Coffee Talk #227 – 3 Tips to Spring Clean Mind & Body

It’s SPRING-CLEANING time at FWA and I want to get into all of those spaces!

Today’s topic: Mind & Body

This is a BIG topic and could cover so many things. I could talk about drinking water, adding movement to the day, adequate sleep, or eating leafy greens, but I share those topics all the time. Instead, I want to focus on a few key ingredients that have helped me grow into my own skin and find success.

I like hard, meaningful work that produces results. If you’re looking for a secret cleanse or easy path or pill, this isn’t the place. I’m about grit, hard work, big ideas, focus, flow, and energy.

I want to focus on three key elements: environment, rituals, and the One Thing.

Even before tackling these three topics, it’s important to assess. What’s your goal? What’s your intent? What would make you feel confident, strong, grounded? What things are distracting you or are you even sabotaging yourself?

Make notes when you’re happy, sad, thrilled, anxious – where are you? Are you with anyone? What’s the weather like? What season is it? Keeping a daily journal and reviewing entries with mindfulness is an excellent place to start.

When you’re ready with a clear goal in your mind, or a clear outcome, here are my top ingredients for ‘spring cleaning’ your mind and body:

1. Environment.

This includes both physical space and also your immediate network of individuals and groups.

The biggest task is to create a space and protect it with boundaries. Your time and your energy are important and it’s key to learn who and what will waste both of these. Spend less time with them. Focus on filling your cup and space with people who will support you and direct good energy around you and toward you. There’s no more time for energy vampires.

For me, this involves walking barefoot on the fresh spring grass, working hands in the dirt, soaking up sunshine, and watching a sunrise and sunset.

and building overall awareness of yourself and your space.

2. Rituals.

These are sacred and should be yours and meaningful to you. Beyond brushing teeth or applying retinol cream each day, these are the actions and functions that allow you to be the human you desire.

I have a few precious rituals that I protect—morning coffee and creation time, Sunday planning and prep, a daily walk with my pup, and weekly date night with husband. Beyond these typical weekly tasks, we’ve created a few annual rituals that we love to build and own: travel during specific holidays, home projects, keeping a travel scrapbook, and time working on an exciting new project that I’ll share soon.

Decide what’s most valuable and important to you and create opportunities in your day and week to make sure these items get the time and attention they deserve.

3. The One Thing.

There’s one thing that you do, one energy that you bring, one action that sets you apart from others. It’s possible you’ve yet to discover it—I only discovered my ‘thing’ one year ago, after 12 years of having a business and working every day.

Once you discover your thing, it’s time to put at least 80% of your energy into it. It might take a lot of projects and energy to discover the magic, but it’s there.

Here’s are some ways to discover your Thing: is there an idea or a project you can’t stop thinking about, even when you’re working on something else? Have you heard from people ‘wow, you’re so good at this’ and it’s something that made you feel good? I’d start here. Nothing comes to mind? Keep your eyes and ears open for something that sparks your interest.

My biggest piece of advice here is not to copy someone else—it’s obvious and it doesn’t look good on you to wear someone else’s ideas and visions.

I love sharing this kind of energy, and it’s the kind of work I want to share 1:1 and in small groups and workshops. I believe everyone has the capability to live their best life, to be confident, and to feel refreshed and full of energy. You deserve to feel good.