hey guys ~
so remember when I used to wake up at 4AM
yeah.. I remember that too
I haven't been doing that in a long time..
but I'd like to
so since it's back-to-school season
I thought I'd make a video on..
how I'm getting back on track on waking up early
why I wanted to do it
how I'm gonna go about doing it
and you guys can work on this with me
so while this is very specific waking up early
the process that I used and the kind of formula that I use is very universal
so if you're interested in doing this little interactive exercise with me..
pull out a piece of paper, your journal, or a little sticky note
and put on your thinking socks
we're gonna have some fun ~
before we can know where we're going
we need to know where we've been
let's use this handy-dandy four quadrant from last week's video
but we'll change it up a bit
this time the question is: what's most important to you?
these quadrants can be anything you want:
school, mind, body, diet, relationships, money, learning, exploring..
it can be whatever you want it to be
now think back on the past couple of months or last school year
which aspects of your life have been awesome
in what ways has it been awesome
and how can you keep being more awesome
and which areas of your life could use some improvement
and how can you do better
remember to celebrate the small wins no matter how big or small as you're reflecting
because it's important to love ourselves and give ourselves a pat on the back
and not be so hard on ourselves all the time
so starting with career
because I've spent the majority of my time working
this area of my life is going pretty well
my channel has been growing
you guys seem to be loving the content that I've been putting out recently
Beauty Within's channel's growing
and I'm also challenging myself creatively which is all great
given how much time I've been spending at work
could I be more efficient with my time?
absolutely ~ cause I spend a pretty insane amount of time at work
family wise, I call my parents almost every day so this is good
I've been a good kid
12 out of 10 deserving of endless pats on back
social wise, you guys have seen that..
this is something that I've been working on the past couple of weeks
working less on weekends, saying yes more, being less of a hermit..
and making more time for friends
now spirituality ~ oof ~
this is something that I haven't been doing the best at
though I've been going with emotions
I have been slacking for the past couple of months
when I read and when I meditate my mind wanders off and gets stuck
frolicking for the majority of the time
doing I don't even know what
hence how not chill and unstable I've been
when I don't meditate consistently
I'm far less calm and far more prone to anxiety
and I do this a lot with my hands and my fingers
and it's been a struggle trying to get back to my early morning routine
so this is an area that needs a major improvement
and something I'm going to work on
as for me-time.. similarly to spirituality..
since I've been spending most of my time at the office
I usually just go home sleep, wake up, and go back to work
this clearly needs to change
especially since I talk about self-care all the time
so with the four quadrants see how helpful and versatile it can be
with this you'll be able to quickly identify which area or areas of your life could use some TLC
when I think back to the best and most productive period of my life
which is about a year ago..
when I was the most grounded and at peace and calm and not stressed out
it was when I was waking up early with a solid morning routine of..
qi gong for an hour, meditation for an hour, and reading Zhuan Falun..
the book written by the founder of my spiritual practice Falun Dafa
for an hour all before work
this to me is..
remember the 80/20 rule where 20% of your input produces 80% of your output
so there is 24 hours in a day
if you sleep or have me-time for 8 hours every day.. you're left with 16 hours
and 20% of 16 is about 3 hours
so this goes back to knowing what's important to you
and what those 3 hours mean for you
these 3 hours are imperative for my overall well-being
and something I've been totally neglecting
so now that we've identified what I want to work back towards..
it's time to do that
so if the goal is to wake up early
how do I make that happen
time to dream ~
like I mentioned in my how to wake up early video..
our mornings start the night before
to wake up early.. I need to sleep early
and to go to sleep early..
it'll be nice to have a relaxing wind down routine
remember the key here is to dream and to visualize
don't worry about the details yet
focus on the bigger picture and imagine how you'll be able to achieve your goals
here's what my ideal bedtime wind down routine would look like
let's have some fun with this and work backwards
the end goal is going to bed grateful and unhurried
what I'd like to do right before bed is spend 3 minutes writing in my 5-minute journal
"3 Amazing things that happened today.."
"How could I have made the day better?"
and I like filling out the next day's.. "What would make today great?"
to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead
right before climbing into bed..
my favorite part of the night: skincare and oral care
first comes the washing of the face from the day's sweats, oils, and worries
and then comes taking my sweet time with skincare
time for oral care ~
let's spend some time talking about this
because I feel like it's just about as important as skincare
but it's not talked about nearly enough
I've been making a point to treat oral care as I treat skincare
to take my time to do the flossing and the brushing properly
and to not skimp on quality
I've been using this toothbrush for the past year
I'm not too sure about the lifespan of toothbrushes
and I'm pretty sure it's not over a year
I mean.. hey ~ it still worked fine
but the good people at Quip recently sent me these magical creations
and I'm officially a fan
Quip is an oral care company that offers sleek electronic toothbrushes
and a subscription service for brush heads and toothpaste refills
it's legit the Tesla of toothbrushes
and I appreciate how sleek beautiful and functional it is
there's a two-minute timer and 30-second pulses to remind you when to switch sides
because there's also four quadrants in our mouths
guiding proper brushing habits
it runs on batteries so there's no wires and no need for charging
it's easy to travel with
the brush holder doubles as a travel cover and it sticks on almost everything
need I say more ~
I never thought I'd get this excited over toothbrushes but here I am ~
if you're at all interested in this, check the link in the description box below
alright so what happens after skincare and oral care
since I've been trying to improve my Chinese
I'd like to write a paragraph or two of Chinese every night before going to bed
by copying the book of my spiritual practice Falun Dafa
one or two paragraphs is enough because it's very doable and it's realistic
and it's practical and it's not too intimidating
we're all about setting realistic expectations here and achievable goals
and in line with everything I've been talking about on my channel previously
about being conscientious and intentional with what we consume
I'd like this to be the last thing I consume before going to bed
not an article on my phone, not scrolling through Instagram..
or watching some drama or videos on YouTube
because it's very important for us to guard our mental space
which is why I like to spend 15 minutes beforehand reading
so 15 minutes because reading is life
and 15 minutes is very doable and not intimidating at all
plus I usually read for more than 15 minutes anyway
but if not, at least I read 10-ish pages which is 10-ish more than zero
so before getting situated on my couch
wouldn't it be nice to make a warm cup of a little something something
be it a cup of warm tea or a latte or even water
as a way to prime myself and my body into thinking..
okay, consuming warm liquid get ready to wind down, relax, and go to bed soon
and I'm gonna give myself some options because having options is fun
and it spices up your routine and keeps things fresh
the first thing is a caffeine-free chai latte with oat milk
the blend of tea, herbs, and spices contain heart-healthy antioxidants..
anti-inflammatory properties and can aid in digestion
next is this lavender lemon beauty collagen water
a lot of you guys have been commenting on how my skin seems to be glowing lately
and I honestly owe it to this: collagen peptides
I have it in my morning matchas and again at night if I'm feeling a bit extra
collagen helps enhance skin hydration, improves skin elasticity, and maintains firm skin
there's about 10 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar
so very health approved
and last we have the trusty turmeric latte
the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities make it great for your skin and body
I haven't been making this as much during the summer because..
the spices are a little too flavorful and overpowering for the blazing hot days
but it's about to make a sweet comeback very soon just in time for fall
now that we visualized and dreamed out the ideal situation
for how we can get back on track and tackle our goals
it's time to get into the nitty-gritty
I'm going to start again with my goal and work backwards
if I want to wake up early..
how early do I want to wake up?
how many hours of sleep do I need?
what time should I be in bed?
how long does journaling before bed take?
what about my skincare and oral care routine?
writing Chinese, reading, enjoying the warm latte..
so in total this is all about two hours
so if I want to be up at 4AM and get at least 6 hours of sleep
I have to be in bed by 10PM which means I need to be home by 8PM
so I need to leave work by 7:30PM
is that doable?
we shall see in the coming weeks
just do it ~
now that we've taken the time to reflect, identify, visualize, and plan..
the only step left for us to do is to put all that we've worked on into practice
no matter how big we think or how hard we dream
if we don't actually take action.. they'll be just that
thoughts and dreams stuck somewhere in our fanciful imagination
so with me making this video of how I want to start getting back on track with waking up early
I want you guys to hold me accountable for doing this
so please let me know down below
what are some things you guys have been working on
what are some things that you're hoping to work on
for the new school year or for this new fall season
for work, for life, or just anything it is in your life
let me know so we can help keep each other accountable
thank you so much for watching
and thank you so much to Quip for sponsoring this video
if you guys are at all interested in these super sleek and awesome toothbrushes
the first 150 people will get 15% off by going to getquip.com/rowena
and check out the special red edition Quip toothbrushes
everything is linked down below
here is the biggest voice hug
thank you guys so much for watching
I love you endlessly
and I will see you in the next video
baii ~