1. Q: How many years young are you and what is your living situation?
1. 53 years old. I live with my 16-year-old son.
2. Q: What's the biggest challenge you faced in changing your morning routine? How have you dealt with it/got over it/are still dealing with it?
2. My biggest challenge ended up being what you all told me it would be, i.e. changing my night time ritual so I got enough sleep. My desire and vision for a morning routine has been burning in me for years now and all the wisdom/process neatly tucked into your journal helped me to make significant progress. I am amazed that now I am actually going to bed much earlier and I look forward to my wind down routine. My next step is to make it a habit to brush my teeth at 7 p.m. to more firmly establish getting to bed at my desired time.
3. Q: What time did you wake up and go to sleep before you started using the Morning Sidekick Journal, and what time do you wake up and sleep now?
3. Before the journal I typically went to bed around 10 - 11 p.m. and woke up around 6- 6:30 a.m. Now I am getting to bed between 9 - 10 p.m. and getting up around 4:45 - 5:00 a.m. My desired goal is to be sleeping by 8 p.m. and getting up at 4:30 a.m. In the past I recall resenting and objecting to the idea of getting up so early in order to have the time I needed to practice good self care (especially that there was a "4" involved!). The day that I jubliantly thought "I will be part of the "4:30 AM Club!" amazed and astounded my former self because I truly look it as a Club I was proud to join!
4. Q: What did your mornings look like before you started using the Morning Sidekick Journal? What do your mornings look like now?
4. My biggest challenge before was sleepily trying to calculate how many times I could hit the snooze and still make it out the door on time. I felt overwhelmed with the idea of having to get up and get to all the things I needed to do. Now I feel energized and. alert and the difference in me is ENORMOUS! I typically wake up dancing to a lively, fun song. I had no idea that I could actually rewire my brain this way and it is beyond exciting to me. From that point I have been able to include my longtime desired activities: yoga/body work, aerobic activity, "morning pages" (from Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way), prayer and meditation.
5. Q: In one sentence, what's your favorite thing about the Morning Sidekick Journal?
5. My favorite thing is the daily "gift"- those little gems that varied from scientific/neuroscientific information to motivational quotes and links to the fun and personal thoughts from the three of you. The consistency of the rest of the page helped me to build/change my habits but those little gems gave me something delicious to look forward to every morning.
6. Q: How long have you been using the Morning Sidekick Journal?
6. Started using journal in march 2018. Now doing morning mastery and meditation.
7. Q: How has using the Morning Sidekick Journal and doing your morning routine impacted your life overall?
7. The journal helped make my dream of a morning routine come true. It coached me in ways I didn't even know I needed and the promises you made came true. It is an incredible feeling to go from wanting something to internalizing those habits and making them a part of me. You told me it would happen if I did my part and it is an incredible gift to now feel myself grow into who I am meant to be. I am so grateful to the three of you for sharing yourselves, your experiences, your knowledge and your gifts. It's a wonderful miracle to now feel a yearning when I don't start my day with my morning sidekick journal and my morning rituals. It'a beautiful yearning, without guilt or self berating. I just miss it and know it's calling to me for the next day.