A CEO’s Guide to a Peaceful Work Day

The last few months have been incredibly hectic. At one point, I was in eight different cities in seven weeks! Although I wasn’t completely wiped out, I could feel the impact my busy schedule was having on me, so I decided to take a much-needed break. This summer, I’m committed to re-establishing my self-care routine, and part of that involves letting my body rest and recuperate from time to time.

In my new book, This Is Only a Test, I talk about my experience with finding the Bali within, the peaceful mentality that comes from introspection and changing perspectives. After a chance encounter with a psychic reader, I learned that vacation is not a place, but a state of mind. I realized after my first trip to Bali that if I wanted to find peace and live harmoniously, I needed to prioritize my mental health and commit to my self-care practices on a daily basis.

Recently, I took a morning walk by Lake Michigan before work. Even though my walk was super relaxing and helped me to connect with nature, I felt like I was so much more productive after I did a quick 20 minutes of online yoga with Adrienne. I was more positive, energized, and was able to start working immediately after breakfast, which is something that doesn’t usually happen. This newfound invigoration reminded me that I had taken 23-hour plane rides around the world to find inner peace, but the stillness I needed was only twenty minutes from my house. Instead of chasing inner peace every three months, I realized I had to commit to slowing down and finding it in everyday live here in Chicago.

It was then that my intuition told me that 20 minutes of yoga was not enough, and for someone with my schedule and level of responsibilities, I needed at least an hour every morning to decompress, destress, and unwind before getting my day started. Whether it is walking by the Lake, drinking tea, or reading my Bible, I now know that it is critical to start my mornings early, with the idea of just being kind and patient with myself. Sometimes taking time out of our day to take care of ourselves is the key to being more productive in the long term.

This new routine may require me to sacrifice some sleep so I can focus on the things that bring me this comfort and stillness, but it’s worth it to set a more positive tone for my day and put my best foot forward, not only for myself but for the hardworking people around me.

So, how do you start your day?