Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Motivation - The Practice of Life

Episode Date: March 27, 2023

This morning, find inspiration to make life a practice, an art form. Want to be more focused? Wish distractions would just melt away? Sign up for the WMU Focus Course! If you're interested in joining, all you need to do is sign up for the course here: https://wakemeuppod.gumroad.com/l/focus. Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content + 25% discount on WMU courses by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Amazon - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wake Me Up is made possible thanks to the generous help of our advertisers and premium supporters. If you'd like to support Wake Me Up, listen ad-free, and get access to the entire catalog plus bonus episodes, then follow the link in the show notes to sign up for Wake Me Up Premium. Now before our episode begins, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey there, and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm your host, Tyler, as always, and I'm so glad you've joined me. here today. This week, we're going to be talking about the idea that life is a continuous practice. This practice involves constantly improving ourselves, integrating our growth into all aspects of

our lives and not limiting it to a specific time or place. By adopting the perspective that life is a practice, we can approach every situation with acceptance, mindfulness, and a commitment to personal growth and development. Now, we all know there are times we can't control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. After listening through this week's episodes, I'm sure that you'll feel inspired to make your life, your practice, to take every situation as it comes

and define growth around the turn of every corner. But before we dive in, just take a moment to pause and simply notice how you're feeling right now. How does your body feel? How does your mind feel? What's your mood? Try to recognize these things without judging them, simply accepting them. Thank your body and your mind for giving you this feedback. This is information you can use to make the most out of your day.

Now let's take a couple of deep breaths. So inhale, fill all the way up. Hold at the top. And then exhale and let it all go. Once more, inhale. Fill deep into your belly. Hold and then exhale and release. Now, if you're starting this episode from bed,

Use this moment to roll over and make your way to standing up and feel free to return to your morning routine, whatever it is you like to do with your morning. And while you do that, I'll return to this idea that life is a practice. My friend, the most important step in personal growth is understanding our own minds. The more we know about ourselves,

the better we become at responding, to difficult situations. No two people are exactly the same. So getting to know yourself is inherently a personal journey. And self-awareness is how we master the art of life. The stoic philosopher Epictetus once said, For as wood is the material of the carpenter, bronze that of the statuary,

just so each person's own life is the subject matter of the art. of living. The way we relate to ourselves, the way we understand our own thoughts and manage our own emotions, these things determine our overall happiness and fulfillment. And every emotion that we experience is natural and real. There is no wrong or bad emotion. Sure, no one wants to feel angry, but we get angry. That's just the truth.

no matter how calm and controlled you may be, no matter how much you meditate, you will still get angry from time to time. So rather than trying to be happy all the time, which will find impossible, we should learn to get comfortable with painful emotions, so much so that we no longer resist them as painful. We want to aim to let them be what they are

and not get so worked up about them, because the journey of life is not linear. The unexpected is bound to happen at some point, perhaps at all points. So we must learn to accept and lean into all of our emotions, no matter how uncomfortable they may feel. Pushing away or running away from emotions only shoves them deeper and further, compacting them,

so that eventually they erupt when we can no longer hold them back. However, when we learn to be comfortable with discomfort, we can allow those emotions to release bit by bit on their own as they come. And through that, we build resilience. We grow. And growing is what makes life worth living. There's no better feeling than realizing that your personal exploration has paid off.

growth encourages even more growth. When you realize that you can finally respond to situations with ease, rather than getting worked up, it makes you want to keep going. It makes you think, if I've come this far, then how much further can I go? When we choose to see life as an art form,

as a practice that we can master, we begin to appreciate the blossoming of who we are and the situations we find ourselves in. Because in art, there is no end result. There is only the joy of the practice, of the creation. There is a moment and a feeling to be captured. But there's always another to come after that too. And in that same sense, you are not a victim of your current circumstances.

or any of your past or future circumstances either. You are in the art of living, and you are always in control of how you perceive your own life. Everything is the path. Difficult situations will happen, and you get to decide the art you create with them. So look at challenges as opportunities for expansion and growth

and creativity. Choose not to get so worked up when you face difficult times and instead choose to lean into whatever's happening and realize that you can handle it with grace if you want to. Accept those emotions that arise and recognize that they are transient. The quality of our emotions changes drastically

when we consciously choose to not push them away. way. The more you practice this, the more you will realize that every emotion, just like every situation, is a learning opportunity. It's a chance to learn about yourself, to learn about others, and to learn about the world. The more comfortable you become with this idea, this art of practicing life, the more you will become comfortable with who you are deep down, and the more accepting you'll become of others. My friend, life can be a journey that you're excited to embark on. Use this journey of life to discover joy and satisfaction.

And most of all, use it to discover yourself. Once you take on this mentality of life as a constant practice, you will never turn back. You will never see it the same. Every moment will become a painting, a work of art that you can create. And once you see life in this way, you will realize that there is truly nothing better

than the practice of living. Well, that's all for today. I hope this idea has resonated with you, and it's given you a new way, a new view, to approach life with. I'll be back tomorrow for a meditation that will help put these ideas into practice. So I hope to see you there. And until then, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day.