Over the years I have read a lot of books, attended a lot of seminars, and worked with a lot of coaches on how to be successful.
Over and over again I discovered that these successful people have a daily habit to help them be at their best and stay centered. The actual habit varied from person to person, but the themes were similar. They all dealt with staying mentally, physically, and spiritually fit by following a daily habit.
I call it The Power Hour.
The Power Hour is about improving yourself every single day—mentally, physically, and spiritually. It’s about staying in abundance and protecting your mindset. It’s about clearing space for new ideas. It’s about adding to your mental capital. It’s about freeing your mind of stress. It’s about being more productive. It’s about tuning out excess noise that surrounds us every day.
And ultimately, it’s about empowering yourself to share your purpose with the world.
So if you make the Power Hour your daily habit, I promise you that you’ll be transformed into a force to be reckoned with.
To add a daily Power Hour to your life, just follow the 3 Es: education, exercise and enlightenment.
Exercise (Body)
Every day, exercise or, on rest days, listen to podcasts, read books, or consume other materials to improve your knowledge around health.
Typically, we think of exercise as a way to lose weight and/or stay healthy, but it goes far beyond that.
Harvard Medical School psychiatrist, John Ratey, is widely quoted as saying, “Exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning. Even 10 minutes of activity changes your brain.”
WebMd.com agrees that exercise boosts brain power and adds that it can “melt away stress,” give you more energy, ward off disease and strengthen your heart.
The Mayo Clinic says that exercise even leads to better sleep.
So in the end, exercise isn’t just about getting and staying physically fit, it’s about reaching your optimal mental performance as well.
Educate (Mind)
Every day, feed your mind by studying your passion, whether that’s through books or audios or meeting with a mentor.
If you read 10 pages a day that’s around 300 pages a month. If the average book is 250-300 pages, then you’re reading 12-14 books a year. That’s far more than most people read.
Whenever I make this a habit, I notice new ideas come to me quickly and effortlessly. Combined with exercise, this transforms you into a force to be reckoned with.
And it’s smart to read a book with a pen or pencil so that you can mark important passages or take notes in the margins. I’ve even known some people to compile all their book notes into one document—either on paper or on a computer.
Remember that you can also read books on your phone or other handheld devices which usually allow you to take notes digitally.
For some people, audiobooks are the easiest way to consume information. Dr. Hopper listens to audiobooks in his car so he can listen while he commutes—it’s also a good way to pass the time if you’re waiting in the car for a child to be done with school or sports practice.
A good tip with audiobooks is to have a way to jot down notes so that if you hear something you want to remember, you have it written down for later. It’s easy to scan notes, it’s not so easy to scan audio. (Obviously, don’t write notes while you’re driving, pull over.)
Finally, sometimes meeting with a mentor can be your method of study for a day. If it increases your knowledge base, then it counts as education.
Enlightenment (Personal)
Every day, practice your preferred spiritual discipline. This can mean meditating, contemplating, praying, reading scripture or exercising gratitude – whatever helps you become centered and the best version of yourself.
I suggest starting with 7 or so deep breaths to bring yourself to a higher level of calm and relaxation. Breathe in. Breathe out. And each time you breathe out let go of any stress or tension that’s weighing you down.
Then breathe normally, continuing to focus on each breath—breathe in, breathe out—to become more and more relaxed.
Doing this each day will reset and clear your mind, preparing you to be your best and most powerful self for the rest of the day.
I also like to spend a few minutes contemplating the things that I’m grateful for. One great way to do this is to pick up a Five Minute Journal.
Or I might simply ask myself these questions:
- What am I grateful for in my health?
- What am I grateful for with my family?
- What am I grateful for financially?
- What am I grateful for socially—meaning my relationships, vacations, and outings?
When I take the time to contemplate and acknowledge what I have, it allows me to start my day from a place of abundance.
Commit to Doing This for 52 Days
This is a bit unscientific, but it’s what I recommend: if you commit to a daily Power Hour for 52 days–30 days to reverse a habit, 21 days to create a habit and 1 day to grow on—you will experience amazing results for yourself.
Remember that everyone has tough days, so focus on showing up and making progress rather than being perfect every day.
Even if you do each of these things for just 10 minutes a day, or 5 minutes a day in the beginning, it will add up over time.
After 52 days of improving yourself mentally, physically and spiritually, you will be a whole different person.
After a year or more, you will be ready to change the world. I truly believe that.