I have been told I give great advice.
Not outright, of course. But when someone’s next behavior is based on what you’ve just told them, you kinda figure it out. In the spirit of my personal new year (my birthday was 8/4), I want to spend the next few weeks asking you to pull up a chair as I take my own advice and even answer some of your questions. Anonymously, of course.
This week I am starting with me. And I need to learn how to get comfortable with uncomfortable feelings. For example, I don’t like how it feels not to know it all—it is vulnerable and revealing, especially to a person as private as I am. I get overly frustrated and negative when I recognize I have been distracted. And rejection can leave me feeling dejected. But no person, no matter what we tell you, knows it all. Distraction is part of life, and rejection is often redirection to what was divinely designed for me.
How, though, do I turn what I know about vulnerability, distraction, and rejection into concepts I learn to invite into my daily experiences? I am going to have to train my mind, body, and nervous system that discomfort is not traumatic but instead it is the norm. Allow me to share a bit more.
Being up late at night is peaceful. You can feel the hum of the day subside into a gentle silence, and you know, at least in your part of the world, people are resting. I love that time of the day, and for most of my life I have stayed up late. However, the early morning hours, if I wake up in time, can feel the same. That additional time, clarity, and overall presence of mind sustained when I wake up and consistently engage in an intentional morning routine before starting my day proved valuable to me before. The goal is to find my way back to that rhythm.
Waking up earlier isn’t to betray my night owl nature, but to do the exact opposite. I need to honor my love of the nights by saving it for writing, movies, and all the things my nervous system and mind need to process and relax after a long day. To do so, I must pay the morning the respect it deserves by waking up and preparing myself regularly and at a healthy pace. Rushing through my mornings leaves me disconnected from my days, unable to embody each moment and failing to live in a way that honors my choices. By nightfall, I am just tired, feeling like the day was a blur because I never anchored to a pace that my nervous system could maintain throughout the day.
If you want to see if I can take my own advice or have some tips to help me as I restart the early morning journey, subscribe and join me in The DreamGirl’s Journal chat on Substack. I look forward to your community and your questions this month as I share, “A Little Advice.”
