00:00:00:00 - 00:00:29:05
Unknown
Everyone, thank you so much for being a listener of the Zen story Path one to make this quick episode here to actually just give a life update about what I'm up to, what I'm doing in terms of morning routine, what I'm doing to stay productive, what I'm doing to actually allow myself to continue this path of growth. So one of the things that I've done is I've actually simplified my morning routine pretty significantly.

00:00:29:11 - 00:00:45:21
Unknown
And the reason why I do that is because I look at the morning routine as a staple to somebody's day in terms of something that is going to prime you to be in the best state possible. So one of the things that I do is I realize that in the morning routine, I value certain things. Number one, I value movement.

00:00:45:23 - 00:01:09:22
Unknown
I value a sense of gratitude. And I value just a sense of freedom and spaciousness. So what I've actually done with my morning routine is I've actually loosened it considerably on purpose. And the reason for this is so that I can actually get into more of a flow with my day. So what the morning routine actually looks like today is every morning I wake up, I have a glass of water with electrolytes in it.

00:01:10:04 - 00:01:27:12
Unknown
So I'm always hydrating myself first thing and then depending on what time, I've woken up, because sometimes that will vary if I woken up before the sun. Typically what I'll do is I'll just go and work on something that I'm really passionate about in that moment, right? So that could be me designing a new process that I'm going to teach in my training.

00:01:27:14 - 00:01:46:13
Unknown
Or that could be me doing some outline or creative work for the Zen Store path. It can be truly anything that I am actually compelled by. Now, that's one thing that I might do if I wake up before the sun. The other thing that I might do is sometimes I'll actually work out in the morning, depending on if I'm feeling energized that morning.

00:01:46:13 - 00:02:07:18
Unknown
So, you know, either be some kind of a mentally creative endeavor or a physically creative endeavor where I'll go and I'll work on my body. Now, around the time that the sun is going up, what I like to do is my girlfriend and I, we go ahead and we walk our dogs outside. We have a nice 15 minute walk where we're getting some sunshine, we're getting some movement and we're having conversation with each other.

00:02:07:20 - 00:02:31:11
Unknown
Now what I really love about this particular routine is that it incorporates the movement that I was mentioning earlier. It incorporates the actual gratitude because I'm having an experience walking through nature with the person that I love most in this world. And that in and of itself, I've noticed, creates a lot more gratitude in my system than if I were to go and journal about what I'm grateful for.

00:02:31:17 - 00:02:54:09
Unknown
Typically speaking, the problem with the journaling, what I'm grateful for versus what I actually do today is that normally when we get into this habit of journaling things, we might in the beginning, when the habit is new, really feel that gratitude, but eventually becomes a mental activity. And gratitude is not necessarily doesn't you don't get the value out of it if you're not truly feeling it and if you're instead just thinking about it.

00:02:54:10 - 00:03:18:11
Unknown
So I actually like to have this activity where I am walking with the person I love most in this world. I'm walking in nature. There is sunshine out that I'm grateful for my body, for being able to talk, to walk, and for all the little simple things. Following that. What we end up doing is after we we walk the dogs, we like to actually go and extend our walk and go to the park and walk for another 45 minutes.

00:03:18:13 - 00:03:48:16
Unknown
This again, allows us to experience those same things, right? The movement getting a little bit of sweat going and also experiencing nature, experiencing conversation with one another that really brings us into the present. And so when I come back from that, I'll typically go into stillness, do some meditation, really bring myself into a place of presence. And what this helps me do is it just helps me let go of everything that I brought with me into that day and let go of all my expectations for the day and just to be in a place of total presence.

00:03:48:18 - 00:04:09:12
Unknown
And then from there I get into my actual work. So that's actually what my morning routine looks like. It it can change, it can vary, but it has a lot of the same elements each and every day. It has it has a focus on my body through hydration movement. Getting sunlight has a focus on my emotions by being with and conversating with the person that I love most in the world.

00:04:09:14 - 00:04:26:03
Unknown
And it has a focus on my mind, which is to be able to totally clear it and go into a space of stillness before I start anything else. So that is what my morning routine looks like today. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I'd love to hear about what your morning routine is. What is it that brings you into your place?

00:04:26:03 - 00:04:39:07
Unknown
Centeredness? What allows you to feel grateful? Feel free to send me a DM on Instagram. Victor Dot Zen Stoic. I'd love to hear about what your morning routine is or if you have any questions for what a better morning routine could look like.