healthier and happier person so that I can do more and have more impact in my life, then there needs to be specific action taken to make it happen. That means going to the gym, not buying unhealthy food, and having part of my morning ritual include a healthy start.
Millennials will remember a popular saying in middle school: "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" I'm not really sure where they came from. Maybe TLC or Naughty By Nature, but the point is that taking action is harder than words.
Keep it simple by including just five minutes of an activity in your morning ritual that builds toward your goal. If your goal is to shed some weight, then become aware of your goal first thing in the morning by stepping on a scale or drinking a large glass of water first thing in the morning (add in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar because it alkalizes the body).
I know, I know. I hear many people laughing at the simplicity of this action. Drinking water or weighing oneself isn't going to drop weight. What it will do, however, is get the mind to start the day off by treating the body right. That's the mind-body connection. Or why psychologists call the stomach the second brain.
If the first thing you do in the morning is to treat your body right, then your mind will sharpen focus throughout the day. If your morning is chaotic like mine used to be (and sometimes still is... alarm, rush, coffee-to-go running out the door combing the hair in the car) then the mind is already in the rat race. Already spinning in place on the hamster wheel.
And the whole point is to get out of the rat race.
What about you? What do you do first thing in the morning that aligns with one of your goals?