4-minute journal prompt, big impact
How my Beginner's Mind journaling workshop is kinda changing my life...
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Three years ago, almost to the date (*chills!*), I read Dr. Joe Dispenza’s “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One.”
If you’re not familiar with Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work, he uses quantum physics, neuroscience, brain chemistry, biology, and genetics to form the thesis that you can reprogram your mind (energy) to influence your reality (matter). By tapping into our mind’s unlimited potential, we can transform our lives from the inside out.
(Want to watch/listen to a podcast with Dr. Joe Dispenza? I recommend THIS one.)
I remember finishing the book with resolve to change certain areas of my life — and the belief that I could do absolutely do it.
Over the next couple weeks I showed up as my Future Self, or the person I wanted to be. I felt like I was actually doing The Thing!
But after a couple weeks, my resolve waned. Familiar patterns re-emerged, old self-limiting beliefs came roaring back, and I slipped back into the habit of being myself.
I was doing the physical work to show up differently during those few weeks, but I wasn’t really doing the mental work — I hadn’t fully grasped what I needed to do to create and see change.
Because my mind wasn’t right, my reality stayed the same.
But the seed of ‘ol Joey D.’s theories was planted.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago.
I was holding my Beginner’s Mind journaling workshop and writing in response to one of the prompts: re-imagine something that you do every single day — your morning routine.
I put this prompt forward because in the spirit of Beginner’s Mind, it takes creativity and innovation to see the things we do all the time, differently. And in this case, I wanted us to re-imagine our morning routine. We all have one, whether it’s an official Morning Routine, or whether we’re simply trying to get out of the house with two matching shoes on.
As I journaled on the prompt (yes, I do them alongside you!), I dissected my morning routine. I tried my best to write without expectations, preconceptions, or judgment about what a morning routine “should” be.
As my pen traveled across the page, what emerged was a desire for my “morning routine” to become a mindset routine.
I listed words like:
Neural reprogramming
Visualization
Mind:body connection
Affirmations
Gratitude
With each day a blank space before me, I felt an inner call to use the early morning hours to visualize how I want the day to go, take control of my thoughts, and embody the energy and feelings of my Future Self.
The same ideas that I read about in Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book years ago resurfaced: by priming my mind in the morning, I can prepare my mind and body to act in ways that will change my reality.
Suddenly my stale morning routine transformed into a (re)MIND routine:
Reminding myself every single day of what I want my future to look like
Rehearsing and visualizing how I want my day to go
Rewiring my thoughts to be self-expanding vs. self-limiting
This incredible, massive shift all from one four-minute journaling prompt (!)
Putting my new re(MIND) routine into practice
It’s one thing to write about change, but it’s another thing to do it. Here is what my new re(MIND) routine looks like:
Body scan for nervous system regulation and mind:body connection (3-5 minutes):
I scan my body from the crown of my head to my toes, checking in with each body part and saying, “I love you. You are safe.”
Superhuman Activation (10 minutes):
The Superhuman app was created by Mimi Bouchard and has over 600 “Activations.” These Activations are a combination of visualization techniques, manifestation, daily affirmations, emotive music, and motivational guidance. You can listen to them like a meditation, but you can also listen to them in the background of life. There are different Activations for when you’re taking a walk, cooking, working out, cleaning, getting ready, going to bed, etc. My favorite Activation, and the one I listen to in the morning, is called “Everyday Morning for Motivation”. It has been absolutely i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e for setting the tone for my day. I highly recommend giving it a try! You can get a 14-day free trial HERE (I am not affiliated and don’t get a commission — just sharing what works for me!).
Listen to a motivational podcast (30-60 minutes):
If I have the luxury of time in the morning and wake up earlier than usual, I’ll listen to a motivational mindset podcast OR a podcast about a topic that re-enforces what I’m trying to change. For example, if I’m focusing on health, I’ll listen to a podcast that re-enforces the mindset changes around health that I’m trying to make.
At the very least my new routine takes 15 minutes. You wouldn’t think 15 minutes would make a noticeable impact but it does.
As time allows I add on from there. Sometimes it’s listening to a podcast, other times it’s doing an Activation midday to reset and recenter.
My reality is shifting 🤯
I’m already seeing changes in my reality, which is pretty incredible.
For example, this past week I’ve been taking care of my 4-year old niece since she’s on summer break. Being on aunt duty for 8 hours/day is… a lot, especially when we’re in the throes of big feelings and emotions (her and me both! 😂). Before she arrived each day, I visualized how I wanted the day to go and how I wanted to feel: calm, grounded, easeful, patient, positive, kind, etc. Lo and behold, that’s exactly how the first day turned out. The next day, I did the same visualization. The day wasn’t as calm and easy (we’re human!), but I was able to reset, repair, and move through the storms quickly because I set the intention early and reminded myself of it throughout the day.
Another example is wanting to feel good in my body and nourishing myself accordingly. The changes I’ve made over the last couple weeks have been pretty significant. I’ve prioritized cooking at home and have incorporated 20+ different plants onto my plate each week. Priming my mindset around how I want to feel in my body has had a domino effect on what I’m choosing to consume. I am taking more time and care into making deliberate, intentional choices. I’ve also started to give some of my dishes a positive names because it affects how I think about them and how I want my body to feel about them (i.e. Blueberry Bliss smoothie or Radiant Glow salad). Words are energy!
Again, all of this because of one four-minute journaling prompt. It’s powerful proof of the alchemy that happens when you put pen to paper 💪🏼
Want to see what inner wisdom and insights you can uncover? Watch the Beginner’s Mind journaling workshop below (45 minutes):
Beginner's Mind, a journaling workshop
Explore how journaling can foster a beginner’s mindset and help you become a better problem solver, enhance your creativity, and see the world with more wonder.
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