Accountability for Higher Performance & Success (with Anthony Garcia)

Description:
Are you and your team struggling with sales performance? In this podcast episode, MJ interviews a bestselling author and expert in sales training recruitment, Anthony Garcia. Tune in to learn about sales strategies and key insights used worldwide by individual sales, producers and sales leadership.

Show Notes:
0:05 Intro: Anthony Garcia’s entrepreneurship
2:15 Catapulting commissions program
3:20 The special sauce in any business
7:50 The power of self-reflection in your business
11:40 Why accountability is so important / How accountability leads to success
20:40 The value of vulnerability
26:50 What is the key to getting the most out of sales or your sales team?

Important Links:
www.anthonypgarcia.com
www.mjgordon.com
YouTube - MJ Gordon

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Don’t quit. Sometimes things are not always easy but you just have to keep going. Look at adversity as an opportunity to discover and teach us new things.

2. You need one accountable person to help you achieve your goals and become successful in business and in other areas of your life. It can be a coach, a colleague, or a friend.

3. Vulnerability is attractive. There is no perfectionism when it comes to building a business. Being vulnerable and being authentic will attract more people and grow your business.

How I Live My Everyday Vacation

Hello, World!

I talk a lot about life optimization and that can mean so many different things for different people. We talk about fulfillment, living life on your terms and living in everyday vacation. I realize that I really don't share much about my life here. I realize that you don't really know what has changed or how I've been creating my own everyday vacation for myself.

My life now is mostly an everyday vacation and as I move forward, it just continues to evolve closer. It was a very powerful, impactful experience and process for me, that I created this step by step course called “The Everyday Vacation”. It is about how to become really honest with yourself, how to build a foundation of bricks to catapult or launch, or how to create your life moving forward. This is what I felt ultimately that I had been missing in the previous years of my life.

I had all these ideas that were great principles, but my life wasn't built on the foundation of those principles. They were just kind of cliche sayings or ideas that I got behind, but I wasn't really digging deep and saying, “Am I really applying these principles to each area of my life?” I kind of hit the reset and tried to really get to the nitty gritty of all the little things that I felt like was important to address and to begin to evolve and improve.

There are main major differences that I’ve seen in my life in the last five years, thus far journeying this everyday vacation process. While my freelance work didn't change because of the immense debt that I had to tackle, my approach did. By moving to Florida and reducing my economics, I was able to be more selective on the projects that I took on that were more aligned with being a minimalist.

My health was the next thing that changed which took time and effort. I learned resourceful skills over the course of recovering from adrenal fatigue, which has created more resilience than I've ever experienced in my adult life. The lifestyle was the biggest surprise that changed for me because I never in my life would have imagined not only feeling content and interested in, but extremely happy, balanced and fulfilled doing what I do now… 

Which is still practicing minimalism. I am extremely thoughtful about what I’m doing now and spend extra time, energy and effort to think about ways to reduce consumption. We also homestead have fruit, forest chickens, all this stuff, which honestly I used to be one of those people that is like gardening is so boring.

The next thing that I noticed that was totally different, and probably much harder to quantify, is my mindset. I used to take these principles and they used to feel like something that I should do, that I wanted to do, that I was practicing doing, but oftentimes could be hard for me. Where I used to spend my time and I really can't even remember what I wasted my time on because that's how not important those things were, I fill my time now with entertaining things like Duolingo, reading, listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Most of my free time now is either spent with the kids and family or gardening.

I try really hard to prioritize my health by doing yoga which feels good, rather than telling myself I should do it. I spend a lot of time now on things that I truly enjoy doing where I can gain value from.

These are just some of the major ways my life has changed since I started creating my everyday vacation. You too can have the time, energy, resources to create whatever your everyday vacation looks like for you to feel balanced.

It's okay if it feels overwhelming at times. The main focus is to be able to maintain that balance. There's too many things in life to be interested and entertained by. It is always evolving and there's always things to improve. At the same time, you are also shifting and evolving. While some things might be an everyday vacation for you today, that might look different three to five years from now. So find more ways to level up your time and energy to live your everyday vacation life!

When Life Gets Hard (with Danny Bader)

Description:

Is your life a joy or a struggle? How do you find joy during hard times?  In this podcast episode, MJ interviews a bestselling author and speaker who literally died and came back to life after an accident. Since the life-changing event, he has been doing everything he can to inspire people to live more lovingly, joyously and with more enthusiasm for life. 

Show Notes:
0:10 Intro: Danny Bader’s Coming Back From The Dead Life Experience
10:13 Finding Meaning In Life’s Struggles
13:45 Advice For When You Are Struggling With Faith
19:53 How Danny Maintains Peace and Joy In The Midst of Struggles
22:50 Live In The Present - Live In The Moment

Important Links:
Danny’s Books
Danny Interviews MJ
www.mjgordon.com
YouTube - MJ Gordon 

3 Key Takeaways:
1. Expect life’s struggles. It is part of the human journey and that’s the nature of life. Be more present and don’t worry about the small things.

2. When you feel life sucks, put it into perspective and ask yourself, it sucks compared to what and find what can be better on the other side.

3. Find that greater purpose. When you are struggling to get back into joy in the present, find something greater and have some faith that there is a greater purpose outside of you.

THIS is the Reason You're So Exhausted

In a culture where we glorify hustle and grind, there is never such a thing as being too busy or working too hard. But more and more we are finding stress, anxiety, and fatigue ramp up. And despite how seemingly balanced your life may be, or used to be, it’s common to feel totally out of balance and out of control.

When it comes to the way our body responds in life… It’s not just what you do, but the way you do things that matters. When you are aggressively tackling your activities throughout each day, you are putting your mind and body under stress. Meanwhile, a growing resentment starts to take place and rather than looking forward to your daily to-do’s and goals, you begin to resist and detest them. This creates a negative anchor that cycles and grows each day. And because you’re trying so hard… this continues to exhaust you. Let’s talk about some ways you can turn this cycle around.

First, turn your need to achieve into a need to achieve - some fun and relaxation. Scheduling time for yourself daily, at least a half an hour to an hour, to do something simply for fun will benefit you not only more productivity and less stress - but also, the skill of being able to turn on and turn off your hustle mode. Whatever you do should have no other objective other than to enjoy or to relax.

Second, bring that fun into as many daily activities as possible. If something has to be done a certain way, add fun or relaxation to it. Play some enjoyable music while you’re cleaning, listen to something entertaining while you drive, setup break timers for a moment of deep breathing… Take a moment to look at all your tasks each day and ask, “Is there any way to make this more enjoyable and relaxing?”

Next, take the time to soak into the moment. It’s equally about the journey as it is the destination, and the journey usually takes the longest, so it’s important to enjoy the journey! Sometimes things are inconvenient or unfavorable, but taking the time to see how those specific things allow you the privilege of certain experiences shifts your paradigm towards a desire to complete the task rather than to resent it.

You realize you actually DO want to do most of the things on your task list, because the outcome is what you desire. So, if feeling energized, clear and productive is the outcome you desire, learn to enjoy the process of fun and relaxation.

There are a couple key things to consider; You can’t fake enjoyment and relaxation. In order to truly generate balance and recharge your energy, you truly have to allow yourself to authentically enjoy. You have to bring your mind and body into states of relaxation. And it takes conscious awareness and effort to do so. Don’t fight yourself about it.

Also, if your sleep routine and quality is not solid, never mind expecting anything. It’s not that these tips won’t help, they certainly help manage stress and energy, however you won’t experience the same results without a good foundation of sleep.

So before you write this off in exchange for a tangible solution “that actually works”, I challenge you to be open to the idea that that thought itself is a clear indicator of your goal- oriented need to achieve. And I challenge you to give this a try first. Everyday for 2 weeks find a way to incorporate at least a half hour of fun, regular relaxation, and mindfulness into as many things as you possibly can. At the very least, I’m confident you’ll find a little more focus, ease, and appreciation throughout each day. You have nothing to lose!

10 Ways to Be More Productive This Week

Productivity is something that is never ending, something that we can always improve and get better. And if you're like me, you may often find yourself rushing to hustle throughout the day, but feel like there are still ways you can be even more productive.

So, we can talk about productivity all that we want, but productivity doesn't really work if we are not working to make ourselves more productive.

You have to take the time to actually plan to be productive, you have to make an effort. But if you don't make that effort because you feel like you don't have enough time, you actually end up being less productive. You're investing time to get more time back.

If you don't feel like you're hitting your schedule every single day or your to-do list, and you find that by Friday everything is so backed up, maybe one of these 10 tips will help you…

#1 Be intentional - Plan and have a schedule. This seems like a no-brainer, but I'm not talking about just scheduling your appointments or meetings. Schedule your whole day and make sure to give yourself windows for flexibility, because we all know the unplanned will happen at some point or another.

#2 Separate Personal & Work Life - If you’re working from home, create a space that is only for work. When you work, put your personal phone calls and texts on silent so only the important work stuff comes through. If you can keep a separate line for business, even better.

This is really important because distractions take a lot of time away from your day. Even if something takes just a minute or two, to be completely derailed and then get refocused again, eats up a significant amount of time. What’s more effective is setting aside 15 minutes after your task to deal with personal things, or setting aside an hour or two after the whole day to deal with personal things.

#3 Limit Your Activities - Learn to say no. I know that can be a tough one because life is amazing, however, once you become aware of and limiting what you fill your time with, you will become more productive and effective at meeting your goals.

This approach will naturally create more space in the schedule, rather than having time leak in different areas that are difficult to maintain awareness of.

#4 Eat Your Biggest Frog - Doing the most difficult thing first is the best way to get the weight off your chest. You are easily more productive because once the most difficult task is complete, the rest is easy and the day tends to sail smoother.

#5 Be Realistic - Hard working idealists, like you and me, tend to look at the day in perfect theoreticals and the truth is, that just never happens. There's always something that comes up or takes a little bit longer than anticipated. The best way to address this is to leave buffers between activities so you gain a realistic time perspective on your tasks.

#6 Eliminate the unnecessary - You’re likely aware of this, however, I’d like to challenge you to refine your actions even more. Maybe there are certain discussions that pan out longer than necessary, or thoughts that can be contemplated at another time of day.

If your actions aren’t contributing to your life values, goals, or the scheduled necessities, remove it. It doesn’t mean removing everything. But it begs you to ponder if it really does serve you.

#7 - Get Good Sleep - I know I sound like a broken record, but when you prioritize sleep, you set yourself up for success because you have a clear head, you good energy, and you feel good… and that's going to power you through your day. Everyone knows terrible sleep equals feelings of sluggishness and lack of motivation.

Now I know some of you have the perfect evening routine, but what you really need to be doing is pushing your bedtime up and not thinking so much once you’re in bed. Review your sleep hygiene, keep a notepad and pen near your bedside, and leverage sleep tools to improve the quality of your sleep.

#8 Don’t Skip Breakfast - It's really easy to run out of the door with coffee and a bagel, or go to Starbucks to get something quick and easy, but cheap nutrition only furthers taxation on your system without actually supporting what your body needs to have clarity, sharpness, and focus.

I'm not saying don't drink coffee, but just make sure you get good nutrition at the top of your day as well. Skipping the nutritious food might be convenient and delicious, but that is asking for an inevitable crash and burn. So, save those quick coffee runs for emergencies only.

#9 Have Fun - How does fun contribute to productivity? Most of us need a little fun and entertainment to find balance between grinding all day and having something to look forward to. The problem is that we derail from being productive to give attention to distractions all in the name of “taking a break”.

When we are not fully immersed in present, genuine enjoyment we aren’t going to recharge or gain the hormone benefits we usually do when we’re truly having fun. So it’s better to take intentional pomodoro breaks throughout the day and then schedule deliberate space for ample amounts of fun on a regular basis.

This is more than just a tip, it is key, because without any fun - you will face an inevitable crash and burn.

#10 Get Daily “You Time” - This is the time where you get to ask yourself, everyday, what do YOU need. This is the time to recenter, recharge, and reinvigorate your mind and body… whatever that means to you. Too often, we go-go-go without slowing down to ask: What keeps us going? It’s no wonder it’s all to common for people like you and I to lose steam and motivation.

Get honest about what truly recharges you and makes you feel refreshed, alive, renewed. You can feel it balance your mood and mind. You want to discover what that is and make sure you do that at least 30, if not 60 minutes a day.

It will change your life.

For myself, the second half of this list has been the most powerful in creating the most productivity in my life. You have to think about the way you approach and organize all of the different facets of your to-do’s and how they quantify when you take inventory. Looking at your life and at all the specifics that create the bulk of time inventory, what you do on a daily, weekly basis, is what's going to make the biggest difference.

It does take a little extra time, but it’s sure worth the investment and the productivity output in the long run.

Why You Need to Fail & Have Setbacks

This morning on my garden walk, I was reminded of a life principle that I wanted to share:

There are seasons in life, and with each season comes change. Certain times of the season things grow a lot and other times things die. And even though things are dying with the season it's important to still nurture the things that you want to grow.

You might feel like you don't see a difference in what's happening, or maybe you've worked really hard to maintain all these things you're trying to grow; whether it's your business, your energy, yourself... And a very quick, tough season comes along and seems to set you way back.

From the outside, you might see what looks like a dead or dying tree. It’s easy to think, what's the point? But when we cut the banana trees all the way back to the ground. We cut back all the dead stuff that doesn't matter. All the junk, all the excess. When we let that stuff go, it makes way for new trees that sprout.

This happens because the roots are good. That’s the reason we take the time to add mulch, cover the trees, and to add a ton of water to the ground before it frosts… so roots are protected. When the roots are protected, all this other stuff, comes and goes. It dies and then every season, it comes back quicker, stronger, more beautiful, taller, and more productive.

And that’s the truth, the roots are what matter. It's very much like life.

These seasons of death, struggle, or challenge may seem like a long time. But ultimately, it’s what happens and at some point or another, will happen. The seasons are part of the life’s cycles. The key thing to remember is, no matter what season you’re in, it’s important to nurture yourself.

Nurture yourself to be strong for the setbacks, and nurture yourself through failures because it is what strengthens you to come back quicker, stronger, more beautiful, and productive.

With our trees we get through it, then we cater to it as much as possible. We add a lot more support to get through that stress and to grow from the stress. But once that stress is gone, then it's time to purge. Get rid of all the dead and dying stuff that doesn't add value anymore.

Make use of what you can, then contemplate: What do I need to let go of? What can I get rid of? How can I change things so that I can move into the next growing season with more ease so that I can come back stronger?

Keep in mind when things are a struggle, you might be trying to get your energy up, trying to find more time and space… but usually when you feel things are hard or there's not enough time, space or room for all of it, it's normally because you're in the process of growing. And after you grow there's a lot of things that die back in order to make room for new growth.

So I just wanted to share that little tidbit of value with you to remind you to embrace each season and nurture yourself through it all. ❤️

Non-Toxic Minimalist Skincare

What you use for skin care makes a huge difference on your energy and health. Your skin, being the largest organ in your body, absorbs whatever you place on it, almost instantly. According to ewg.org, women on average, use about twelve skin care products per day exposing themselves to about 168 chemical ingredients per day. That excludes additional chemicals found in your foods, clothing, furniture, and atmosphere. When you think about it, that’s a lot of chemicals. 

Asking your body to filter out these chemicals regularly is not only stressful and taxing, it take a toll on your health. Taking the time to be conscious about the way you care for your skin can greatly reduce the number of these chemicals you’re exposed to and improve the way that you feel; your energy levels and mental clarity. So today I want to share with you how I’ve simplified my skin care approach to be non-toxic and minimalist, while sharing some of my most favorite, daily used products. 

The most important thing when it comes to skin care, specifically for better health and energy, is what you wash your sheets and clothes with. Bedsheets and clothes are touching your skin 24/7. Any chemicals ingrained in them are absorbed into your bloodstream 24/7... So it’s extremely important to know what you’re washing with. For my clothes I absolutely love TruEarth. What I love about their detergent is its simplicity and how sustainable it is. They are easy to travel with and, most importantly, they only have clean ingredients. Unlike so many of the other non-toxic detergents I’ve tried, this actually leaves your clothes smelling fresh and I love how I don’t have to buy special detergent for the baby clothes. (Get 10% percent off using my code “MJTRU” at this link HERE)

My daily skincare routine includes washing and moisturizing my face twice per day. I'm a big fan of regular exfoliation, both on my face and body). While I love face washes by John Masters Organics, Acure, and Mychelle, I’ve simplified this down to using extra fine grit sea salt, like the neti pot salt. Depending on your skin type, sea salt or sugar… and if you wish, some of your preferred essential oils, is often the simplest, most effective way to cleanse your skin. Oftentimes I will mix this, or infuse, with coconut oil and some essential oils.

As far as coconut oil goes… I use this for pretty much everything. Moisturizer, body cream, tanning oil, lube, hair oil and protectant, for shaving, on cuts, bug bites, skin burns… you name it. Coconut oil is extremely diverse, especially when mixing with different essential oils. Here are some essential oil mixes I use with coconut oil:

Face Moisturizer:
10 drops Lavender
3 drops Rosemary
5 drops Tea Tree
3 drops Helichrysum
Mixed into 4oz of Coconut Oil
* I researched the best types of oils for my skin type. I recommend you do the same. 

Muscle Aches:
10 drops Peppermint
5 drops Eucalyptus
5 drops Wintergreen
3 drops Cinnamon
Mixed into 2 oz of Coconut Oil
* Eucalyptus and peppermint are great also for rubbing on the chest or under the nose when you experience congestion.

Burns, Blisters, & Cuts Soothing Salve
10 drops Lavender
Mixed into 2 oz of Coconut Oil

Simple Sunscreen
1 Tbsp Zinc Oxide
Mixed into 2 oz of Coconut Oil

It’s amazing what you can do with essential oils. And as you can see, in conjunction with coconut oil, it can simplify and replace so much of the complicated, expensive, toxic things we buy off the store shelves.

Hair care has to be considered as part of skin care, because anything you put into your hair transfers directly to your scalp. When it comes to my hair, my go-to is Clever Yoga’s shampoo and conditioner bars. Their packaging is plastic free, they’re easy to travel with and the ingredients are solid. I love the smell of these bars, I love how long they last, I love that they actually work and I especially love how clean their ingredients are.

Let’s talk about makeup. Like many of these other products, make up goes directly on your skin.  I only wear it for filming and work, otherwise I’m make-up free. But I do have a few favorites. Emani, I’ve been using their cream shadows for years. I love that they are vegan and have clean ingredients, I also use the creams as an eyeshadow base and shades for contouring and blush. For more accessible brands I like Gabriel Cosmetics, Pacifica, and even brands such as Pixie or Elf. With Elf, be sure to check out ewg.org to see the cleanliness of each product because not all ingredients are totally non-toxic. 

While it is difficult to be 100% non-toxic, I don’t want you to feel guilty or feel like you can’t have certain things because you need to be perfect. By reducing the majority of your skin care to non-toxic ingredients, we can feel better about the few items that we CHOOSE to keep in our lives because we just love how it works, the result it has, and the value it brings. 

I hope you found this blog incredibly informative… If you enjoyed it, found value in it, or want more of it please be sure to let me know in the comments and share with anybody you feel would enjoy my content. I truly feel grateful and humbled to be here, I look forward to speaking with you next time!

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MAKING 2022 THE BEST YEAR YET

Hey ya’ll! It’s been a while, and 2021 has been quite a diverse year for everyone. I think most of us can agree it was an upgrade from 2020, but there were still quite a few things to navigate through; whether it’s a new job, new business, new home, a new family member, or a number of new things we’ve experienced over the past year.

I want to talk about how you can make the most for yourself this upcoming year. I know there are so many things you have to look forward to, if only certain things would stop getting in the way. I know you know you have the ability to accomplish them, if you only had the time and energy. And I know how very important these things are to you. I don’t want you to find yourself at the end of this year feeling like you’re not much further than where you were last year and yet again, another year has passed not manifesting or accomplishing your goals. No. This year is going to be much different. Let’s talk about how to set yourself up for success.

The first thing you have to do is get clear on what are your top priorities for 2022. If you’re like me, you have a tendency to list out ALL the things you want to improve and address. But the truth is, in order to truly master one specific topic or accomplish one big goal - you have to have laser focus. So be sure to select one or two things you want to get focused on, and make that the priority this year.

Next, let go of all the BS that doesn’t matter. Even if it does, just a little bit, if it’s not supporting or progressing you towards your goals, let it go, at least temporarily. If you can reflect on 2021 and highlight the top 5 things that got in your way or held your time up, what was it? And could you eliminate it? If not, can you turn the dial way down on it?

Another thing I encourage you to let go of is any drama or fears that tend to consume your thoughts regularly. Sometimes there are things that just cannot be solved and instead, require acceptance. I love Mo Gawdat’s solve for happy equation: Is it true? Is there something I can do about it? If not, accept it. Arriving to these conclusions sooner than later can save years of time, over a lifetime, in conflict.

Once you’ve cut out the major distractions from your life, you need to get purposeful about the things you’re spending your time and energy on. You may need to take care of certain responsibilities even though they do take up time. But purposeful action allows you to find ways that are either more efficient or automatic.

Did you know anything you spend 5 minutes per day on costs you over 30 hours every year? That’s literally over a whole day of your life! Taking the time to quantify each minute you spend is bound to reveal some gapping holes in your time. For example, I usually spend about 5 minutes per day sweeping the floors of the house. This year I finally picked up a Roomba that cost me $300 dollars. I still have to sweep once per week, but I just saved myself over 25 hours per year. 25 hours per year of my time is TOTALLY worth an initial investment of $300! Especially if the robot lasts more than one or two years. It is definitely worth taking inventory of what you need to do and what you can do to save time for yourself.

The last step is to put the plan to action. Taking all the things we’ve discussed into consideration is just the preliminary preparations necessary to take action. Create realistic time goals for yourself and revisit this process as often as necessary to refine and expedite your journey. If you do everything we’ve talked about today, you’ll find 2022 will bring you such amazing results. I’m excited to see how it works out for you!

Feel fee to leave me a comment and let me know how it goes!
Until next time…

- MJ

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You Can't Afford to Neglect This

Hey friends, It’s MJ here! Let’s talk.

How are things? How are YOU feeling today? Take a second to just check in with yourself... How does your body feel? How sharp is your mind? Where’s your energy level at?

I’ve been talking to a lot of you for quite some time now and the prognosis remains the same: You’re exhausted, out of balance, and overwhelmed.

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. There is one common thing every single person I’ve talked to on social media, within my programs, as well as here, has done to get to this place. They’ve failed to prioritize and master the one thing that cannot be neglected: Sleep.

Now before you roll your eyes... hear me out. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that “Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting ENOUGH quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.” It goes on to elaborate on how sleep greatly impacts your brain function, emotional well being, your overall health, and daily performance.

The trust is my friend, people are not getting enough sleep. And it’s happening more and more. SleepAdvisor.org discloses a number of shocking sleep statistics such as: 30% percent of the U.S. population suffers from insomnia and about 38% percent have reported unintentionally falling asleep or nodding off in the middle of the day, within the last 30 days.

What’s more, is in my own personal experience as a health coach, over the last 15 years I’ve seen burn-out effect our younger population more and more. SleepAdvisor.org reports over 37% percent of people between the ages of 20-39 report the shortest sleep durations even though it’s recommended that they get a bit more sleep compared to their older peers.

I know our society glorifies hustle and grind, we hear it all the time: You have to work like you’ve never worked before, in order to live like you’ve never lived before... or some form of that adage. And while I respect you for your dreams, goals, and motivation (I’m rooting you on!) I have to again repeat this quote from my fellow friend Brendon Burchard “You simply can’t beat the norms, if you’ve driven yourself into the ground.”

It might work in the beginning and you might even last a while... but soon enough it will catch up to you, and you will crash. Because burn-out is a real thing. And no, you’re not too young to sleep more and to relax more. In fact, it’s exactly what you need to get your fire started again.

So what’s it take to get good sleep?

The first, which is stated in my Room Design video, but less obvious to the average go-getter... Wind Up before jumping to your day. If you look at anything high performance; professional athletes, race car drivers, stage performers.. They all warm up before gunning through the start. Neglecting this could put them at risk for serious injury. Similarly, your mind has a palpable period when you wake up, which is open to the subconscious, so in essence the way you wake up is how you’re setting the tone for your day. Do you wake up stressed, in a hurry, late? Or are you waking up intentional, taking time for clarity and to envision your day?

This creates a domino effect through, and to, the end of your day; where you start winding down to sleep. We’re only revving the engines if we rush to one last email or to-do before we hit the lights. The quality of our sleep depends on how we setup for sleep and is also greatly effect by the state of mind we’re in throughout the day. So if our heart is racing and our minds are running, we’ve been tense and anxious, it doesn’t matter if you hit the lights out early, it’s going to be tough to settle down. 

The next step is to be intentional with your sleep routine. I know some of you already implement a lot of the good sleep hygiene practices… But if you’re still not getting good quality sleep, it’s likely you’re not implementing the ones practical for you, or you don’t have a good before-bed routine. Likewise, if you have a good routine but are not implementing good sleep hygiene, you’re likely to experience some difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. 

So let’s say you have both… You have a great sleep routine and your sleep hygiene practices are thorough. But you still wake up feeling groggy and tired, and under slept. *With the exception of an actual medical issue, most of the time I find this is because your bedtime is set too late. So, I can hear it now, “But MJ... I get to sleep before midnight, EVERY night!” The quality of sleep prior to 10pm is exponentially better than the quality of sleep prior to midnight.

Getting to bed before midnight is a huge accomplishment. Trust me, that’s hard for most. But for those of you that are working on an energy deficit or looking to create more momentum in your daily performance, you absolutely - 100% percent, need to have an earlier bedtime... at least temporarily. Unfortunately, you will not be an exception to that rule until you are out of that deficit and getting out of that deficit takes a lot more effort than just sleeping in a few nights in a row.

This is why sleep is such a priority for high performers. All high performers I’ve know that have longevity and no issues of crash and burn, protect and honor their morning and evening routines, as well as the quality of their sleep. It’s non-negotiable. 

A couple tips in addition to these thoughts are to: Use a sleep app - I like apps not to obsess over sleep, but to train my awareness for what constitutes as better quality sleep. I now can accurately guess the quality of my sleep based on how restless I felt, the number of times I wake at night, and how I feel upon rising. It also highlights some key indicators or common factors that promote better rest. For example, When I fall asleep before 10pm I consistently have 98-100% percent sleep quality ratings, versus getting to bed between 11-12, I might get that type of quality 20% percent of the time. It’s reflected in my readiness and the way that I feel as well.

If you share a bed with a partner, think about ways to customize your individual comfort levels. Sleep number beds, specifically ones where both sides can be adjusted separately, or use separate blankets. The latter is my personal approach.

Last but not least, if you’re having a hard time getting settled, your mind might be running at a never ending pace. And I understand how it is, when you’re busy all day, and this time before bed - is the only space you have to take a moment and think. This is where I like to apply the principles of minimalism: Take inventory of what you’re thinking about and start removing all the things that don’t matter.

Now, some of these things truly need attended to, but not right now, when you’re trying to get to sleep. Scheduling regular, intentional time to actively think and plan is important, but doing this before bedtime just creates more clutter in our minds and will need to be addressed again later on. It also reduces our quality of sleep, then reducing our clarity and productivity during the day. So there’s really no benefit in doing this now.

Everything effects one another. So to make an overly simplified, dramatized point: You can’t have a crappy mindset, or crappy friends, and expect a good quality life perspective. Similarly, you can’t have crappy sleep, and expect exceptional energy and performance. Life doesn’t work that way.

This is not to say sleep it the most important, above of all else. Your mental wellbeing, physical health, relationships, quality of life, etc… it’s all important for energy. However, in our current situation, sleep is the most overlooked and undervalued factor when it comes to feeling your best and living your best. It also cannot be ignored.

Since I’ve been on a roll quoting Brendon Burchard lately, here’s another one: “Energy is critical to high performance. You can have all the other habits up and running in your life, but without mastering this one, you won’t feel good.” And I’ll add to that: “Sleep is critical to high energy. You can perfect everything else in your life, but without masking this one, you won’t have energy.”

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My New Daily Routine & Habits

Hey there… Welcome! I have something I’m really excited to share with ya’ll. Recently I’ve begun a new daily routine that has been dramatically life changing, and what’s interesting about this routine is that it is something I didn’t realize I absolutely needed.

Many of you know that I struggled with adrenal fatigue for a very long time… And if you are familiar with my posts you will know that I highly encourage a lifestyle that supports stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. In essence, I want you to teach your mind and body to relax automatically.

Interestingly, when I recovered from adrenal fatigue there wasn’t a specific day or moment that I realized I was suddenly cured. In actuality, I still felt a lot of the same things that I felt before; the only difference is my ability to be resilient among those stressful situations, and bounce back from more challenging or exhausting events - without burning out.

But I still wanted to discover if I can truly feel amazing.  You know the way you used to feel when you were a kid, full of energy and almost oblivious to external discomforts… I first began with broader strokes, such as looking into what foods I may be more sensitive or resistant to, as well as environmental factors that could be causing more stress to my immune system, in addition to the same key factors for recovery; Am I getting enough sleep? Aware of my pH and Blood sugar balance... all the things we’ve been discussing here 

What I failed to realize is that there was still another level to energy and health. There was still an upgrade to feeling even better, becoming even more focused and clear, finding even more motivation, and having even more resilience. And I didn’t realize it until I recently experienced one full week of the worst migraine I’ve ever had in my life...

Let me tell you. It was awful. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.. 

I believe when the body is in balance and is healthy, it doesn’t chronically complain. Sure, it will tell you when it’s too cold or if your bedtime is getting late, but there will rarely be any abrupt symptoms that are life altering and debilitating such as the migraine I was experiencing unless something is severely out of line.

What this made me realize was that even though my blood tests show up as perfectly balanced, my life wasn’t.

I knew, this was the time I needed to revamp. I was more motivated than ever to NEVER experience a migraine like this again. Not only is it painfully uncomfortable, it cost me a lot; time with my family, my ability to accomplish work, and feeling good about life.

So I created a new daily routine that would set me up for success and fill all these gaps I knew I was neglecting... and I was astounded by how immediately life changing it was. Not only did I recover from my migraine within a few days, I was feeling better than I ever had since I developed adrenal fatigue. I was more energetic, accomplished more in my day... and here’s the kicker: I was three months pregnant.

When life changes, or new stressors occur, like a new job or getting pregnant… You need to have a back up plan to increase the level of support for your mind and body. While I certainly implemented a number of changes during pregnancy, I knew I was still neglecting some important factors that helped support restoration; such as early bed times, intentional morning routines, and practicing daily yoga.

One of the first things I started to do was incorporate more movement into my day. I also implemented one yoga or stretching session per day, in addition to a daily foam rolling session. I tightened up and prioritized my morning and bedtime routines. Evening routines now began even earlier... Upon waking, my routine consists of meditation or visualization, followed by reading, stretching, our regular morning homestead routine checking the chickens and the gardens, and breakfast with Spanish lessons before heading off to work.

There’s flexibility in this routine for mornings I could use some extra sleep or a slower flow. Something I’d normally adjust in my bedtime routine, but considering this is pregnancy, I found that it was helpful to have that fluidity and maintain PNS activation (that parasympathetic nervous system we mentioned earlier). The important thing is that there’s flexibility for your specific lifestyle, and the routine can be adjusted as needed.

Keep in mind I say adjusted as NEEDED, not as “preferred”. So this doesn’t mean adjust the routine because you don’t feel like doing a part of it today or because it’s more convenient to your social schedule... we are really positioning ourselves for the most energy and best success possible.

Starting each day like this actually gave me a head start, and more time in my day. This, in and of itself, was absolutely liberating. I was no longer scrambling and dragging to accomplish my “stuff”. I was extremely proficient throughout the whole day and I had all this extra time to play and do what I wanted... I’d say that alone makes the effort totally worth it.

So key elements to creating a routine for yourself... (I’m not actually endorsing that you follow my specific routine, but I share it with you so you can get an example of what these key elements may look like):

Number one, Rev up and Rev down. In the mornings, don’t just hop to it right away. I know so many motivational books and speeches talk about jumping right out of bed and jumping in a freezing shower or whatever... but if you’re struggling with energy or are looking to build more, this is counter productive. Your mind is in a highly restorative and subconsciously open disposition when you wake up. This is a magical time to maintain that state and cultivate the flow for the rest of your day. You’ll notice your mind and body become more naturally alive as you implement this each morning.

Similarly, in the evenings, if you want deeper and more restful sleep, you’ll want to wind down. Don’t watch action movies, or look at one last email before turning the lights out. You want to work backwards from your morning routine and find ways to relax your mind the closer you get to bedtime, so your mind and body are primed to slip into deep sleep and to stay there.

Step two, begin to incorporate more mind... things like journaling, reading, or maybe this is where you visualize... Get creative! But make sure this space is more fun and less about problem solving or heavy thinking. 

Next, add the body. I initially neglected my daily yoga session because we started homesteading and I assumed our morning garden walks were enough. I want to point this out, because it’s a great example of why it’s important to remove the idea that there is anything specific you “should” be doing, but rather focus on implementing the very things that bring the most benefit toward how you feel and function throughout the day. While garden walks facilitate a bit of exercise, it did not give me the restorative movement I needed to keep my body’s flexibility in balance.

Lastly, we have to take care of the body. Mornings and evenings usually consists of hygienic and eating routines, so find the best places you can incorporate these. During my adrenal fatigue days, the first step was to feed the body before getting to anything else. As mentioned, keep yourself open and flexible to customize the best routine for you.

I know for many of you, it may feel like you simply do not have the time and energy to incorporate these routines. If you are in a place you feel like you don’t have the time and energy, then you absolutely need to start creating routines. These routines bring resilience and stability to your day, you will have more energy, proficiency, and time... exactly the things you feel like you lack. THIS is how you obtain them.

In the words of Brendan Burchard (High Performance Habits), “You simply cannot beat the norms if you’ve driven yourself into the ground... High performers’ sustained success is due in large part to their healthy approach to living.”

Find ways to support your mind and body in a healthier approach to living. Do this consciously and you will find yourself with a clear path of communication to your internal awareness and practical instinct of how to gain balance and energy in your everyday.

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Lessons from My Recovery

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten tested inside out , so just before the end of the year, I spent a few months checking back in with my doctors and I’m happy to say my levels all came back within range or high within range (aside from a couple vitamins)... My hormones specifically were PERFECT. I am 100% recovered from adrenal fatigue! 

So... other than coming here to gloat, I wanted to share a few key things I noticed on my journey that were surprising, yet unexpected, but important. And I hope that by sharing these things you can identify what that means for you and where you’re at on your journey... and hopefully help prevent any unnecessary lag in your own energy improvement.

Now this goes without being said (and I know I’m a broken record) but if you haven’t yet... get tested. If it’s been over a year, get tested again. A lot can change in a short amount of time. Even after starting a newly prescribed regimen, doctors recommend testing again. This is to make sure the body is responding to the treatment positively.

Getting tested regularly is SO IMPORTANT. I cannot stress that fact. It is the most accurate way to measure progress.

That said... the first thing I noticed since recovering from Adrenal Fatigue is that while I noticed my energy levels improved, I still felt fatigue. Not horrible - life debilitating fatigue... but I still felt fatigue on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis. And I wasn’t sure if that was normal or if I was missing something.

Before I explain what was going on, let me clarify, when your body starts to come out of a deficit or when you start making healthier choices for yourself, your body may develop more of a sensitivity to what it needs. An example you might be able to relate to is getting extra sleep, or sleeping in. I often hear people say to me, “I can’t sleep in because when I sleep more than 8 hours I feel like I drag all day.”

Here’s the thing... your body is like “Whoa! Extra sleep? Give me more!” And it signals the body to be tired so that you’re motivated to get more sleep. So when you start sleeping more, it becomes hard to stay awake past midnight. When you start eating healthier, you start to feel the effects of processed foods and refined sugar. When you become more balanced, your body starts to communicate more precisely when things fall out of alignment.

What’s interesting about all this, is even though I no longer have Adrenal Fatigue or a hormone imbalance, I still feel that same “warning signs” of fatigue when I need something like a nap, more food, hydration, or just some quality rest and relaxation.

So back to that fatigue I was feeling after I was officially recovered... getting re-tested from multiple doctors who specialize in different areas of the body revealed a couple “holes” in my health. Small holes, but still leaking points of energy, and because our bodies are pretty dang smart, my body was “complaining”.

 In my case, it turns out I’m pretty allergic to just about everything. And while I am fortunately not deathly allergic, the doctor explained that there is not a moment of the day my body isn’t fighting against or reacting to something. Now, that’s a lot of work, energy, and stress being imposed on my system. So making a few simple adjustments to my spaces, like changing the type of bedding I use, adding a HEPA filter to my room, and disinfecting my pillows weekly - changed my life!

We also tackled food sensitivities, and I realized that while I’m not gluten intolerant, simply taking gluten out of my diet dramatically increase my energy and mood throughout the day.

Another thing I noticed is that once I started to feel better, it was easy to be fooled by this idea that “I had arrived” to some sort of destination point where all this self-care was no longer needed. Wrong. So, so wrong. Feeling better is just the first part! The great news is there so much more to go!

Like a bank account, if you’ve been at a deficit, coming back to and even balance isn’t necessarily optimal. You still risk falling back into a deficit. I discovered that if I kept up with this recovery lifestyle my energy would only continue to improve and grow. The crazy part is, with some adjustments to pregnancy, I still feel better being pregnant now than I have in over 12 years!

So in a way, the goal, is to live in a surplus. To live and feel optimal, on a daily basis, regardless of what curveballs life throws our way. In conclusion, it means that the skills and lifestyle balance needed to improve and increase energy are the same skills and lifestyle balance needed to continue to level up our resilience and experience in life.

 And if you ARE in the Level Up Program or Everyday Vacation Course, you’ll know very well that I firmly believe, your health (of mind, body, and spirit) is essential to living your best life and being your best self. So it’s a study, a life-long journey, of getting to know yourself, your body, and continuing to grow a personal understanding of what health means to YOU. Never stop improving!

Take the time to reflect on your life and notice the times you’ve felt energetic or resilient. Can you recall the balance of your lifestyle versus the imbalance during other experiences of feeling stressed and overwhelmed? How can you incorporate more of that similar balance now?

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Designing Your Room for Better Sleep & Relaxation

Our personal spaces are sacred. It provides an environment that can really set a tone and effect our energy and mood. When our spaces are clustered and messy, it can leave us feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, and unclear. When our spaces are clean and organized, it can generate a sense of calm, rejuvenation, and ease.

Most of us appreciate places like the spa or an upscale hotel because these places take the time to prioritize the experience a person feels in the space. Likewise, our bedroom is one of our most intimate places that should provide a supportive place for relaxation, restoration, and rest. It is the place you come to for space, solace, and comfort. It is the place you begin and end your day.

Personalizing or designing your bedroom in a way that promotes and enhances these effects is one of the best ways to trigger better sleep and relaxation, which in turn promotes more energy throughout each day. The beautiful thing is that it is easy and fun to do!

The first step to creating more peace in your bedroom is to designate the space for only restful, calming activities. Bringing work, problems, finances, and creative projects into your bedroom can activate your mind to start thinking and working when you walk in. So it’s important to be deliberate about the activities in your room.

Step two, think about self-care activities that you enjoy doing and make space for that in your bedroom. If it’s yoga and meditation, make sure you have intentional space for your yoga mat or meditation pillow. If you like doing face care or a foot spa, you might have a designated area for a vanity or comfortable seat. Regardless what you prefer, the space should be functional and intentionally designed to promote doing these activities with ease.

Next, take the time to heighten your senses and think about what elements encourage you to relax and feel more calm. Sometimes it helps to recreate a space you’re familiar with being relaxed in, like the spa; Use water features, candles and essential oils, lots of plants, soft music, and maybe even some decorations that enhance the authenticity of the experience. Try to trigger all five of your senses with sights, sounds, textures, smells, and even flavors, like bringing in a nice cup of tea.

The fourth step is to consider lighting. If your lights are bright and fluorescent, it’s hard for your mind to settle down in that space. Take note of light pollution as well, excess light that can creep in through door cracks or unshaded windows, or even lights that emit from LED screens or charging points. The ability to control the warmth, brightness, and amount of light in your room can set the mood when you’re ready to relax or fall asleep, and it can also help you stay asleep to remove any excess light.

The next thing you want to do is to be extremely intentional about the quality and comfort of your furniture. The design of the room is focused not only on making it look visually appealing, it should be a comforting and relaxing experience as well. Intentionally include items in your room that help support that and keep in mind spacing, prioritizing the most important furniture first and omitting what doesn’t fit well.

Another important thing to include is a side table or accessible unit that can store self care and relaxation tools. It’s convenient and helpful to be able to reach these items from the comfort of your bed, whether it be an eye mask, diffuser, or book. Keep them close to maintain your night time routine and help you get more relaxing sleep, or help soothe you to sleep.

Lastly, along with relaxation tools, keep beside you important necessities like a water bottle, a night light, some ear plugs, or nasal spray. Whatever you find yourself consistently addressing in the middle of the night, with the exception of using the restroom, find ways to keep yourself from having to get up out of bed.

Taking all these steps will help cultivate a more peaceful, energy-promoting environment along with boosting your quality of sleep. But another essential step to go along with designing your room is to make sure you establish a good sleep routine. Utilize the space to help train your mind and body to restore.. the benefits are life changing!

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