I
magine an empty clear jar. Before you sits a pile of sand and a pile of rocks. Both of them need to fit into the jar. What is the best way to approach this task? Do you start with the sand or the rocks? Interestingly, if you fill the jar with the sand first, it's very difficult to make space for the rocks. However, if you start with the rocks, it's much more likely for the sand to fill in the spaces around the rocks, allowing room for everything to fit.
This is much like life and the tasks that we must accomplish each day. The rocks represent the more essential tasks while the sand is the smaller, less important duties. When we begin with the most important things, the other things on our to-do list find a way of working their way in.
More often than not, those bigger rocks are often the things that are grounding to us and help provide the fuel and momentum to keep us going each day such as meditation, journaling, exercise, or goal setting. If you take a few moments to consider, what are your big rocks?
While these activities might not always feel essential, when they are missing we realize how needed and necessary they are. It can be especially tempting to cut these activities out when life picks up a hectic pace, but going too long without those grounding practices can begin to feel disorienting and depleting. It's so important to maintain those stabilizing practices to help you feel recharged each day.
Hal Elrod wrote a book titled, “Miracle Morning.” In it, he explains how essential it is to invest in yourself and to make sure no matter how busy you may be that you are taking the time for these essential wellness practices. He came up with an acronym called S.A.V.E.R.S., with each letter representing an essential morning practice to not only help you feel more balanced but to empower you to make the most of your day. The letters represent Silence, Affirmations, Visualizations, Exercise, Reading and Scribing (or Writing).
He asserts that when we spend time in silence with positive affirmations and visualizations as well as exercising, reading uplifting literature and writing about it, we begin the day fully charged. Your routine may not include the same elements, but the important thing is to make sure you're putting the big rocks in your jar first each day. Be well!
