Do you have “voices” in your head criticizing you, telling you you’re not good enough, not smart enough?
These damn inner critics, as they’re called, are extremely talented at plaguing us everyday.
Personally, mine are ruthless, mean and demand a lot of me. I’ve always battled with their judgements, until recently.
Over the weekend, I joined an amazing retreat led by Enspiral, and one particular open space session held by Katy Grennier on understanding our inner critics.⠀
It was during this workshop, that I had this big Ah-Ha moment on how to reframe the story I’ve been telling myself about my own inner critics.
After answering a series of questions, I came to my own conclusion that they could be used as a force for good and a whole new way of looking at them.
Watch the vlog below or tune into the podcast to learn more.
In this podcast you’ll learn:
What is the inner critic?
Questions you need to ask yourself to reframe your inner critics.
How to understand your inner critic
Resources:
Enspiral – an amazing community of entrepreneurs doing good
Katy Grennier was amazing at leading and facilitating this open space session. It was just a peek into a full immersion course offered at DSIL- her Bangkok-based company that is dedicated to building creative capacity in people so that they can build innovation, together. Learn more about their workshops at www.dsilglobal.com
My biggest passion in life has been pursuing my potential, and also seeing potential in others and helping them to recognize it for themselves and do something about it!
Little did I know there is a whole movement dedicated to Human Potential, that sprung up the 1960s around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential, which its advocates believe to lie largely untapped in all people.
I whole heartedly agree!
And hence why the idea for a podcast show called UNTAPPED leapt into my mind in late December and simply wouldn’t let me go until I did something about it.
I’m so curious about how to develop more potential, how do we live up to our potential and go beyond it.
What even IS potential? Are there different types of it? Who are the foremost experts in human potential, in personal development and what can you and I learn from them?
Then how can we apply this across all the areas of our lives that matter – relationships, health, wealth, career, personal growth, spirituality and contribution?
I figure I may not be able to become the best in the world, but I can become the best version of myself.
I feel like I’ve given this a great shot over the years, like in 2004 when I took myself on a 10 month journey to understand the weird world of body-sculpting and compete in my first, and only, competition.
Yes that’s really me on stage!
Lots of weightlifting, learning, sacrifice and chicken and broccoli later, and there I was standing on stage, all bronzed in a tiny blue spangly bikini costume, holding a trophy for first place in the NZ Regional North Island Novice ‘Tall’ body-sculpting Championships.
Weeks later, less than 10% body fat and hungry as, I was on stage competing at nationals, doing a routine to ‘What a feeling’ from flashdance.
Or in 2007, when I trained with this fantastic group of women called the Sisterhood, and by 6am three time s a week, I was out to on the River Thames paddling with them…and for a few times Kate Middleton – well before she became royalty.
In July that year we smashed a World Record dragon boating across the English Channel to France.
Months later, I was in Brazil playing World Championship Beach Ultimate Frisbee with the Great Britain Women’s team…and somewhere in amongst all the training for that, hot sand under our feet, dancing, caipirinhas and too much sunshine, we won a gold medal!
To 2012 when I decided that cycling 6,500km down the continent of Africa, from Nairobi, Kenya to Capetown, South Africa, was just something that sounded like fun and a great challenge.
Incidents with hyenas in our camp, sightings of elephants running away from us, majestic giraffes on safari, 160km + days of cycling and a new nickname of Flatalie, for the most flat tyres in a given period…later – and that was the experience of a lifetime.
And several more adventures and proud achievements in between, and it’s time for the next evolution.
To untap my potential, to live up to my own high expectations…and go beyond.
And to frankly explore a new level of being and living that stretches me to moments of pure joy, lots of discomfort and a whole lot of fun.
Want to explore human potential with me?
I regularly take on tasks that cause me to grow and stretch. I like being in over my head because it keeps me sharp and pushes me to give my full effort.
But I fear, somewhere in the depths of 2018, I lost sight of that. I wasn’t learning enough, I wasn’t applying new things, I was instead, in some sort of unhelpful holding pattern, waiting for the airport control tower to give me the all clear to take off.
I might even be so bold as to say, I was doing what Seth Godin told me I should never do…waiting for permission to be chosen, instead of choosing myself.
So, I thought to myself, enough is enough. It’s a new year and I’ve got a fresh new perspective, while at the same time being back to my normal self – which is a self I typically quite like!
Here are a few key ways I’m going to live up to and even beyond my potential throughout the course of my life, this podcast, my vlog and as I live write a book on this very topic, that I hope you can apply to.
#1. Focus on today.
Not tomorrow, not yesterday. But right now. It doesn’t matter whether yesterday was good or bad. It’s over. So don’t get stuck there.
And don’t focus on the future too – sure you can think about your big goals and dreams, but more important is what one action can you take today that will make a difference in the future.
Because you can influence what happens right now so give the present day your full attention – for want of sounding cliche, it’s called the present because it’s a gift.
#2. Focus on my priorities.
If I want to continue to untap my potential, I need to focus on my priorities and I can do this by protecting my time and my calendar.
You and I both know that it’s all too easy to have your day dictated to you by someone else’s agenda, requests (some may say demands) or priorities.
No more putting yourself second to others. If we want to be our best selves, in order to impact and help more people, we need to prioritize ourselves first.
Be selective about what you do because you can’t do it all. We all have the same amount of time in the day, it’s not lack of time that’s the problem here, it’s lack of direction and focus.
Choose your priorities and use your precious time to accomplish them.
#3. Focus on my strengths.
I know what I’m really good at. I know what I’m mediocre at. And I know what stuff really doesn’t light me up and feels like a drag.
I could focus on improving the latter two, but I’d prefer to focus on improving the stuff I’m already good at, especially things I’m naturally good at, because those are the areas where I have the potential to become great, or even the ‘best’, if I put in the effort, time and training.
In other words it’s a good use of my time to focus on my strengths.
#4. Focus on my results.
This one has been really apparent to me since I committed to training for triathlons in October 2018.
I’m doing my best not to focus on the professional athlete’s times and results, and just focus on whether my personal results are improving.
And even though I felt like I trained 5-6 days a week for two months for no real gains, it suddenly started showing up in my physique, in my strength and my performance.
It’s easy to become tired or frustrated when you feel you’re working hard, putting in the effort and not seeing the payoff.
But by sticking with it, measuring your progress and continuing to turn up and make small, consistent improvements, you will see the results and payoff.
Of course you need to know what you’re working toward – what result or outcome do you want, what’s the purpose behind it, and what are the processes you’re going to take to achieve it…more on that in future episodes.
By doing this you will stay focused on the big picture – visualizing where you are wanting to get to, without losing focus on the present – and what action you need to take today.
I’ve been doing a lot of what he’s been doing his whole life too, creating and testing different processes to make me more effective, then showing up and doing them consistently, until they become habits – things I do unconsciously, that really work.
As James states:
“The effects of small habits compound over time. For example, if you can get just 1 percent better each day, you’ll end up with results that are nearly 37 times better after one year.”
And this nugget:
“Habits are not the only thing that influence your success, but they are probably the most important factor that is within your control.”
Which leads me to….
#6. Focus on what I can control.
I realized late last year, when many things were turning to custard – predominantly in my business and therefore finances, that I’d been focusing too much on things that were out of my control.
You can’t set goals or intentions that aren’t directly within your control – you just can’t, and not be disappointed if things don’t come off.
So focus on what you can control, and set daily actions or weekly goals or monthly intentions to achieve those things that don’t have any external influence.
I have Life Pilot – our life planning tool, to thank for helping me do that way more effectively – every day, week, month, quarter and beyond.
For example I set a priority for how much time I dedicate to studying, painting or triathlon training and I schedule it in my calendar.
I can’t, however, control for the weather, for my a friend being late, or for their being a power outage and therefore no wi-fi.
So with these in mind, I bring you UNTAPPED. The podcast that will tap into how I can live up to my potential, and even go beyond it.
I’ll be doing the research and experimenting on myself, to bring you what works, what doesn’t and what just feels good, fun, silly or outrageous.
Did you know that, according to IDC research study, 80 percent of smartphone users check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up?
I don’t think that’s the sort of productive start to the morning that I’m personally looking for. And yet I know I’ve been guilty of checking my phone in the morning and doing the old “I’m trapped in the social media news feed scrolling”.
What I do know to be true is this, how you start your day determines exactly how the rest of your day will turn out. Wake up like a champion and you’ll likely have an amazing day.
Wake up and let others dictate your day by replying to notifications, emails and ‘urgent’ requests, before you’re even out of bed…your day will simply suck.
That’s why I want to share science-backed proven research around how make your mornings magical and why these new habits I’ve been implementing actually work!
My New Energising Morning Routine
I want to share with you my new morning routine that is leaving me energized, excited, happy and fresh faced.
I’ve actually put together a really beautiful pdf which shares with you not only the steps of my routine, but how you can create one for yourself, because I’m well aware that what works for me might not work for you.
I am waking up pretty naturally around 5:30 AM. I always set my Fitbit Versa watch for 5:45 AM just in case.
But typically for the last month or so, I’ve been waking up really naturally around 5:30, which is pretty awesome news for me because like many people, I’m usually a night owl so I can stay up pretty late.
I don’t typically work in the evenings as that’s my social and relax time. However I can work really effectively at night and I like staying up late. Even so I’ve been pretty good at getting up in the morning too.
I’d consider myself a night and morning person if that’s even possible?!
Once I became an entrepreneur and once I enveloped this freedom lifestyle – being able to do what the heck you want when you want, I did notice myself getting a little lazy on the early start time and expanding my work to fit the ample time I had.
So I had to nip that in the bud with waking up early and setting an alarm to develop a great early morning routine.
#2. Drink Water
The first thing I do, after waking up and doing a big cat stretch, is to drink a big glass of water. It flushes out the system and also it’s just like a really refreshing, beautiful way to start the morning.
#3. Move my body with Yoga
I roll out of bed and I literally have about three meters to walk to my drawer, where I pick up my yoga gear, which I’ve preset out already, including the g-string for my yoga pants!
That’s easy people because it’s been proven, that if you have your exercise or workout gear right near you, you’re far more likely to kind of like fall/ roll or leap out of bed and get straight into it.
Therefore you’re more like to make the workout or exercise happen.
I then put on my lovely oil diffuser and I usually have put in a concoction of essential oils the night before that I really like.
One of my favourites is a refreshing, energising citrus mix of lemon and wild orange. Sometimes I go for the more soothing, calming, lavender and Frankincense essential oils. I get my oils here.
I breathe that in deeply and then I roll out my yoga mat. If I’m honest, I usually have a little cuddle with my dogs who are like, ‘Is it yoga time yet Mum?’
They are pretty sleepy in the morning since Josh and I have changed to this earlier time. He and I typically do yoga on either side of the bed, which is pretty fun.
We do 15 to 30 minutes of Yoga with Adrienne, who is my favorite yoga goddess. She’s made home based yoga is such a pleasure. It means you can do it when you’re traveling. You can do it from home, you can do it from anywhere.
Her free YouTube channel is fantastic. I’m also a member of her Find what Feels Good community. A little shout out to Adriene. She’s one of the most wonderful people on Earth and it’s pretty rare for me to say that.
I just find she is such a breath of fresh air, such a positive, refreshing, joyous, happy, positive person who also makes me feel like no matter what stage of yoga you are at, you can do it.
#4. Meditation
After I’ve rolled up my yoga mat and am feeling pretty good about myself, I sit on the comfy rug at the foot of our bed, and lean my back up against the bed, and I open up my insights timer app.
Not: This is the ONLY time I grab my phone. I will choose somewhere from a 10 to 20 minute guided meditation, a chanting mantra meditation, or simply one that just plays a really beautiful chime or gong, when the time is up.
I’ll focus on my breath. But I’m more of a fan of the guided meditation because I still haven’t quite worked on the focusing the mind.
Depending on how excited I am about the day ahead, which is usually a lot, my mind can be wandering to some of those tasks and projects already. So I really liked the guided meditation. This app is free.
You can bookmark your favourites.
You’re probably realizing a pattern in my morning routine – that is to have stuff preset. I have:
The playlist of Yoga with Adriene ready to go.
My yoga clothes ready to jump into
My essential oils pre chosen the night before
All of this routine and this discipline gives you more freedom in the morning because let’s face it, even when you are jumping out of bed, you’re not always firing on all cylinders until you get really used to it.
So make your life easier by setting up everything in your routine beforehand.
#5. Hot and Cold Shower
After meditating, I jump into a nice hot shower. I’m actually a pretty quick showerer. Josh, however, on the other hand takes a long time in the shower!
Recently I have been finishing off with the cold water trick. I have it on nice and hot and before I even know it, my hand just turns it around to cold and it absolutely shocks my system into being awake!
So I enjoy the nourishing hotness of the shower. And then I have an instant wake up from the cold water. Thank you very much cold freaking shower.
It is also the fastest way to get out of the shower I can tell you that, but it absolutely wakes you up and livens your senses and invigorates your muscles.
#6. Get Dressed
Next I roll into getting dressed, doing whatever I need to look refreshed and feel ready for the day. As a minimalist I keep makeup light and cycle through my clothes regularly with favourite combinations.
#7. Hot Water and Lemon
I then go through to the kitchen, around 6:30am and I make a lovely warm water and freshly squeezed lemon drink to kickstart my metabolism in the morning and feel really cleansed.
Did you know that lemon in warm water has a bazillion benefits including:
detoxification – flushing out your system
antibacterial – they help you fight the common cold
hydrating
great for skincare and anti aging.
There are numerous benefits and I’ve popped them in a downloadable pdf for you that includes this energizing morning routine.
From here I’m often just gazing out the kitchen window at that point at our beautiful view of nature and doing some deep belly breathing.
This is where I will verbally state what I’m grateful for, if I haven’t already.
#8. Daily Greens
I happen to use Dr. Libby’s Daily greens and Radiant reds powder that is is at least one of my servings of vegetables for the day.
It tastes disgusting by itself, so I put it into coconut water and then it tastes so good. It’s like my way of cheating to get it in first thing in the morning, just in case I don’t get my salad or veggies intake.
I hope you have enjoyed my new, energizing, morning routine. It’s likely you are doing something similar already and I would love to see what the results are for you if you followed this or your own version of it.
Remember I’ve put this all into a really cool checklist laid out in a pretty PDF book for you to download. It includes more details about each of these routines and why they work.
I made a pretty big decision this weekend to end my podcasting journey, without any fanfare or second guessing.
It dawned on me that I have been podcasting for 7 years. Seven freaking years of putting out episodes!
What started out as monthly back on May 16, 2011, turned into twice a month around 2012 and at at the end of 2013 became weekly.
By 2015 I’d decided to up my game and go twice weekly, with one interview one ‘Fresh in Fifteen’ 15 minute show with my own tips.
In august 2016 I hit 1 Million Downloads which was a pretty awesome achievement for me and a show of wonderful support from listeners and the Suitcase Entrepreneur community.
As I wrote in that article:
I started my podcast in 2011 on May 16th. I actually had to look that date up as I couldn’t remember!
My first guest was the lovely Colleen Wainwright from Communicatrix and the interview (from my side at least) was pretty mediocre. You can check it out here.
At it’s peak 40,000 ‘Freedomists’ tuned in from all over the world, every month. To date it has over 1.8 million downloads which blows my mind.
I know many of my peers have podcasts that do that in a few months, but I’m proud of that result plus 200+ five-star reviews.
In late 2013 the podcast was nominated and made a Top 10 Finalist in the Business Category at the Podcast Awards and it consistently ranked in the Top 100 category for Business in iTunes.
Weekly interviews with successful entrepreneurs and digital nomads included Michael Hyatt, Amy Portereld, Pam Slim, Chris Guillebeau, Pat Flynn, Jaime Masters, Chris Ducker, Jill and Josh Stanton, Josh Turner, Nisha Moodley, Mark Manson, Nick Loper and Denise Duffield-Thomas to name but a few.
Podcasting Benefits
A few other valid points I made in that article:
I love podcasting – I enjoy it and it works for my natural talents – I like to talk a lot and I like to interview all types of people, treat it like a casual conversation, and bring out the best in them so they can share their stories far and wide
It’s a fantastic community building tool – I love my Freedomists who listen in every week and then meet me in person to tell me how much they enjoy the show – and that I sound exactly like I do on my podcast. Their engagement and feedback makes my day.
It’s a fantastic business marketing tool – I’ve indirectly traced more revenue thanks to listeners telling me that they signed up to a program or a retreat or a mastermind because of hearing me talk about it on my podcast. I’ve also increased my list thanks to people who opted in to get my podcast bonus guides.
It’s an excellent way to engage with and partner with sponsors – I’ve been fortunate to have a host of amazing sponsors over the years like 99Designs, Hostgator, Upwork, Skross and more. Some I approached, others approached me and it’s been a brilliant source of revenue to not only fund the costs of running a podcast but as a revenue stream all in itself.
Podcasting Realities
You have to go all in, or not at all.
Sure you can start out like I did, with my laptop, Skype and no fancy microphone and do just fine, but if you want to be top of class you need to up your game as you grow.
I’m talking great equipment –I use the Zoom H6 Handy Recorder and an external Schuh Microphone.
I outsourced editing within the first month knowing this wasn’t where I wanted to spend my time. And it was a brilliant investment.
Over time as I’ve learned more and done more with my podcast, it’s meant hiring more people to help with show notes, content upgrades, formatting, images and hosting.
Our SOP (standard operating procedure) for editing and producing a podcast – which is also a full Asana template for our team now, is impressive and something I’m so proud we’ve built.
But it sure does take time, effort and money.
I asked Rolly, who’s been my amazing podcast editor since January 2014, to total his hours worked on my podcast and it’s approximately 1,200 hours to date!
Batching recording my podcasts in advance has helped a great deal too, meaning you can take time off, go on holiday or simply not worry about scrambling last minute to get an episode out…which has happened a lot to be fair!
Sponsors were a big part of helping out with covering the considerable costs of running a podcast, which I think a lot of people starting out underestimate.
To date I’ve earned over US$100,000 in sponsorships.
That is amazing in itself, as are the relationships you forge with the sponsors.
Podcast Guests Really Make a Great Show
I’ve been privileged to interview some amazing guests when it was the Suitcase Entrepreneur and these have made a huge difference to the quality of my shows, my reach and also credibility.
While I never assumed those I interviewed would share my show (although many did), just being able to put their name as a guest on your show gave you instant kudos.
I also loved interviewing those folks who were up and coming or just doing really cool stuff but were not ‘big names’ or influencers, because frankly they were in the thick of it all and told it as it really was.
Their stories resonated even more with my listeners, because they could relate.
Here are the TOP ranked Suitcase Entrepreneur Podcasts:
I finished my Suitcase Entrepreneur interview series on Episode 300 and that felt awesome.
Switching to a New Podcast Format
In January 2017 I switched over to a narrative style format and rebranded to Quest for Freedom when I also switched over to posting more on this new website and moving away from The Suitcase Entrepreneur.
I’d fallen in love with this format after listening to Startup by Gimlet Media and loving the storytelling and seasonal aspect of their podcasts.
Of course they had built an entire company to produce quality podcasts and had a whole team of editors, journalists and writers behind them but I figured I could do my own version and I was a bit ‘over’ the interview format that so many people do.
In April 2016 I went on my sabbatical and took a three month break from all content creation and my business. This didn’t affect things too much but I did quite like the break from having to come up with themes for the season and all the research.
Turns out narrative podcasts by yourself are much more work than interviewing fab people!
I navigated away from seasonal podcasts to more topical themes so mindset, meditation, productivity etc.
This helped me get my head around what to focus on, otherwise I could talk on all sorts of topics!
Post my sabbatical was, incidentally, also around the time I realized my enthusiasm and desire to produce high quality content for free (but at my investment) week in and week out was waning.
And so it leads me to this moment in time, when I can quite happily walk away from seven years of committing to this amazing medium that has brought me so much joy, happiness and personal growth.
It’s also brought me new friends, connections and insights with incredible entrepreneurs and taught me a level of work ethic and discipline like batching and organizing well ahead of time, that’s permeated every aspect of my business.
It’s been profitable and pleasurable.
For now though, I’m looking forward to listening to other people’s podcasts and appreciating just what goes into theirs.
At some point in the future I have ideas for new and more targeted shows, but for now I’m hanging up my podcast boots with gratitude to all my listeners and supporters who made me want to turn up for 7 years and hit publish.
Being productive doesn’t mean sitting and working for eight straight hours. You’ll burn yourself out!
There are other ways to maximize productivity. For instance, cutting out distractions and turning off email notifications.
Many of us are looking for ways to live a more productive life, that’s why in this episode, I’ll share 17 strategies you can employ today to have an exceptionally productive 2018!
Key resources:
TeuxDeux is a simple designy to-do app for the Web and iPhone.
LeechBlock NG is a simple productivity tool: an extension for the Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers designed to block those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day.
Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps across all your Mac, Windows, and iOS devices so you can focus on what matters most.
Upwork is an online community of talented virtual workers from around the world who want freelance work, and companies who need their skills.
Want to learn exactly how to make your first hire in less than 30 days and start delegating work you dislike doing, shouldn’t be doing or frankly can’t do? Let me show you exactly how in Outsource Like a Rockstar.
Toggl: Hassle-free time tracking so your business runs like clockwork.
You can now listen and learn on the go, and make the whole experience highly enjoyable with an audiobook.
The first book I ever bought was Seth Godin’s Linchpin, and loved listening to his wise words when I was out running or at the gym. I could pause and go back and listen again.
Right now I’m listening to the awesome Mel Robbins The 5 Second Rule – at 1.5 X the speed!
It’s really cool to hear the author tell it in their own words, inflections and storytelling style.
Plus an audiobook doesn’t weigh anything and is easy to pack up when you’re on the move!
With Audible, you can sign up month by month or yearly and you get a certain amount of free credits – 1 credit = 1 free audiobook.
Evernote is an app designed for note taking, organizing, tasks lists, and archiving. It is developed by the Evernote Corporation, headquartered in Redwood City, California, U.S.
Behind every successful entrepreneur is a team they delegate the work they don’t love to, so that they can focus on the things they do love.
I found my first Virtual Assistant, Margaret, in February 2012. I hired her just two weeks before I headed off on my 6,500 cycling expedition down the east coast of Africa, which meant I’d be offline for over two months.
At first I had concerns about if she could handle the job, what if she screwed up, what if she stole my work or screwed up my customer relations….and then I got over myself, trusted in her and left her to run my business for two months while I cycled through an astounding continent!
Outsourcing was a necessity for me, and since then I have hired over 30 contractors throughout the years to help me, not only run my business, but to grow it, and to make sure I get out of the way when needed.
If you want more time and money, outsourcing is the key.
And it starts with delegating your daily to-dos so you can start to see the immense freedom that comes from stepping aside and giving up control of all the things you just shouldn’t be doing.
In this episode I talk about:
The ONE big tip that transformed my life and my business
The best way to figure out what you should delegate in the first place
My method for choosing who you should hire first
There’s a lot of juicy goodness in this podcast so listen up and take notes!
If you want to learn how to let go of your huge to-do list by hiring the right people to do it for you, and then set up your systems to build your dream team in 30 days or less, then check out my course:
If you’re not quite ready to take this seriously and start delegating right away, then at least figure out what it is that is overwhelming you by writing it down using my free template – it will be a game changer for you, once you see all the work you’re doing that you should be outsourcing.
To be truly successful, whether it’s in our lives or our business, we need to stay at the top of our game. It can be challenging, but being productive is necessary.
Productivity allows you to crush your goals and soar through tasks in both your business and personal life, helping you to stay at the top of your game and be truly successful!
Do you want to be ridiculously productive? How lucky then, that I’m here to help you have an exceptionally productive 2018!
Fear not, for here are my top 17 tips and get productivity-boosting tips.
Want to learn exactly how to make your first hire in less than 30 days and start delegating work you dislike doing, shouldn’t be doing or frankly can’t do? Let me show you exactly how in Outsource Like a Rockstar.
TeuxDeux is a simple designy to-do app for the Web and iPhone.
LeechBlock NG is a simple productivity tool: an extension for the Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers designed to block those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day.
Freedom blocks distracting websites and apps across all your Mac, Windows, and iOS devices so you can focus on what matters most.
Are you getting a great night’s sleep or are you consistently sleep deprived because you’re on your smartphone or laptop too late?
I’m definitely guilty of working from a laptop in bed, or checking my phone before I go to sleep and I’m not proud of it.
But since I’m on a mission to uncover life-changing habits and routines that let you reach your full potential and give you true freedom, I’ve been consistently getting in the habit of turning off all devices by 7pm each night.
And guess what? My sleep and quality of sleep has improved a ton!
An article published in The Independent shows: “In a study of 10,000 16 to 19-year-olds, researchers in Norway found that the longer a young person spent looking at an electronic screen before going to bed, the worse quality sleep they were likely to have.”
The problem comes from the short bursts of excitement you get when consuming social media….yes they designed it to be addictive and to give you hits of dopamine.
Dopamine motivates you to continue to replicate the original behaviour that made you feel pleasure – such as repeatedly clicking on social media posts or sending text messages.
The problem with this is that too often we can find ourselves trapped in a spiral of seeking more gratification.
Laptops, tablets and phones all emit a blue light which illuminates the screen. This blue light suppresses the body’s production of the hormone melatonin.
This hormone is essential in order for us to feel sleepy. Alaska Sleep Clinic believe: “The light emitting from these devices is similar in wavelength to daylight and can trick your circadian rhythm into believing it’s daylight and delay the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep”.
A delayed release of melatonin means it will take you longer to fall asleep.
In this episode I talk about:
What is dopamine and what it does to you
Several ways to get a really good night’s sleep
Key apps to use to minimize the effect your screen has on you
Key resources to check out to overcome your fear:
Download & install the free app ‘flux’ for your computer or laptop.
Have you ever scrolled through, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to see a friend or peer doing awesome things? Except, instead of feeling happy for them, you feel instantly envious or depressed? It happens to all of us, unfortunately, and it all has to do with this little thing called The Comparison Game.
Scrolling the Instagram feed has the ability to make me feel like I’m not enough, in an instant. So much so that I’ve stopped enjoying this app like I used to.
I value it as a connection and business tool, but I’m tired of seeing the perfectly curated photos that only show one side of that person’s life – the one that makes you feel like you’re inadequate and your life is dull or even sucks.
YOUR aim in life should be to be the very best version of yourself, by focusing on what you do best and love to do.
So why do we all consistently compare ourselves against others?
Why do we look at people who are 3, 5 or even 10 years ahead of us in business and in life and get completely dejected that ‘we’re not there yet’ or that we pale in comparison.
This destructive habit has to stop!
You can’t even begin to know what’s behind their journey, what it took for them to get to where they are now. But you can learn from them, and emulate the great things they do, so long as you don’t try to measure up against them.
Remember, there is always someone doing better than us in something but instead of comparing yourself, concentrate on where you’re at and what you’ve achieved.
In this video, I share:
Five ways to stop comparison game for good
Difference between competition and comparison
How to replace negative thoughts to positive thoughts
