Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Routine - Grow As You Go

Episode Date: October 11, 2021

This morning, find the encouragement and excitement to never stop growing. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content 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 - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. 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

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Good morning, my friend. And welcome to Wake Me Up, the podcast where morning people are made. I'm your host, Tyler, and I'm so pleased to have you joining me this morning. People often say how they wish they could be a kid again. that youthful feeling of curiosity, playfulness, new experiences, and embedded within those the child's growth.

Once you're an adult, the responsibilities set in, and as they say, it's all downhill from here. Well, frankly, I think that's a really depressing way of looking at life, and it's not accurate either. Sure, as adults, we're probably not going to get any taller. But that doesn't mean we can't continue to improve ourselves, continue to be curious and playful, continue to try new things, continue to grow.

The difference is only that children grow without conscious effort. As adults, we have to put in some effort to keep growing. But that doesn't mean it's a lot of. not worth it. In fact, to me, it makes it all the more worth it. So, as we wake up and prepare our minds and bodies for this day, we'll remember that life is all about growth. So, what do you say we get started? Whether you're in bed or up and about already, just pause for a second. And take a big breath in, hold it at the top, and then exhale. Now, we'll do a few stretches later, so if you'd like to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of this moment before the day begins, then you should absolutely do so.

But I'm going to guide you in a simple stretch for now, too. So do whatever you wish. It's totally up to you. If you'd like to join in this stretch, start by lying flat on your back and bring your knees into your chest, wrap your arms around them, and give your legs. a gentle squeeze into your chest. Now release that squeeze and let your knees fall over to the left. So your torso is in a gentle, twisted position. Keep your shoulders flat on the surface beneath you. Your knees may go all the way over.

They may not. Just go as far as is comfortable for you. And hang out there for a moment. Keep taking some deep breaths. As I mentioned just a second ago, To grow as an adult, we have to apply ourselves. We have to try. Sitting idly won't lead us forward.

So if you feel stuck or stagnant in life, it's usually because you don't feel like you're growing anymore. I've certainly been there myself, and when I recognized it and chose to bring in new things that would revive my growth, that feeling of being stuck disappeared. Now let's quickly return to our stretch and switch sides. So inhale and bring your knees back to center. Reset for just a second.

And then exhale and let your knees fall over to the right this time, twisting in the other direction. Remember to keep both shoulders flat on the surface beneath you. And just relax. Now, returning to that feeling of being stuck, it can appear so quickly, completely out of no way. So whether you currently feel stuck or not, it's important to make sure you always keep growing. So think of something that you can do today, which will bring a new experience into your life, or will take something you already do to a new level. It doesn't have to be anything grand.

Just one step farther than you went yesterday is all it takes. We can't be stagnant. we have to move forward, which means we have to grow as we go. Now bring your knees back to center. Give them one last squeeze into your chest. Take another big breath in. As you exhale, release your legs, roll over in bed, and make your way to standing up. Now that we're all standing, let's do one more quick stretch.

And I'll remind you, like always, you should only join. in these stretches if you're able. And of course, if you'd prefer to do something else, then please go for it. If you're going to come with me, then we're going to draw circles with our arms first. And we'll do that with the right arm. So slowly begin to draw big circles with your right arm,

like it's a windmill. Going all the way around the range of motion, nice and slow. We're just loosening up the joint. Go a couple times in one direction, and then pause and go in the other direction. And while we do this, practice bringing that sense of curiosity in. What new sensation can you find that you haven't noticed before?

How can you explore this pretty common movement in a new way? Relax that right arm back down. And this time, we'll draw those circles with the left arm. Again, real big like a windmill, going all the way around your range of. motion. And once you've done a few of those circles in one direction, then pause, and do a few more in the opposite direction. All right, you can relax both arms back down by your sides. Take a big inhale and reach your hands all the way to the sky. Reach as far as you possibly can. On your exhale, fold forward at the waist. Let your arms hang towards the ground. I like to keep a nice bend in my knee here, just to help loosen

up the lower back first thing in the morning. Now slowly begin to roll all the way back up to standing. And when you get there, roll your shoulders up and then let them settle down. Okay, hopefully your body is feeling a bit warmer now, a bit looser. Let's go ahead and have a few minutes of meditation. So find a comfortable seat somewhere in your home, just not in your bed. And feel free to grab water or do anything like that along the way. Today's meditation will incorporate a simple visualization, which will hopefully arouse a sense of playfulness and curiosity in you.

You'll draw on a childhood memory, a positive one, from a time when you remember trying something new and what that felt like. So as you find your seat, take this moment to think back and come up with a memory like this from your life. All right, by now, hopefully you found a nice comfortable seat. Make sure you're sitting up nice and supported, but try not to hold on to any tension. Let yourself relax. Let's take a big breath in, filling all the way into the belly. And as you exhale, just close your eyes.

You can breathe at whatever pace feels comfortable for you. Try to make your breaths a little bit longer, more extended than they might usually be, though. Most importantly, we just want them to feel very smooth and effortless. And as you follow that breath for the first moment here and settle in, you'll notice that it will slowly draw you deeper and deeper. Now that you're settled in, bring to mind a time from your childhood when you were trying something new, a positive memory.

Maybe it was the early days of you. you playing a sport or an instrument, or a summer camp you went to, where you had a whole range of new experiences. Transport yourself back to that time. Remember what it looked like. Remember who was there. And remember what you were doing. Draw on any sensations left in your mind from that time. Bring this moment completely back to life. Most importantly, remember what this moment moment felt like. Remember any emotions you were having, perhaps curiosity, excitement, enthusiasm. Maybe you were even a little nervous to try something new and put yourself out there. Do you remember whether you did this thing perfectly? Did you make any mistakes? Most likely,

you did. But did they stop you from carrying on? Did they stop you from enjoying it? Did they stop you from trying again? Now within this memory, focus your attention in on the child version of yourself. See them for who they are, knowing all that they will go through over the coming years, all of the stories, all of the joy, all of the pain too. Look at that child and promise them that you will never stop seeking you'll never stop playing you'll never stop trying

and you'll never stop growing even though you'll one day be an adult now you can let that memory go bring yourself back to your breath and just relax for another moment or so okay begin to bring yourself back to the room now. Notice the chair beneath you, your feet on the floor, any sounds going on around you.

Take one final big breath in, filling all the way into your belly, and as you exhale, slowly open your eyes. So I hope you're feeling excited and inspired after that meditation. It's a really powerful thing to think about what the child version of ourselves would want for us. I certainly don't have all of the answers, and I can't speak for you. But I know that the kid version of me would just want me to be happy. He would want me to keep doing the things I love. He would want me to not care so much about what everybody else thinks, or whether I mess up ten times before I get something right.

That kid knew life was just about being happy, having fun, continuing to grow and doing what I love with the people I love. And on that point, it's time for today's send-off. My friend, unless you're a child, it's only by trying new things, reaching beyond your current boundaries, and pushing yourself to new limits that you can grow. Being a grown-up doesn't mean you're done growing up. In order to make the most of life, we have to keep growing.

Being stagnant isn't going to get us anywhere. You have to choose a direction and start going. That's what we did as kids after all. We didn't know all of the answers, or act like we did. We just tried different things. We experimented, and we didn't really care about the results. We were just trying to see what we liked and what we didn't like. We were trying to see what we had fun with and what bored us.

We didn't care about knowing everything and being right all of the time. And the same is true if we want to grow as adults. We have to be willing to mess up. We have to be willing to try something that we're not sure we'll actually like. the truth of the matter is, if we don't try new things, we're just being stagnant. And we'll never grow if we stand still. We simply have to grow as we go. Well, that's all I've got for you today.

Thanks so much for tuning in. I'll talk to all of you next week. And until then, go out and have an absolutely wonderful day. I really hope you enjoyed this episode. A good morning is such a gift, isn't it? It's the key to a happier and more productive day, and ultimately a better life. And that's why I make this show.

So if you're enjoying it, why not send one of your favorite episodes to a friend? You never know. You might just make their day and change their life.