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Thread: The First Thing

  1. #1
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    Default The First Thing

    Having studied a good bit of Neurolinguistic Programming, I know that much of our experience in life comes from what we tell ourselves about what we are experiencing. We can motivate or depress ourselves with the messages we give ourselves. And one of the most important messages is the one we give ourselves at the beginning of the day.

    Mine is typically, "I can get a few more minutes of sleep and still make it on time."

    Terrible, isn't it?

    I could use a new morning first thought, so I'm interested in hearing from anyone interested:

    What is the first thing you tell yourself when you wake up each day?

    Thanks.
    David Orange, Jr.

    -------------------------------------------------------

    "That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
    Lao Tzu

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    "if I turn over, my 2 year old will only kick me in the back of the head"??

    Seriously.
    For me its not a thought or verbal affirmation

    A couple of minutes later I open my eyes, see my son. The meaning of life is there.

    Usually he's wide awake, smiling and (as soon as he sees my eyes have opened) saying "daddy get up"
    Garry Needham

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    What about this one : "Another day, let's go..." Then you start your morning exercises.

    Cheers, C.


    Regards,
    Christophe van Eysendyck.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cufaol
    What about this one : "Another day, let's go..." Then you start your morning exercises.

    Cheers, C.
    What do you do? Just roll out of bed and start push-ups?

    I ask not to be funny but for modelling purposes. I used to really observe the shihans at my dojo to see their way of standing and moving, breathing and such, but I could never ask very detailed questions about their thought processes because of the language barrier. Mochizuki sensei used to sit me down and get out a dictionary and a magnifying glass and take some time to make sure I understood him, but I didn't get to spend time like that with people like Washizu sensei, whom I considered a kami of sorts.

    So I'd like to ask how you get started.

    Also, what do you do at work? How soon do you have to be there and how do you get there?

    I walk in and I have a bit of flexibility. I can get there anywhere from 7:45 AM until about 9:00 AM with no one questioning it. But I would like to get some ideas about how other people motivate themselves in the morning. (Not a problem with my motivation...another thing I tend to tell myself often is a quote from Woody Allen: "90% of Success is Showing UP.") I don't have a problem getting there, but I'd like to get an idea of how other people start the day.

    Thanks for your input!
    David Orange, Jr.

    -------------------------------------------------------

    "That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
    Lao Tzu

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    Quote Originally Posted by kimiwane
    So I'd like to ask how you get started.

    Also, what do you do at work? How soon do you have to be there and how do you get there?

    I walk in and I have a bit of flexibility. I can get there anywhere from 7:45 AM until about 9:00 AM with no one questioning it. But I would like to get some ideas about how other people motivate themselves in the morning. (Not a problem with my motivation...another thing I tend to tell myself often is a quote from Woody Allen: "90% of Success is Showing UP.") I don't have a problem getting there, but I'd like to get an idea of how other people start the day.
    Thanks for your input!
    I set my alarm for 6am. Get up at 6am. Reset the alarm for 6:30, and go back to sleep for half an hour. I have NO idea how I am capable of resetting the alarm to 6:30 when I'm so tired I don't remember being awake. The mind is an amazing thing.
    When it's hot and bright in the mornings (summer) it's easy to get up at 6, go down to the cool basement, and sit for half an hour before breakfast.
    During the winter (now) it's impossible. Too damn dark and cold. I started sitting every morning upstairs in the loft -- much warmer, and if I start the coffee maker before I sit, I have the lovely distracting odor of brewing coffee to keep me motivated...but I still can barely get up to sit 2-3 mornings a week when it's cold.

    Regards,
    r e n

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    @ Kimiwane : I didn't mean to be funny. If my post offended you, I apologize. However, I do mean what I say.
    I'm a student, and most days, my lessons start at 8.30 in the morning. So I'm obliged to get up at 7 to catch the tram/bus. So how do I get up? At 7 o'clock, my stereo starts playing one of my favorite CD's (usually dire straits "Sultans of Swing"). Then I get up, try and do my morning YOGA exercises. Then I shower, which usually wakes me up in the real world. Next thing I know, I'm listening to some idiot explaining how our speech organs work, or why Steinbeck's classic is worth a freaking noble-prize. (And indeed, I dislike Steinbeck. In fact I hate him. The man couldn't write, even if he had tried to do so.)

    Satisfied?

    Cheers, C.


    Regards,
    Christophe van Eysendyck.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kimiwane
    So I'd like to ask how you get started.

    Also, what do you do at work? How soon do you have to be there and how do you get there?

    I walk in and I have a bit of flexibility. I can get there anywhere from 7:45 AM until about 9:00 AM with no one questioning it. But I would like to get some ideas about how other people motivate themselves in the morning. (Not a problem with my motivation...another thing I tend to tell myself often is a quote from Woody Allen: "90% of Success is Showing UP.") I don't have a problem getting there, but I'd like to get an idea of how other people start the day.

    Thanks for your input!
    Well, I do not use an alarm clock, so I usually decide what time I will get up before going to sleep the night before. It works about 95% of the time: the 5% is if I have been drinking alcohol the night before, like at a dinner party.

    I usually calculate where I have to be at what time and then work backwards. Tomorrow, for example, I have a major appointment at 10, marking entrance examination papers. It takes about 45 minutes to drive to school, so I plan to leave the house at just after 9. Which means I need to get up at 7, if I want time to read the papers over breakfast and have a shower.

    And also check my e-mail. Because of the time difference between Japan and the US, E-Budo is sometimes quite active when I am asleep and so I wake up to find a large number of posts.

    As I've got older, I've noticed that I need less sleep and usually wake up well before the decided time for getting up, at least 95% of the time, like I said. I've also become more aware of a sort of 'limbo' stage between actually dreaming and being awake. I have been teaching Descartes and The Matrix recently, so I have been more attuned to 'dream' issues.

    Best,
    Peter Goldsbury,
    Forum Administrator,
    Hiroshima, Japan

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    [QUOTE=CufaolNext thing I know, I'm listening to some idiot explaining how our speech organs work, or why Steinbeck's classic is worth a freaking noble-prize. (And indeed, I dislike Steinbeck. In fact I hate him. The man couldn't write, even if he had tried to do so.)

    Satisfied?

    Cheers, C.[/QUOTE]

    Hello Christophe,

    Perhaps you should take more interesting classes...

    Best wishes,
    Peter Goldsbury,
    Forum Administrator,
    Hiroshima, Japan

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    The first thought is usually the tail end of dream. I record it.
    'Leaves fall.'

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    I get woken up by the alarm clock most of the time, turn on the tv, lay there in a fog for a while, drag my butt into the shower, first as hot as I need it (temp. dependant) then cool to cold. That really get's me going...

    I should stretch, do some yoga, then basic movements...but I'm really not a morning person, so there is never really enough time. Because I don't make enough time, of course. Hitting the snooze button is somewhat of a problem....

    To do anything physical I feel lilke I need a shower to wake up...then if I do something physical, a shower to get clean again. Bottom line...I'm lazier than usual in the morning... It used to be nice to wake up to my cat. Not so nice waking up to two bouncing ferrets fresh into The Great Escape...but I still miss the little buggers...

    Best,
    Ron

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    I think David's question is interesting, because I believe also that the first thing you do when waking sort of sets the tone for your whole day.

    For the past 15 years, as soon as I wake up, I drink 2 litres of pure water, while I sit in front of the computer and check my emails and the overnight "net activity". Takes about 10 minutes to drink the water, after that I get up and do some warmups, firstly arm swinging for about 5 minutes, to get the blood pumping, then some back twisting, hip rotations, squats, leg stretches then wrist stretches ala Aikido joint stuff. By then I have pretty much woken up, so then sit quietly for 20mins, then get ready for the day. I don't have anything to eat for at least an hour and a half, until I have had one major restroom stop, and the stomach starts grumbling.

    I don't really have to say anything to myself to get going, the routine has just become automatic. Like Peter, I get up at precisely the time I need to, that I tell myself the night before, except after nights of unusual lateness or social activity. If I break the routine, my body complains to me the rest of the day, and I don't like that!

    Travelling is hard, because we have to carry plenty of water (my wife and 10 year old son also drink lots of water on waking, but not as much as me), as well as the right food for our vegetarian diet which we have been committed to for almost 20 years now.

    Years ago when I was starting out in Aikido, I used to attend morning classes everyday before work, and an early morning class really did change the way you felt about the day. One felt more alive, alert, and the day felt longer. One day soon I hope to be able to get back to doing morning classes. As an aside, while I like the martial aspect of Aikido, (well, our style anyway), training for me is becoming more and more a vehicle for maintaining health of body and mind, something that needs to be done on a regular basis.

    I believe such a routine that starts first thing in the morning is crucial for maintaining good health, both physically and mentally. Our health is so important, and one of the most treasured things we have, so I believe in protecting it. Especially since I *plan* to live and be active well over a 100!!!

    cheers,

    Jason Wotherspoon
    Ipswich Aikido Club - Iwama style

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    Default Usually

    I go over what I need to do during the day.

    But I may also prepend that with an affirmation of some sort.

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    Hello Mr D'Angelo,

    Welcome to E-Budo.

    Will you please sign your posts with your full name. You actually agreed to do this when you became a member. The best way to do this is via 'Edit Signature' in the User CP menu (on the brown strip above this thread).

    Best wishes,
    Peter Goldsbury,
    Forum Administrator,
    Hiroshima, Japan

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Tisdale
    It used to be nice to wake up to my cat. Not so nice waking up to two bouncing ferrets
    I may have misread this but being the owner of a couple of ferrets, myself (Psycho and Pspyder) I have to ask.

    You have 2 ferrets in the bedroom?
    Garry Needham

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    Quote Originally Posted by P Goldsbury
    Hello Mr D'Angelo,

    Welcome to E-Budo.

    Will you please sign your posts with your full name. You actually agreed to do this when you became a member. The best way to do this is via 'Edit Signature' in the User CP menu (on the brown strip above this thread).

    Best wishes,
    I guess I thought that it was automatically tacked on .

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