I recently met with our nutritionist, Kristen Zetterberg as we were mapping out the goals of the nutrition department for 2010. We wanted to be specific and write down exactly what she and I expected to achieve and what steps we would take to get there. I shared with Kristen how I work on my own personal goals. I call this my ‘hour of power’ and we learned of it through the consulting group our practice works with. Kristen said, "Dr. Denise, you should write a book on that". So a book isn’t being published (yet), but I certainly do want to share this invaluable habit of mine.
I usually go to sleep by 10 pm. My body needs 7 hours of sleep to function at its best. Like clockwork and without an alarm, my eyes pop open at 4:55 am each day. I drink 16 ounces of water sitting on my nightstand. I go make a cup of coffee. Then I sit in my favorite chair, in my favorite corner of the house, with the house nice and quiet. For the next 60 minutes the world is my playground and it is the time I most cherish during the day. For the first 30 minutes I read. And what I read is important. I don’t read fiction at this time. I read classic, inspirational, motivational, spiritual, up-lifting, awe-inspiring, get my flames burning books. How’s that for descriptive? (see my top ten at end of article) If I’m reading a new book and I really love it (i.e., it’s made a difference in my life) then that book gets categorized as a classic. I always re-read my classics.
After 30 minutes of reading, I open my journal. Barnes ‘N Noble carries the best 8.5 x 11" spiral bound, hardback notebooks. One journal may last several years. In my journal you will find lots of items. For example every time I read a classic book, I highlight the passages that mean the most to me. After I’m finished reading the book, I will record those passages in my journal. Then when I reread that page in my journal, it’s as if I’m rereading the book. In my journal you will find my personal and professional goals & dreams that I update every 3 to 4 months. In my journal you will find pictures of things I WANT because seeing is believing and believing is achieving. And of course when I read a goal that I wrote several years ago that I achieved, it just further proves this point to me. In my journal you will find notes, cards, emails or letters that I’ve received that have had meaning to me so that I can re-feel how I felt the first time I read them.
After the 10 minutes of reading in my journal, I will pray for 10 minutes. I’m a Christian and I use the Bible as my ‘owner’s manual’. My toaster oven came with instructions, so I’m pretty sure this complicated thing called ‘life’ also needs instructions. That works for me. It may not work for you. However, over 90% of us believe in a higher power, so whatever that means to you, then I would pray to that higher power or energy. And if there’s a spiritual text that you follow, such as the Bible or Torah, then make sure to include reading it in your hour of power.
Lastly I spend 10 minutes meditating. I have several meditation CDs next to my favorite chair and a headset. I use Yanni Maniates’ CDs that he made for our 8 Weeks to Wellness® program. And I have several CDs given to me by patients or that I purchased at the music section of Barnes N Noble. I have learned to meditate It isn’t something that comes natural. We are taught reading, writing and arithmetic. We are taught how to work and think and work and think. But we are not taught how to ‘not think.’ And it takes practice. Think of your mind as a computer that needs to be swept for viruses and debugged daily. That’s what meditation does. It allows you to clean the slate each day so you can get rid of bad, worrisome, negative thoughts. You wipe your blackboard clean during the meditation. Then you get to fill you mind with positive and uplifting thoughts that you read about in your journal or inspiring text.
The most important thing to remember is that there isn’t an exact formula for an hour of power. It doesn’t have to be an hour (just rhymes nicely). You don’t have to read. You can write during this time. You can simply sit quietly with a cup of tea and appreciate the serenity of your home. It’s simply important that you do it. Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, said it this way. "Get up early. I dare you to do it for a few weeks. Your life is too precious a thing to waste. You know you were meant for your own unique form of greatness. You know you can do more, have more and be more. You know that you can be bigger than you currently are. So join The 5 O’Clock Club. Win The Battle of The Bed. Put mind over mattress. Get up early. And as Benjamin Franklin once noted: "there will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dead."
Dr. Denise Chranowski, along with her twin brother, Dr. Dane Donohue, and Dr. Jerry Agasar, are the owners of Wellness Solution Centers. Located in Newtown, this Wellness Center has all the tools and resources to dramatically improve your health, including chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, personal training, and nutritional counseling. www.wscenters.com