Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Routine - There's No Good Without Bad

Episode Date: February 1, 2021

In today's morning routine, we'll come to appreciate why we can't enjoy any of the highs in life without having some lows too. 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. 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

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, everybody, and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm Tyler, your host. And this is the podcast where morning people are made. Today's episode is inspired by one of my all-time favorites, Bob Ross. If you've been with the show for a while, then you know I'm a huge fan of him. One of the things Bob routinely points out while painting happy trees and placid lakes

is that you have to have contrast in your painting. Both light and dark colors are necessary. If you just have light, then you've got a blank canvas. If you just have dark, then you've got pretty much just. just another blank canvas. It's the variety and contrast between dark and light that gives us something to appreciate. And the same is true in life.

We don't know the good times unless we know some bad times too. Let's go ahead and get started. And let's begin like we usually do by opening our eyes to the day, if you haven't done that already. Just take in some of that nice, Morning Light. Part of the reason I wanted to do this particular episode today

is because, at least where I am, it's rainy, cold, and dreary. It's not the prettiest day. One of those where you just want to curl up on the couch. And so, this morning, no matter what it looks like outside where you are, let's just take a big yawn and stretch, opening your mouth as wide as you can and inhaling while you do, maybe stretching your arms and legs out wide, and then sighing all of that out on the exhale.

And let's do that one more time, so take a big inhale and stretch and then sigh it all back out. Great. So if you want to keep doing some light stretches in bed for the next minute or two, then be my guest. You can also just lay there and give your body a little time to warm up to the day while I chat. A few years ago, I used to live in sunny Southern California. And let me tell you, the weather was consistently pristine.

It was warm all year round, it barely rained. And coming from the East Coast, where rain is common once or twice a week, sometimes several days in a row, I thought sunny days every day, was the best thing ever. But after several months there, the magic of sun every day began to wear off. It wasn't so special anymore. And even though I could have gone

on a wonderful outdoor adventure every single day, I didn't. Fast forward to now, and I'm back on the east coast of the United States, in the area where I grew up. And don't get me wrong, we have great weather here, but it does rain somewhat routinely,

and there are plenty of days where it's cloudy and gloomy, and you just don't want to go outside. But now, because every day isn't sunny and beautiful, I really cherish and make the most of those days when it is nice outside. And I've found that to be a really important lesson, that it's hard to appreciate good days when you don't have the contrast of a bad day.

This bit of variety keeps everything in perspective. And so as you start this day, don't worry too much about whether it's going to be great or terrible. Let's just be glad that we're here. If it is a wonderful day, then great. If it's not, then that's okay too. We'll still get through it, and it will make us appreciate the good days that much more.

So on that note, let's take one more deep breath in, and as you exhale, roll over in bed, and make your way to standing up. All right, now that you're standing, let's do a quick stretch. So inhale and reach your hands as high as you possibly can, all the way to the sky and stand up on your toes too. Reach, reach, reach, all the way to the ceiling. And on your exhale, flatten your feet back down, and bend forward at your waist.

Come into a nice and easy forward fold. And you can have a gentle bend in the knee. There's no need to push anything this early in the morning. And just let everything hang towards the ground. Release your neck. Release your arms. Maybe you'd like to sway a little from side to side. You can do whatever feels right for you.

Now slowly begin to roll back up to standing. And when you get there, roll your shoulders up and down. Okay, so if you want to do more stretching, then go for it. Otherwise, we're going to go ahead and get ready for our meditation today. Feel free to grab a glass of water or use the bathroom, anything like that. but find your way to a nice comfortable seat. And it can be anywhere in your home, just don't sit in your bed. Today we're going to keep our meditation nice and easy.

No visualizations or affirmations or anything like that. Well, just give the mind a little time to unwind. To me, this is really the point of meditation. Just to be quiet and shut up for a few minutes so that your brain has a little time to do all of the processing that it needs to do. So if your mind runs or keeps coming back to a thought, don't worry about it.

This is part of the process of meditation. You haven't done something wrong. A lot of people think that meditation is about controlling your thoughts. And in a convoluted way, that's sort of right. But to me, it's really more. about letting your brain do its normal thing and simply observing what that looks like. The more you watch your brain, the more you'll learn how it works. And in turn, you'll understand yourself, your needs, your thoughts, and your actions a little bit more.

So, recognize that it all comes with time and try not to overcomplicate it. By now you should have found that nice comfortable seat, and you want to be sitting upright, but let everything relax down. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, close your eyes. Take this first minute just to make sure you're comfortable. Let your face soften. Let your shoulders relax and breathe at your own natural pace. Try not to force the air in or out.

Just let it be velvety smooth. And as you rest your attention on that nice and easy breath, you'll find that over time, it will take you deeper and deeper. And now that you're settled in, keep your attention resting on your breath. Thoughts will inevitably come to mind, and you might go down a rabbit hole.

But that's okay. That's what's supposed to happen. Whenever you notice that has happened, then gently reset by bringing yourself back to the breath. So we've been here for a few minutes, letting the brain unwind a little, and we'll be here for another minute or two. Again, just rest your attention on the breath, and whenever you notice you've become distracted, gently bring it back. Now, for these last 30 seconds or so, you can let your mind run and just let it go wherever it might want to. All right. Now slowly begin to bring yourself back into the room and back into your body.

Noticing the chair supporting you, maybe your feet on the floor or the touch of the air on your skin. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, slowly open your eyes and just take a second to gather yourself. So hopefully your mind is feeling a bit more clear now. I really find it helpful to just have those few minutes early on in the day to let my brain do some processing. That's what our brains are designed to do after all, to solve problems. And they need undistracted time to do that.

So if you do meditation consistently, you'll begin to notice that some days your brain will be relatively relaxed and quiet, while on other days it will be going a mile a minute. And again, there's nothing wrong with that. We're not static beings, and neither is life. Those days where your mind feels like a tangled mess will make you appreciate the days where it feels very organized and coherent. Now, it's time for today's send-off.

Friends, painting is a lot like life. If you have light on light, you have nothing on your canvas. If you have dark on dark, you basically have nothing on your canvas. And this is just like in life. You've got to have opposites. Light and dark, dark and light. You've got to have a little sadness, a little trouble. once in a while, so you know when the good times come.

The same is true for just about everything. Take another art, music, for example. You've got to have breaks, moments of silence or softness, otherwise the loud moments don't hit as hard. Life is no different. We've got to have a little sadness, a little struggle, a little setback, every once in a while. Otherwise, we would never appreciate the times

when life seems to progress effortlessly. So no matter which of these phases you find yourself in today, whether you're in a period of darkness or light, know that this phase, like all others, is temporary. If you're in the glory of a good phase, then be sure to take some time to enjoy it. it won't last forever. If you're in the gloom of a bad phase, then fear not, because the tide will soon change.

Whatever the case may be for you, just be glad that you have the opportunity to live out another day and find some comfort in knowing that you can't have any good without a little bad. That's all I've got for you today, friends. I really appreciate you joining me here this morning. I'll talk to you soon, and until then, I hope you have a wonderful day.