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Start Your Day at 200%!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LuminousWhites #CollectiveBias

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

Recently I went to dinner with an old friend. He is someone who I have known since preschool and he just happens to be one of the most inspiring, motivating people that I know. He’s overcome a lot of adversity in his life, but rather than allowing any of that to weaken him, he has used all of it to grow.

While we were catching up, he asked me how I was doing. It wasn’t a casual question or a pleasantry. He wanted to know how I am really doing. I started off by explaining that I am doing well. My businesses are thriving. My children are wonderful, getting bigger and smarter by the day. And I am finally beginning to focus on the self and heart-work that I have wanted to do for myself for a long time.

I explained all of that to him, but he dug further still. I realized that he was looking for my challenge. We all have one, don’t we? A place in our life that is the hardest. A time of the day that is the most painful. The thing that we struggle with more than any other.

I thought for a moment and then it came to me — the end of the day. No matter how good my days are, by the time I get to the end — those last few hours before bedtime — I am on empty. Everything falls apart, my children are on my last nerve, I have nothing left to give. I struggle through dinner and bedtime, sometimes with tears in my eyes.

He looked at me and said, “Well, that’s an easy fix.” I almost fell off my chair. I couldn’t imagine what kind of solution he was going to offer up for this conundrum of mine.

“You start your day at 200%. By the time you hit the end of the day, you won’t be empty, you’ll be at 100% — but you’ll still be at 100% — your kids deserve you at 100% all the time.”

He said it so matter-of-factually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He explained to me how he starts his day with so much energy and positivity, that he runs circles around people with his energy and optimism. By the end of the day, he is less energetic, but he is still functioning at 100%. I honestly didn’t know what to make of that advice. I absolutely loved the sound of it, but I worried that it just couldn’t be that simple. Still, I decided that I was going to give it a try, because what an amazing thing if it could work!

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

So, I went home that night and gave that conversation a lot of thought. And while I usually stay up later than I should on Saturday nights, that night I went to bed early, fully committed to waking up the next morning at 200%. When I woke up the next day, I was ready. I emotionally charged myself all the way up to 200%. Instead of making excuses, I got right out of bed with a smile on my face.

Since I’ve started this process, I wake up every morning and do the thing that centers me and charges me the most — yoga. I start my day with a sun salute and then twenty minutes on my elliptical. From there I shower or wash my face and then I brush my teeth. It’s a simple routine really, but it absolutely sets the tone for my day. It is a routine of self-care, self-nourishment and emotional & physical “charging up.”

The process has been working. It’s pretty amazing, honestly. Am I really charged up to 200% every morning? Well no, I am not exactly like a cell phone that can be charged up. 😉 But by starting out the day with the right mindset, and completing a routine that fills my soul and my body — I am in the right head space to start the day with energy, calm, and love. I carry that light with me through the day and it reminds me to be the best version of myself for as long as I am able to.

Sure, the hours before bedtime are still difficult, sometimes we still experience epic meltdowns and I hide in the shower… but things are better now. When I feel myself starting to slip into despair, I remind myself that I still have 100% to give, and more, that my children deserve my 100% no matter what else is going on in our lives.

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

As I mentioned earlier in the post, brushing my teeth is one of the key elements of my morning routine. I know that it is awful, but previously there were mornings where I would be lazy and wait to brush my teeth until lunchtime! Self-care just was not high on my priority list for a long time. It’s not always easy to give myself the attention that I deserve, but starting the day with self-care absolutely allows me to be my best self which not only benefits me, but it also benefits my children and everyone who I encounter throughout my days.

I was recently invited to try out Tom’s of Maine® Luminous White™ Toothpaste Clean Mint and I was so excited. This came at the perfect time to implement it with my new routine. As a blogger, I get the opportunity to partner with lots of amazing brands, but occasionally I get an offer like this one which is so perfectly aligned with my lifestyle that it feels like it was meant to be. Tom’s of Maine has been a staple in my home for years. From their deodorants, to soaps, and toothpastes — I have literally been using their products since I switched to a natural lifestyle five years ago when I was pregnant with Roman.

Tom’s of Maine was founded with the belief that “both human beings and nature have inherent worth and deserve our respect.” Tom’s of Maine employees don’t just respect the natural world – they love it! It is truly a company after my own heart. Caring for the environment is something that has Tom’s of Maine has focused on since 1970 — from selecting ingredients, to manufacturing practices, to the packaging that they use. I am so proud to talk about this company that I love so much.

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

Luminous White™ Toothpaste is Tom’s of Maine’s most advanced whitening toothpaste ever. It is safe on enamel and made up of biodegradable or mineral-derived ingredients. There are no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives and I am so excited to add this product into my daily routine. You can pick it up at your local Walmart in the toothpaste section of the oral healthcare aisle.

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

Start Your Day at 200% // livelovesimple.com

I hope that you enjoyed this post, friends. Here’s to days full of energy, positivity, and wellness! xo

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    Tired of Conflict Bringing You Down?

    Dealing With Conflict

    Conflict takes many forms—misunderstanding, frustration, ignorance, hatred, envy, and so on—but despite the cause, the result is largely the same: someone walks away with hurt feelings.

    The truth is, however, that this is not necessary. You can choose to be unaffected by conflict. It is not an easy thing to accomplish. You have, after all, lived your life believing that conflict equals pain. But with practice & patience you can learn to live above conflict in a place of true peace.

    “True peace can not be disturbed by gain or loss.”

    The reason that conflict hurts us is because we allow it to. Most pain comes from another person(s) or from our own minds. The key to being unaffected by conflict is to understand that anything that another person says to us (out of anger, frustration, etc.) is actually a reflection of her feelings about herself and is rooted in fear. Likewise, anything that our mind says to us (self-criticism, self-hatred, etc.) is also rooted in fear. All forms of discomfort—sadness, anxiety, worry, rage, hatred, envy, and so on—are rooted in fear.

    When you accept that angry words are actually reflections of fear, it makes them much less painful to tolerate. Even the angriest and most cruel of arguments is based in fear & insecurity.

    For example, you have a large project due at work. You bring it into your boss’s office an hour prior to the deadline. She notices that it is riddled with errors. Her face turns red and she begins to scream. “You idiot! How could you be so stupid? This is unacceptable. I can not believe I ever hired you. Get out!”

    On one hand, you are devastated. Her words have stung you at your core. You are insulted, sad, angry, afraid. But if you really stop to analyze the situation, why do you think she acted this way? Most likely, she is afraid. Most likely, she is terrified about the way that your “failure” is going to reflect on her. After all, wasn’t it her who hired you, gave you this assignment, failed to give you proper instruction, and so on? What will her boss think when she turns this project into him? Her explosion was based in fear.

    Another example, it is Saturday afternoon and you are sitting on the couch. Your husband comes in the door and notices that you have not swept the floors. He begins to speak angrily, “Haven’t you swept the floors? Didn’t you see this dirt? You’ve been so lazy recently.” You are crushed and devastated. How could he be so mean? But then again, you stop and analyze. The lawn is not mowed, the gutters are uncleaned, there are piles of crap strewn about the yard. Your husband is insecure about all of his unfinished chores and is projecting his self-frustration onto you. His remarks were based in fear and insecurity.

    If you take the time to truly analyze, you will find that almost every conflict is rooted in fear. Therefore, the vast majority of hurtful things that are ever said to you actually have absolutely nothing to do with you. This is an incredibly liberating concept (not to be confused with the rare scenario when you are actually wrong by the way). Still, just because the other person’s (or even your own self-inflicted) anger is based in fear, that still doesn’t make it right. Yes, perhaps both your boss and your husband were entirely out of line. It is alright for you to tell them so, but what is more important is the way that you process the conflict within yourself.

    Most people internalize the conflict. In any case, you take what was said and push it deep within yourself. Perhaps you believe the other person words. “Yes, I am lazy, stupid, ugly, etc.” The conflict turns into emotional pain and festers within you eventually becoming depression, anxiety, and so on. But as I mentioned at the start, none of that is necessary.

    You must accept the conflict (words) for what they are—someone else’s (or even your own mind’s) fears and insecurities. Fear is nothing to be afraid of or affected by. Most fear is completely unnecessary (read more about that).

    After the conflict, words, and judgments have passed, simply allow all of it to pass through and around you like water or air. Understand that it is something outside of you, that has nothing to do with you at all. It is not inside of you, it did not come from you, and you do not have to absorb it. Simply let it pass and then move on.

    Holding onto the pain of conflict is insane and unnatural. What do the birds do after the great storm has passed? They sing, of course! You will never hear the birds singing so sweetly and so loudly as they do after the storm has passed and the sun shines again. They do not mourn the broken nest, the wet feathers, or the lost supper. They simply sing and praise the light in gratitude. They rejoice that the sun has come again.

    In his book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle talks about his observation of duck fights. Two ducks approach one another. They squawk in anger for mere seconds. Then they turn away from one another, flap their great wings a few times, and swim on as if it never happened. This is true wisdom, true peace, in action. There is so much that we can learn from this simple observation.

    There is really no need to hold onto anger or discomfort. There is really no need to suffer. In life, you will find many reason to suffer. But a good reason to suffer, you will never find. Let conflicts pass through and around you. Do not hold onto them. You will almost always find that it never has anything to do with you anyway.

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