A Lifelong Routine for Optimal Holistic Well-Being
For many, the question about wake and sleep routines is met with a shrug and a mumbled “whenever I feel like it“. But for me, this question has a surprisingly specific answer: 4:00 am wake up, lights out by 10:00 pm, and this has been my routine since I was 14 years old.
You might be surprised at such an unconventional schedule, but I carefully and committedly created it as it allows me to fit my holistic well-being needs and prioritize my learning and growth purposes in a way that simply wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Those pre-dawn hours offer a quiet solitude perfect for reading, learning, and practising the holistic exercises that keep me feeling centred: MMQG, Tai Chi Chuan, Yoga, or Internal Martial Arts take turns filling my mornings with mindful movement. In the morning and before sleeping I also practice meditation, to clear my mind and allow me to get ready for the next step, be it starting or ending my day.
I read at least 2 hours in the morning and often I add more time during the day. This helps me to grow by learning new things, growing my knowledge, and raising my wisdom so that I can better help others.
I created this routine when I was 14 and I have improved it during these years, almost never skipping it, at least in the part about reading.
