How to Slay the Day by Hitting the Snooze Button
“A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.”
The Problem
Everyone will tell you that you should never, ever hit the snooze button. They tell you that when your alarm goes off, you should immediately get up and start your day. Some studies even go so far as to tell you that hitting the snooze button is bad for your health. REALITY CHECK PEOPLE…the act of hitting the snooze button is not the problem, it’s what you do with those minutes after you hit snooze that’s the problem.
The Confession
I have a confession to make…I hit the snooze button once Every. Single. Morning. There it is, I said it. My alarm wakes me up at 5:10am every morning. I immediately reach over and hit the snooze button. I know what you’re thinking….Damn, girl, I can’t believe you are actually admitting that! Well, I do, and that’s the truth. But here’s where it gets really good. My snooze button gives me 9 minutes. I do not fall back to sleep. It is not a tactic to waste time, or stall getting up. Those 9 minutes are the key to starting my day with positivity and wellness. I use them to practice gratitude for all the amazing gifts I have in my life. I use them to think about and set my intentions for the day. I use them to reflect on where I am and where I someday hope to be and how the actions I take today can lead me there.
9 Minutes of Gratitude + Intention + Action = 24 hours of Happiness
The End Goal
Happiness in our lives is what we are all after- the “end goal”, so to speak. There is a great episode from my favorite podcast, The Ed Mylette Show, where Ed discusses having “Blissful Dissatisfaction”. (Oct 17, 2018 episode). He talks about how most people delay their happiness now and decide that when they reach a certain goal, hit a certain status, or make a certain amount of money, then they will be happy. Ed explains that our ultimate end goal is not simply happiness, but fulfillment, and in order for us to achieve that fulfillment we must learn how to be happy in our current situation while simultaneously striving for something more.
Let me tell you this…what I have learned is that wherever you are right now, is exactly where you are supposed to be. The reason is not always clear. And sometimes when you are going through a challenging time, it can really suck. But even when we’re struggling to figure things out, there is always a lesson to be learned and there is always some joy to be found. And it starts with being grateful for what we have.
So if you had the power to start each and every day by choosing to control your own happiness before the outside world starts to creep its way in, wouldn’t you want to use that power to your advantage? Of course you would. The beauty is, you do have that power.
The Strategy
Slay the Day Gratitude Session
- Hit the snooze button. I’m serious. This sets a “timer” for your Slay the Day Gratitude Session.
- Make a list in your mind of all the things you are grateful for & give thanks to God, the Universe, or whatever higher power you believe in for manifesting those things in your life.
- Set your intentions for the day. Think about the things that are on your calendar and envision what your day is going to look like, feel like, and sound like. Focus on positive outcomes for all your daily intentions and how the actions you take today are going to lead you to where you want to go.
- Take action. When the 9 minutes are up and your alarm sounds again, get up and get moving. You have now set the stage for yourself to go out into the world and Slay the Day!