Dear Readers,
Today I want to talk to you about elevation - the act of physically and mentally altering your frame of mind and surroundings in order to allow healthier, stronger, and lets face it...Better thoughts, plans and actions to manifest.
Many of the great minds of Betterment talk about the benefits of visualization, affirmations and other positivity exercises. These are all great and work well, but there is a concrete method of changing your thoughts and actions almost immediately, that may be of assistance to the budding Betterment member.
The elevation method is simple. You just make a decision to go to an actual place that gives you positive feelings and enjoy yourself as if it were your normal lifestyle to include that location in your day to day life. You see, often when we are just starting out on the road to Betterment, our life is not quite what we want it to be. We may not have the funds to dine at the best places, buy the best clothes, meet the best people and be able to experience all those wonderful experiences we want to.
So, instead of grabbing a coffee and bagel on the way to work everyday, wake up a bit earlier and make them at home...then after saving for a couple weeks, go out to a nice restaurant for a gourmet breakfast. It's about quality over quantity. Take the few minutes to really enjoy the experience. Roll through the senses, calm your mind and truly make the time your own, under your control. Sounds a bit new-agey, but the fact is that the more you experience these elevated periods of time, the more they change you.
Now that doesn't mean that we go into debt, or frivolously throw away money on luxury that is beyond our abilities...it means that we focus on the quality, and manage the rest of our life to be able to enjoy those moments! Discipline! Creativity! These experiences are worth sacrifice, that is the lesson here. Make the moments worth it. Don't pay 10$ a week for a cheap massage in the mall, spend 40$ a month for a spa treatment. Don't get pizza every Friday, get a steak dinner once a month. Make your money and your time work harder for you by allowing yourself to experience a lifestyle that you truly deserve and want to be a part of.
I took the time today to go out to breakfast, after cooking at home for weeks. I brought a good book for fun, which I read for a bit, then I took the time to truly reflect and work on my goal notebook (more on goal setting later). By the end of the meal, I felt great. I had truly enjoyed myself, elevated my status and my lifestyle, and was entertained and productive. I deserved it, and so do you. That's what Betterment is all about; permanent, graceful, constant improvement. I wish you the best of experiences.
Talk to you soon,
Professor Betterment
