Lead with Quiet

Lead with quiet is my secret sauce to starting my day. But in actuality, it’s not ALL quiet. In fact, I can get a little rowdy at times.

The quiet is because of mental focus, mindset and meditation.

As a mom of 5, I can’t remember any moment of stillness. Between running the household and being pregnant or nursing for 10 years, quiet was far from where my life was. In fact, it rang loudly all the time with giggles, crying, and people always demanding something from me, including the hubby.

So my dream to have peace and calmness in the home brought about my practice of ‘lead with quiet’. Now this didn’t happen overnight. It took many days to months to figure out what worked for me. However looking back, I wish I would have put more effort into ‘lead with quiet’ as it has become a game changer.

In order for you to understand how powerful ‘lead with quiet’ is, I must paint the before picture.

With 5 children tugging for attention and responsibilities of homeschooling, my environment was controlled chaos. Well, that’s what I thought, at least about the control part. I operated my day by controlling the schedule, the children (to the best of my ability) and even the husband. My work in the household got done at O-dark hundred. Sleep was not a priority. And as much as I thought I had it all under control, I so did not.

This led to years of destroying my marriage. I didn’t see the red flags. The children and I seemed good, but we could have been better.

After hitting a major brick wall (remember my husband telling me he had fallen out of love), I knew something had to change. And it had nothing to do with anyone by the one person I saw in the mirror…ME!!!! Yes that control had me fooled.

I realized that I wasn’t happy; not happy with my reflection in the mirror, my attitude in the morning, the end of day. I was a mess!

So the mess had to change. Hence, it was time to lead with quiet.

Lead with quiet is my “ME time”, my mindful excellence. It’s the gift I receive every morning. Mental focus, mindset and meditation.

The ‘Lead with Quiet’ incorporates the following:

1. Wake up with praise and gratitude!
   • There is no excuse of getting up on the wrong side of the bed. Instead, stand up with conviction and shout your day’s blessing. This is The K.I.S.S. in setting your mindset from average to greatness!
2. Prayer and journal time.
   • Praying is a HUGE part of my day. And I do start it out in prayer continuing throughout the day. Some days more than others. (Children can do that to you, especially as they get older.)
   • Journaling is pivotal in steering the direction of my day. Spending a few minutes writing my reflections adds to the meaning of “Who I am.” This helps me in building my marriage, my relationship with my children, and creating the business to impact.
3. M & M’s (Movement and Motivation)
   • Oh, if only, they were the chocolate-covered candies. But they’re better. It’s the ME time for intentional movement, fitness and exercise. Get your mind, body and spirit connected with movement. My movements include cardio (walking, running, dancing), strength training, and stretching. During my stretching, I also use this as my prayer and praise time (meditation); the time for God’s chats.
4. Plan and Prep for the day’s schedule.
   • I recognize the 3 main things that take priority. It’s the must dos of the day. No exceptions. If I can accomplish other tasks, that’s bonus! Therefore, I refrain from beating myself up at the end of the day. No self-inflicted wounds allowed.
5. Personal Development.
   • Becoming my best selfie takes constant energy and effort. You can’t make a mountain out of a molehill in one day. Yes, that’s a little reversed in the phrase, but it’s true. The work must happen. So dig and pile a little at a time everyday.

One step at a time leads to miles of greatness!

Go start your day out with beauty and gratefulness. It’s time to IMPACT!!!