Motivation Monday: Sleep Your Way to Success!

This likely won’t surprise you that most people do not get enough sleep.

Some even brag about it as though only getting four hours of sleep makes

you tougher. Yet, research is consistently showing the opposite!

Lack of sleep leads to poor decision making and lower productivity. In Arianna

Huffington’s new book, Thrive, she states that not sleeping well at night is like

showing up the next morning for work after having several shots of alcohol.

Research also links chronic sleep deprivation to higher risks of diabetes and

heart disease. Many people stay up eating at night, which is a leading reason

for the obesity epidemic we are facing in America.

Sleep, like relaxation and adult playtime, is not a luxury. It’s a necessity and

people can improve their sleep habits with Motivation Expert Tim Shurr’s 4 simple steps.

Decide you are going to get better sleep. As with anything else, you must be

intentional about developing your new sleep routine. You need to plan it out in

advance and make yourself follow through until it feels more habitual.

turn off the TV, put your cell phone down, and use that time for reading, soaking

in a warm bath, prayer, mild stretching, or listening to a guided meditation.

Avoid talking about “upsetting” situations or your giant To-Do list prior to bed

as this will rev your brain back up. Instead, get into a habit of reviewing what you

are grateful for and you’re quality of sleep should improve.

If upsetting thoughts pop into your mind at bedtime, pretend you are a movie editor

and begin changing the images. Turn off the sound, make the movie black and white, shrink

the images down, or create a happier ending. It’s your mind, so start using it creatively and you’ll

sleep much better. If you need help with this, get the book, Get Out of Your Way! by Tim Shurr, MA

Tim Shurr, MA, is Indy’s top success coach and an expert in peak performance

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