My Ideal Day

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I truly feel alignment is the spice of life. Aligning to my goals, hobbies, dreams, passions, career and community – as much as I can EVERYDAY. Of course there are days where what I want do is “align” to comfort (aka binge watch a series on Netflix!!) But by choosing alignment, I make a conscious decisions when it comes to to re-aligning or readjusting my day to handle priorities or new needs.

I recently did the daily habit score cards as outlined in Atomic Habits. What you need to do is write down every thing you do most days. Things like brush your teeth, drop your kids at school, read on the train, scroll IG while making a coffee, take a walk over lunch, meditate before bed are some of the habits that I would need to record. Even the habits you don’t think are important like snooze the alarm or set the alarm for the next day are recorded in this list of habits. Then I used a +, – or = to denote positive/beneficial habits, negative habits and neutral habits.

What this exercise did was help me visually see and recognize habits that weren’t helping me get to where I see myself in the future or on path to attain certain goals. It’s a helpful way to honestly look at and become more aware of your behaviour.

What it got me thinking about was, what my ideal day would consist of (ie: turn my habits into goals). It made me aware of what activities make me feel energized, bring me joy and what things I want to do to improve my everyday. What I saw was those activities were grouped into the following categories:

Growth (Professional, Personal and Spiritual)
Exercise/Eating healthy foods
Quality Family Time
Being prepared
Doing Work that I enjoy and is a priority for me
Having fun
Getting Enough Rest

So here is a snapshot of what I see as my ideal day:

Wake up (without an alarm!), meditate and journal (optimal journalling practice for me would be either a brain dump/artists way writing, combined with gratitude, goal setting and a to do list). Drink a bottle of water and then get dressed in my workout clothes and spend 15 minutes reading before the rest of the house wakes up. If it’s a Wednesday or a Weekend, I’d probably wear a facemark. When the kids wake up, I’d help them get ready for the day and we all head downstairs. The kids would have breakfast and after dropping them off at school I’d do my outdoor workout (tempo run through a forest, HIIT or heavy weight training). Getting back home, I’d drink water and have a healthy breakfast that I prepped the night before. I’d make tea and refill my water bottle and get to work where I contribute to and add value to peoples life with both a tech and human centric approach. I would schedule meetings for the afternoons because my most productive time is between 9am-2:30pm, I’d want to use that time to work, write, photograph, create, ideate, research, work on projects, strategize or consult. I would break for lunch (to eat something I prepped the night before with lots of veggies/fibre, fish or eggs and a complex carb with more water) and definitely take a leisurely stroll to energize and also digest the meal. I’d spend the remainder of my afternoon drinking more water and either in meetings, training or creating. Before picking up the kids, I would love to have a tea break or coffee chat with a colleague or business partner. After, picking the kids up from school, we’d have an afternoon snack and do homework or get to after school extra curricular activities. Dinner would be prepped or at least planned and we’d eat as a family. Before bed we’d hang out (go for a walk, bike ride or play a game or watch the WNBA game). After the kids are in bed, I’d prep for the next day before taking some me time to either study, stretch/foam roll, shower, netflix or blog. I’d end the date with a peppermint tea with a few pieces of dark chocolate or home-made cookies. Definitely would want to be in bed by 10:30 after brushing/flossing my teeth and taking time to spiritually self reflect.

Wow just writing that out was so relaxing. And of course things may come up where I’d have to adjust my attention to handle a priority but the hope is keeping my day as closely aligned to my main goal categories. Every small step would create a ripple effect towards my goals.

Happy New Decade!

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Happy New Year/Decade everyone! Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog, thoughts and motivations over the years (or even just today!). I definitely plan to continue creating content that resonates with me and you in hopes of helping those who choose to be here take the positivity and inspiration with them into own their lives!

I figured I’d pop on here and quickly post about my New Year Resolutions :)

I’ve always been a big believer in goal setting. I love sharing what I’ve learned about goals, motivation and productivity over on my Instagram and Twitter and here on the blog as well (check this and this)!

So for this year I am looking into developing a better skin care regimen. I drink a lot of water and eat my greens but I think I need to pay more attention to vitamins and the products I am using on my skin. Of course continuing my wellness journey is top of mind as well. I got a pull up bar for Christmas and I’ve already started a new workout program. Wellness also includes my mind / soul and making time for meditation and yoga is key for me this year. Also looking to increase knowledge and really explore and share my purpose. Lastly, I want to be a leader and not hide behind my fears.

More Selfcare | Less Careless
More Purpose | Less Panic
More Leading | Less Hiding
More Knowledge | Less Scrolling
I saw this great blogger do #LessIsMoreGoals and I thought it was an innovative take on New Years Resolutions

Shoes | Leggings | Hoodie | Coat | Sunglasses

Do you set New Year’s Resolutions?

More Like this? Check out my resoutions post from last year

Fall back into Action!

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

“Soar, eat ether, see what has never been see; depart, be lost, but climb” // Edna St. Vincent Millay

I love September! Fresh start, crisp mornings, new recipes, tall boots, beautiful fall photography :)

September has always felt like the start of a New Year of Learning. And although I no longer am in school or formal education, it’s important for me to remember that I should continue to grow and learn. I try to do this as often and as easily I can by: doing new things, reading books, listening to podcasts/Ted Talks or simply by changing my perspective to understand a topic more deeply. I often forget that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed or confused some days. It’s on those days that I need to take a time to rest and recover but also not forget to keep my goal in mind and continue to scale that mountain.

I am taking this this upcoming month to fall back into action! I want to get back into good routines and stay focused. I put together this checklist to keep me motivated and ahead of my goals as we move into the colder months!

Our minds believe what we tell it

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I’ve always been interested in how the brain works and how we can train our minds to accomplish our goals. Lately I’ve been more in tune with information specifically around learning and focusing.

I was listening to a podcast recently where I heard Jim Kwik made 2 really interesting points. He called our minds a (1) super computer and (2) that our minds are always eavesdropping on our self talk. I made an immediate connection: our minds will believe what it hears us saying to ourselves. Our self talk can be hugely centered around what our current focus is on. Whether it be school test, huge assignment at work, a negative situation or a happy moment – our mind will be listening.

I think it’s extreamly important to train our minds to think positively. I’ve always been a realest, so changing my mindset to be more positive has been a challenge. But one way to practice positive thinking is by creating a vision board. I’ve made a few over the past several years and I’ve found that it always sets me up for success. Maybe it’s subconscious or maybe it’s about how attention and energy compliment each other, but a quick google search will show you how many other people have used vision boards to bring focus to their life. Vision boards can help with goal setting by:

giving you a chance to be really intentional about what you want (your goals)
allowing you to organize your thoughts about your goals
giving you a visual reminder of your goals/dreams
creating an emotional connection to your goals

I decided to introduce Miss S to the process and journey of the vision board. I actually called it a dream board with her and I explained to her what it was and what it’s used for. She was happy to use glue, scissors and sparkle paint but surprisingly was also engaged in trying to think of the things she wanted try, learn, have or do.

The night before the exercise we discussed stuff she might want to do or see in the summer and in SK. So I got an idea of what types of images to print. I also printed some extra stuff that she didn’t mention to see if she would gravitate to those images. What was interesting was that she picked up things we hadn’t discussed and also told me she didn’t want to use images of things she mentioned in our conversation.

And now that she has her dream board hanging on her wall it’s a constant source of inspiration and a conversation trigger at bed time. Best part of doing this exercise with her? Was it actually pushed me to complete my own vision board!

The grass is greener where you water it

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I recently wrote an article for an Employee Resource Group that I am part of. The topic I was given was the “Science behind happiness”. Although I was given this topic to write about, I became fascinated by the research behind happiness. Everything I read and presented in this article aligns with my thoughts so I figured I’d share my piece here too!

Did you know there is scientific research behind being happy? Believe it or not, happiness is not just reserved for the few lucky ones amongst us. Rather, every one of us can control our own happiness. Sonja Lyubomirsky renowned social psychologist and Ph.D. from Stanford has found that although 50% of our happiness is rooted in our genetics, the remaining combination is 10% our circumstances and 40% of our intentional activities.

So what exactly does that mean? Even though the science states that 50% of our happiness is due to our genetics, it’s actually an indirect relation, meaning there is always room for improvement – we can influence our genetic happiness by our experience and behaviour. More importantly, the other 50% of our happiness is essentially controlled by being aware of our circumstance and intentional about our thoughts, outlook and actions. Everyone has a choice and we can easily choose to be happy.

Why is this important? Being happy increases self-regulatory and coping abilities. Some scientists say that it can strengthen your immune system, make you more energetic and even allow you to enjoy a longer life. Plus, being happy is contagious! If you are happy and around happy people – the happiness keeps growing!

How can one practice cultivating happiness? Many of us may look to our careers, partners, family/children or other external forces to influence our happiness. What we need to remember is that happiness isn’t something we find, it’s something we create and practice daily. The research shows that activities we initiate from ourselves such as maintaining our fitness levels, counting one’s blessings and pursing personal goals are the key to happiness. Here are some other ways to cultivate happiness in your life:

– Practice acts of kindness (volunteering or charity work)

– Practice daily gratitude

– Avoid social comparisons

– Pursue a hobby

– Nurture relationships

– Focus on spirituality or a religious practices that speak to you

– Avoid over consumption on Social Media

– Taking care of your body and mind (being physically active, practicing self-care, meditating)