By Merisa Sherman
How do you start your day? If you have been reading any self-help books or scrolling the internet lately, you might have seen a remarkable trend: The all-importance of the morning routine. They might all vary on the precise implementation of this routine and what is essential versus what is recommended, but they all focus on one thing: if you do not do these things, your entire day and perhaps your life will be ruined. You will never be successful, you will be stuck in this numb phase of living and you will never make a million dollars.
Whoah. While I am not really interested in making a million dollars, I am interested in being a well-balanced and successful individual. Since I am definitely reaching that mid-life age of being, I thought I better look into some of these morning routines and see if I can be a better person before I succumb to the numbness of life.
So what exactly do all these masters of success say is important? Firstly, we must exercise for exactly 5-15 minutes and get our heart rates up. Then we must immediately read exactly 10 pages from a self-help book (preferably the one they wrote) – followed by writing out three items that we are grateful for from the previous day and then write out our affirmations for success at least 27 times for it to really stick. Follow all this with a good, sensible breakfast before heading off to work with your briefcase in hand.
What I found interesting in all of these writings is that no one mentioned a connection to the earth or to nature. Not one author thought that reminding themselves of their true place in this world would ground the reader to the land and the community in which they live. Everything seems to be focused on recommitting oneself to the hustle and bustle of the modern world, to success defined in purely monetary terms, and the way in which to be more successful in their urban idea of life.
I have been contemplating how to translate all this to our Vermont lifestyle. We all want to work toward our dreams, but perhaps our dreams are different than what is found in best-selling self-help books. I don’t know about you, but my definition of success certainly isn’t to make a million dollars or to own a yacht in the Gulf of Mexico. In my limited experience, Vermonters want to be happy, healthy, and to be successful enough to do the things we love without fear of losing our homes or having huge medical bills
. So how can we translate all this into our Vermont lives? By starting our day outside. Whether it’s a walk to the mailbox or a paddle on Kent Pond, a bike ride through the woods, a hike up to the summit of a local mountain or even just sitting on your front porch, I believe that this is the way to practice gratefulness, to remind ourselves of what is important in our lives and to motivate ourselves into action for a better life.
But you cannot just put your headphones in and walk blindly around the neighborhood. That misses the point. You must notice the world around you, to feel the ground or water beneath your feet, and make a conscious effort to appreciate the beauty all around us. In my mind, the length of the adventure is relevant only in that it needs to provide you with enough time to allow gratefulness to enter your heart. While you are out there, be conscious of what you see and what you hear – allow your body to wake up with the nature around you.
Even though I choose to use my mornings for fitness, I always try to notice the bald eagle perched and waiting for the right moment to swoop down and grab a fish. Or the way the little orange salamander thing walks across the bike path and onto his next adventure. Or the way the trees are so lusciously green that it’s almost unbelievable. Adventures are awesome, but you must be conscious of your surroundings or you will eventually get pancaked by some other skier.
As you return to your home, take a moment to truly appreciate what we have. As I pull into my driveway, I am always amazed at the green mountains rising above the roofline of my house. Is there any view in this state where you cannot see a mountain? When I do review my gratefulness after my morning adventure, I usually repeat the same three things: (1) how unbelievably grateful I am to have the privilege to live in Vermont (2) that I have a wonderful partner and community who also understand that sense of gratefulness and (3) that my mind & body allowed me to make that morning constitutional. Only once I have read the earth and celebrated my existence here, do I sit at my desk to write my affirmation 27 times.
Merisa is a Killington resident and local realtor with Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty: femaleskibum@gmail.com.
