Man was I in a funk this morning.
After a mega-packed weekend and not sleeping well last night, I got the last of my kids off to school this moning and sat in front of my laptop in a mega-funk.
A moderate list of things to accomplish, I did a few of them but still found myself up against a not-so-motivated internal energy state.
Nothing was flowing. Nothing felt the way I wanted.
I couldn't let the rest of the day continue like this.
I got the F up....poured a bit more coffee, stepped out onto the deck, put my phone down and sat with my face in the sun for five minutes. I was tempted to grab my phone more than once but I didn't. I knew I needed these few moments of nothingness.
5 minutes of fresh air and sun. I walked back inside, threw on my sneaks and powered through a 20 minute Shaun T Beach Body workout, followed by 10 minute arms.
Let's be clear about how change happens.
Not once did I say, "C'mon...go workout. Be productive. Get motivated. You suck. Get to a better state already."
Instead, I felt the funk, moved away from the situation where my energy was stuck (in front of my laptop and to-do list) and found relief somewhere else.
The only way you fail, is if you stay in a state of funk and frustration.
It was by way of radical permission, to shut it down and go somewhere else, somewhere it felt warm and good and calm, that turned everything around.
Never by force or being hard on yourself.
Always by going where it feels so good.
It doesn't matter what everyone else is doing. Other people's work habits have nothing to do with yours.
And PS: Most people aren't in pursuit of high performance, they're just trying to get through.
It doesn't matter what someone else thinks of your weird rituals. I write best in small, enclosed spaces: think bathroom, car, closet, tub.
And the treadmill is my #1 move that sets the conditions for everything else to be better.
If you're in a funk, if you're in pursuit of optimal living......PERMISSION to consistently go where it feels good, (even if just for 5 minutes) will do more for you, in every way possible than sitting there, suffering through.
The win isn't what happens as a result.
The win is the courage to give yourself what you need most.
It's the most radical and freeing way to live and it won't look like what everyone else is doing.
PPS: No one is harmed in your aggressive pursuit to see how deeply satisfied you can feel about your life.
If you need help with this, I'm your girl.
xx Lori