In this day and age of where things seem to be wilder and wilder each day, there are 3 key actions you can take to ensure you stay grounded, calmer and that you are in balance with all that is.

Let’s face it the news of people, events, politics, sports, entertainment, business these days seems to be getting a little wilder each day.

People in the entertainment business up on scandals, NFL protests, countries warring with each other, the divides in the U.S. political system, it just seems that the dark is being exposed and the dark isn’t always pretty.

So how can you cope in a changing and volatile world.

To me there are 3-4 things to bring calm, ease, flow and balance into your life.

Are you open to learning about them?

SELF-CARE:

First is, practice self-care. What does self-care look like? Well to start, listen to your body. It will tell you the foods it needs, the rest it needs, the comfort and health care it needs. Listen…ask your body what do you need right now.

Self-care might mean you eat super healthy, or after a workout at the gym, you have a sauna or steam bath, or you go to bed at 8:30 (early) to get extra rest. Or you say no to a friend or family member that asks for your time, but you really don’t have it to give.

Self-care is putting you first. Not in a self-centered way, but in a way that honours you, your well being, health, mental health and stress.

HAVE A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE:

The second strategy is to have a spiritual routine. This doesn’t mean you need to go to church each day, but have a daily ritual. I will give you an example, in his book the Miracle Morning, author Hal Elrod, suggests getting up an hour early, to meditate, exercise, journal, read and put in positive ideas and energy into your mind, body and soul.

The late Dr. Stephen Covey writes about reading the scriptures each day, to put in positive messaging. Since we are inundated with negative news it seems, now more than ever we need to put in positive thought, lessons, information and ideas.

Personally, my morning ritual, is that I get up, I do a gratitude journal, where I write at least 10 things I am grateful for…and it could be the kindness of a friend to the Leafs winning last night!

Then I set my intention for the day and how I want to live it. Usually I want to be in flow, have ease, fun, do, peace and to just simply be.

The next step in the morning ritual is to do a affirmation journal. Where I write down that I am joy, or love, or peace or success…I write down the affirmations I feel I need that day.

I then meditate for 10 minutes tapping into a guided meditation I like to do on YouTube.

After that I make my coffee, and then I hit the street or my exercise bike and I do 30 minutes of cardio, (a walk or bike) followed by weights or stretching.

A view from a walk

I then watch a 3-5 minute video by Darren Hardy, called the Darren Daily. Darren Hardy is the publisher of Success Magazine. The Darren Daily comes free into your email each morning, Monday to Friday. It picks you up for the day ahead!

Lastly, if I take the subway into work, I read. I have read 10 books this year and I am proud of that. I read to make me better at what I do for a living! I don’t care for fiction, I want information I can use to help my clients and to help me be better.

It could be you like to go to prayer services at a church, mosque or synagogue, if this brings peace and fulfillment, then do it!

Have a spiritual practice. It helps so much. I find it hard to be in a bad mood when I have done all of the above before work at 8:30 am!

 

BE CREATIVE:

 

Lastly the other key action to take is to tap into your Creative side. Take a course on Improv, act in a play, paint, write, read, go to a rock concert, whatever the case is, do something to unleash your creative side outside of what you do.

You may like to cook, or sew, play drums, or make model airplanes, my advice is to do it!

Lose yourself in it.

Love it.

Do it…have a creative outlet to help you unwind, be and just have some enjoyment outside of a day filled with duties and responsibilities.

So remember, SSC. Practice Self-Care, Spiritual Practices and Creativity! Watch what happens to you this week if you do all of these…

SSC is the place to be

It is good for you and it is good for me

We want more joy and peace in life so we can be

Alive, well and hap, hap, happy!

 

Have a great week!

Cheers/David Cohen

 

BIO:

David is an author, business coach and facilitator and was the former host/producer and creator of the Small Business Big Ideas Show heard weekly for over 9 years. David has taught thousands over the years in both the non-profit and for profit sectors and has coached hundreds of start-ups to make those important first steps. He specializes in helping small business owners mine their strengths, get clear on their value, their markets and then begin to develop a sales and marketing game plan that gets results.

He also can be booked to do his keynote presentations; “The 8 Keys to Success, How I got to Kiss the Stanley Cup and his new keynote called “A breakthrough-through the glass”- how to overcome the fear that life and business might throw your way. He leads workshops in sales, marketing, market research, business plans, target marketing and customer service programs. David is currently with the City of Toronto, heading up an entrepreneur training program for inner city youth and adults. He has taught thousands and coached numerous clients in the area of Small Business Start-ups and business growth strategies.