The "Secret" Seven - Joe Metcalfe

1. Eating Healthy/Juicing vegetables

2. Meditation

3. Working Out

4. Reading

5. Writing

6. Affirmation/Visualization

7. Planning

These are my rituals. I don’t do all of these everyday. However, I’m working towards these becoming my daily rituals. This is the my ultimate goal.

When I do these rituals, I can whole-heartedly, tell you my day is much better. And I am happier.

That’s a fact.

These are my personal Seven. My “Secret Seven.” I invite you to use these rituals, or some variation of them.

1. Healthy Eating/Juicing vegetables: Any variation of eating or drinking something healthy in the morning. Health, I believe, is the foundation for all types success and enjoyment. We must fuel our bodies for a high-energy lifestyle. Juicing is my variation. I get an ample amount of fruit and vegetable nutrients every time I juice.

2. Meditation: Meditation is very powerful in my life. It helps me gain peace of mind. It helps lower stress. Our minds create incessant thoughts. A lot of times those thoughts are overwhelmed with obligations, or worries. Meditation is the cure. Quiet the mind, and focus on your breathing. When a thought pops in your mind, observe it, and then let it go. It takes practice, but this will certainly give your more peace and control in your life. Do five minutes per day to start, and then gradually grow from there.

3. Working Out: “Energy begets energy.” – George Lois. Movement is vital to our bodies and minds. Our body needs to move, sweat, and stay in motion. Our physical and mental health depend upon it. Something as simple as going for a walk each day improves physical health exponentially. Whatever is most fun for you physically, make it a habit to do it as much as possible.

4. Reading: Just like our body needs physical exercise, our brain needs exercise, as well. And simply put, reading is that exercise for our brains. It keeps our minds sharp. It helps build our language and communication skills. It will also help us improve tremendously in our fields of endeavor. It can be inspirational, endorse creativity, and be a whole lot of fun too!

5. Writing: There can be many forms of writing. There is an extra layer of depth and significance when you right something down. It can be your goals for the month. Commit them to paper. It can be something you are grateful for. Write it down, count your blessings. This helps you get perspective, instead of dwelling in the temporary disasters that may be happening in your life. Write a thank you card to someone. Write out what you visualized for yourself, while meditating. Start a blog about topic you love. Writing, like reading, is super food for your brain, and helps you actualize ideas.

6. Affirmations: This stating empowering words and goals aloud each day, preferably in front of a mirror. Declare everyday what your goal is, or the person you are working to become. First, the mind MUST conceive and believe it, before you will achieve it. Mix affirmation with meditation/visualization, along with writing down your goals, and you are on your way to true success, and doing what less than 1% of the population is willing to do. I love this quote: “You’ll see it, when you believe it.” Build belief first.

Visualization I am putting in the affirmation category. This is thought with intention. Take 2-3 minutes and visualize the good things in your life that you are working towards. It may be your fit body, an income or investment goal you have, or your ideal relationship. Visualize this everyday with vivid pictures in your mind. One of my mentors, Earl Nightengale said, “What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

7. Planning: Plan Your Day. You can run your day, or your day will run you. Be INTENTIONAL. Get clear with your goals. Then have intention with what tasks you perform each day. Do they get you closer to your goals? A great way to plan, is to use a simple strategy derived from Ivy Lee, an advisor to Charles Schwab. Here’s the strategy: Write out your most important 6 tasks for the day. No more than 6. Then take a few minutes to order them 1-6, from most important to least important. Then go to work on them. It’s simple, but effective.

There you go. The “Secret” Seven; revealed.

-Joseph Metcalfe