Something clicked three months ago for me. I felt like I was a hamster running in circles. Tired, always on social media looking at- nothing. Lets face it, we consume this digital thing a little too much at times. During this ‘click’ moment, I got an urge to start reading again. I figured this would allow me to spend some of my time doing something different.

I decided to drive over to a local book store in ‘The Grove’. If you’re not a resident in Miami, that’s short for the city Coconut Grove. Beautiful, quiet place. I recommend you visit if you ever come! I saw a book on the shelf called, ‘Your Time to Thrive‘. Typed it in Google, and read the reviews. Seemed to touch base on some important topics, and it had a good following. I pulled the trigger, bought it, and took it home.

I remember sharing this new focus with my closest friend. We decided to sit on a bench together near the water, and read. That was the beginning of a major shift in routines for me.

This book by Arianna Huffington was a game changer. It had me look at making the changes I was aspiring to have in very achievable way. A little back story. Arianna wrote this book due to a major burn out moment she had in her life. She assumed she can push herself, and do everything all the time. It resulted in a crash. It had me self reflect, and really look at what I need to do differently. How do I make this change?

The biggest piece I took away from this book, was the ability to take micro steps in order to achieve a new habit. For example, so many people create over the top goals every new year. They start strong for about a week, and stop. Micro steps are a way to help avoid that. My goal after reading this book was to disconnect from social media/internet more often. We are so addicted to this, that I truly felt the micro step approach was key in winning. I did just that.

I started off with disconnecting from all media fifteen minutes prior to going to bed. I did the same for fifteen minutes after waking up for my day. Additionally, I decided to read five pages of this book a night while sitting in bed. Those fifteen minutes shifted to now an hour and a half both in the evening, and morning. I’m also still reading every evening, and now even during the day. Currently on book five, and I’m not slowing done. I’ll definitely share more about the other books at a later time.

With this new routine, I started to sleep better. I started devoting seven to eight hours to sleep a night- non-negotiable. I started dreaming again. I also started meditating in the mornings. I micro stepped this process also. Started with five minute meditations, and now I’m doing fifteen minute meditations. One thing I want to note is that I wasn’t looking for anything unrealistic with this change. I am human after all. I still get irritable about things, and I still have those ‘blah’ days. However, I feel more rested. It allowed more of my empathetic side to show itself, and it allowed my creative side start to come forward again. The creative side must have been in hiding for years, because I’ve never had so much excitement about the possibilities of the future. This lead me into creating this site. This book was a great read, and I recommended it to many professionals. The information itself isn’t anything earth shattering, but It’s more so a wake up call for us.

To sum it up, take care of yourself. Always being ‘ON’ isn’t glamorous anymore. Hydrate, exercise, eat healthy, and do what you need to do in order to feel refreshed as much as possible. This will bring your best self out, and allow you to handle the obstacles that are ahead better. It will also allow you to be a better human.