QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s a fresh new day, a fresh start, fresh energy, new opportunities. Get your mind right, be thankful, be positive and start your day right.”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Today is a new day.
I have never seen a day like this one before.
Today would be a great day to go to work to set your own inner greatness free!
You can begin again today.
You can start today with a new you.
You don’t need a new year’s resolution to start new habits.
All you need is a Monday.
Remember you become what you think about most of the time.
What are you feeding your mind?
Say to yourself, “Today I can make a change.”
Today you have control of a couple of things:
What you eat (nutrition)
How you move your body (exercise)
What you are grateful for (Be thankful)
Your own inner self-talk (Be Kind to yourself)
How much kindness you show to yourself and others (Show a lot of kindness to you and others)
What you believe (You can control your thought life)
AFFIRMATIONS OF THE DAY:
1) I am filled with energy and enthusiasm. 2) Water is my favorite beverage. I drink lots of water to cleanse my body and mind. 3) My happy thoughts help create a healthy body. 4) I am worthy of my own love. 5) I feel good expressing myself in all sorts of creative ways. 6) I advance confidently in the direction of my dreams. 7) My momentum is increasing every day.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I am a human being, not a human doing.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I like to do stuff. I like to accomplish things. I like to make lists and cross things off. There is a very real sense of accomplishment in doing things and getting things done.
And in some parts of my life, I do enjoy doing things and need to do things. I need to do the laundry and work to pay the bills etc. But beginning in February, I have tried to focus on this phrase ” I am a human being, not a human doing.” It’s almost like an affirmation. It has turned into a statement I repeat frequently. And I think it’s something God has helped me see and focus on too.
I often start my day with some sort of meditation. Some listening to the silence. Perhaps listening to a motivational audio track or some recorded affirmations. The other day I woke up a little earlier than normal and just started listening to a comedy podcast called Hook Line and Smiley. And I laughed and was entertained. I then listened to some videos from the Holderness Family. They are hilarious! I think the Holderness Family are very funny because they are about the same age as me.
As I reflected on my morning, I thought to myself. I didn’t workout this morning. I didn’t really get or feel motivated. I didn’t listen to any affirmations. I didn’t necessarily do anything productive except laugh. I definitely think laughter is important in life.
But that’s when I heard it again, “I am a human being, not a human doing.” In a quick google search on this quote, I found this website article on this very subject called, “Be a Human Being, Not a Human Doing.”
The last paragraph of that short article says:
” Remember, you are more than the total amount of tasks you can get through in any amount of time. You have value regardless of how much you accomplish. At the end of the day, you are a human being, not a human doing. “
In this colder Austin weather, I have literally been not doing as many activities as I would normally do. Our family has not been doing as much either. I have been really trying to embrace this quote of the day. And I hope that you can do that too.
From Coach Matt
AFFIRMATIONS OF THE DAY:
1) I approve of myself and love myself deeply and completely. 2) I am worthy, precisely as I am. 3) I say “yes” to things that feel good to me. I am allowed to enjoy life.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.” ~ Barbara Hemphill
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: This Saturday, I did not do any exercise in the form of running or biking or swimming or Camp Gladiator or anything like that. I had agreed after my 16 mile race last Saturday, to take a Saturday off and spend some time at the house and with Anna.
I transferred my energy that I would have normally spent exercising and focused on de-cluttering a few things. One of the areas that I de-cluttered was my desk area. I can take a deep breath and look at the area and see how it feels so much better. It feels lighter. It feels fresher. It feels good. It looks good. It is simplified and there is less for my eyes to look at.
I also did some de-cluttering of my work “desktop space” if you know what I mean. It’s the dumping ground for every piece of data I don’t know what to do with. I cleaned that up and looking at that feels better too.
I also listened to a part of little book about de-cluttering and did part of an online course on this subject.
I spent some good time looking around and thinking about de-cluttering and I found that it is helping me feel better. There are so many things that weigh down our soul that we don’t even realize we are carrying around every day.
I have for a long time known that I enjoyed the outdoors. I like the outdoors for a variety of reasons. It feels so much like freedom and natural. And it feels naturally devoid of clutter. I like the green space and the trees and the whole experience just feels good. Getting in nature is always good for the soul. De-cluttering also feels good for my soul.
Have you ever had to de-clutter your spaces?
I learned that everyone has some amount of clutter. There is no shame in it. But it does feel like a lot to go through. I guess the key is to try to go through it little by little and tackle it in short bursts of maybe 15 minutes a day.
Once again thanks for your support for Matt’s Motivational Monday. It means a lot to me!
Have a great Monday! De-clutter some stuff today and let me know how it goes.
From Coach Matt
AFFIRMATIONS OF THE DAY:
1) Today I create a wonderful new day. 2) My life feels lighter when it is less cluttered. 3) My today begins and ends with gratitude and joy.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race.” ~ Unknown Author
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: On Saturday, I completed a 16 mile trail race called Goodwater. It was around Lake Georgetown in Texas. I had heard the trail was technical and I had been out to the lake before, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how hard it was going to be to run the whole 16 miles.
In short, I would like to rename that run, “Relentless Rocks.”
There were so many rocks out there on the trail that you had to be careful at almost every step. I did train specifically on some harder trails at Brushy Creek Park, and did trail running as much as I could before the race. But after 12 to 13 miles I was just mentally exhausted. It was physically hard on my body, but it was also hard on my mind.
I listened to some music for a good amount of the time, but I switched to a comedy podcast called Hook Line and Smiley at about mile 13.
The last 3 miles I resorted to a mix of walking, running, and hobbling. I just couldn’t run with the precision it would take to not fall for the rest of that race.
As I was running, I thought this run is just relentless. There are rocks everywhere and if I took a couple of wrong steps I would have fallen.
Then I thought, but isn’t life just like that? Life just comes at you whether you like it or not. Life is relentless sometimes. Are you with me?
You can go through it and deal with life for the most part. And you will get through it, but life can just be relentless. Can’t it?
You have to navigate it whether you trained for it or not.
You have to navigate life through the ups and downs.
And you have to get right back up when life knocks you down.
I slipped once early on in the run, but it was no big deal. I just got right back up as if nothing happened. I didn’t fall and hurt myself which was just amazing!
I tripped myself up a couple of times but then caught myself from falling.
Such is life huh?
Now that I have crossed the finish line of that race, which I had been training for about a month, we have a new beginning that is upon us.
Today is February 1st. We have a whole new month to set goals and execute them. I want to dig deeper within myself and see what is there. I want to work on myself more. I want to be a better version of myself.
And now the real work begins.
In January, I had the new year mindset. But that 31 days have come and gone now. And now the real work begins.
What are some things you want to work on in February?
Share them with me and let’s go on this journey together.
Happy Monday!
From Coach Matt
AFFIRMATIONS OF THE DAY:
1) My life is filled with joy and vitality. 2) I refuse to limit myself. I am always willing to take the next step. 3) When life trips me up, I don’t stay down. I get right back up and keep on going.
