Can you imagine a life where you feel rested, rejuvenated, and totally replenished–as your natural state?
(That’s my goal, too!)
It’s taken me a few weeks to compile the awesome list of books, quotes, and ideas that are featured in this week’s podcast (because I was feeling FAR from replenished for awhile), but now it’s ready, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
Here is a quick overview of the ideas shared in this week’s podcast:
The goal is to inspire you to rest, replenish, and recharge–because you have important things to do!
Most of the world is tired—not getting enough sleep, not taking vacations, pushing themselves…. But not us. We’re going to replenish ourselves physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and socially.
(1) Physical Replenishment
Have you ever tried to “keep going” when you’re sick or suffering? It can work for awhile, but eventually, we’ll reach burnout.
Here are three recommendations:
- Kelly LeVeque’s green smoothies from the book *Body Love
- A daily nap! (If you have children and wonder HOW to do this, visit this post from Power of Moms.)
- AWESOME book about sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker (Even the “Look Inside” feature will give you some great tips!): *Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
(2) Spiritual Replenishment
I’ve been working on spending more time with God lately. When I do, I never feel rushed or overwhelmed. Slowing down actually helps us to make better decisions (and generate better outcomes!) when we more closely connect ourselves to our Higher Power.
Two resources I’m loving right now:
- The book *The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: I have some differing opinions on parts of it, but it’s REALLY getting me thinking in a great direction. I’m learning that anxiety is caused when I think the future is going to bring happiness, fulfillment, success, etc. When those things are available by being PRESENT and realizing your value isn’t based on what you accomplish, etc. There’s power in disassociating your worth as a person with how much you DO.
- Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul” chapter-by-chapter interview with Eckhart Tolle about his new book, *New Earth
(3) Emotional Replenishment
The fewer intentional retreats we take, the more unintentional escapes we will make.
I learned that from a book I was reading recently, and it’s incredibly wise, right?
About a year ago, I had a big wake-up call in the form of a hand-written note by my 10-year-old:
Dear Mom and Dad, I went to school early because I didn’t want to hear my mom cry. Can you please sort things out while I’m at school? Love, Spencer. P.S. Please pray for me on my math test today.
Ahhhhh–I can’t even explain how I felt that day.
Here are a few resources that have been game changers:
- Hal Edward Runkel’s book, *Scream Free Parenting: The whole book is great, but particularly the part about the four levels of love (which I describe in the podcast). The highest level is “I love ME for YOU,” and I know that sounds incredibly counter-intuitive, but listen to this week’s podcast and you’ll see what he means.
- Taking a regular “April Day.”
- *Living Forward by Michael Hyatt: He gives you great suggestions for taking time away to plan your life.
- *Essentialism by Greg McKeown: This book is AWESOME!!! It totally inspired me to simplify my goals so I don’t feel like I’m spreading myself so thin. We have a podcast with him at LearnDoBecome here!
- *Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud . Whether it’s changing jobs, transitioning out of a relationship, moving to a new city, or simply “unfollowing” people who drain you on social media, the only way we can truly thrive is if we regularly “prune” our lives–like a rosebush. 🙂
(4) Mental Replenishment
THIS is where the 25,000 STEP Command Centrals come into play.
To calm our minds, we don’t need to do more. We need to create space.
In the podcast episode, I share the simple process I go through whenever I start approaching burnout.
(5) Social Replenishment
We need people. Sitting alone in our homes and trying to figure out how to make our lives better is HARD.
When you have friends you can trust and when you’re willing to open your heart, you’ll come to find out that whatever is stressing you out is totally normal—and there are solutions available.
Date nights, family get-togethers, business groups…these are lifesavers. (I share our personal solutions for this in the podcast!)
And just one more “R” I want to talk about:
R = Restart.
This came in from our Steps to Everyday Productivity member, Chantilly, recently:
STEP win, STEP win, STEP win!!! You guys, I am DONE. For the first time ever, in any online course I’ve ever signed up for, I’ve finished every part of every module, and I’m caught up on all the recent podcasts and everything. Holy cow.
It took me about a year-and-a-half total, but I feel AMAZING. My house is amazing. My brain is clear, my piles are gone, I know where everything is, and I’ve finished more projects since January 1st this year than I did over ALL of last year (and thanks to STEP, I actually accomplished quite a bit last year, so that’s really saying something!)
I’m celebrating!
And also reminding: it doesn’t matter when you bought into STEP, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you, it doesn’t matter if you only do one ten-minute micro-burst every other month or once a year. Every step forward is progress, and even if you feel the need to start over from the beginning (over and over–anyone else? I think I restarted fresh three or four times), each time you restart, you’ll be faster, the process will sink into your brain more thoroughly, and eventually you’ll wake up and realize that hey, you finished! So don’t give up!
When you complete the course, the time and the clarity you’ll have for new projects will truly be astounding. I still can’t quite believe it! I’m SO thankful to Eric-April Perry and STEP and all of you for the support and encouragement and celebrations all along.
Something I think Eric said way back in a video somewhere had to do with the FOCUS acronym: Follow One Course Until Successful. That really stuck with me (I even have it on a sticky note on my computer screen!) Even though I’d already committed to ONLY working through STEP and no other courses at the same time (something I’d been doing for years, trying to get through three or four at once and then quitting on all of them out of overwhelm and frustration), that acronym cemented the idea for me, and it really worked. Committing to going through the course, step-by-step, one thing at a time, actually doing all the work instead of just reading/listening and moving on… wow.
And now… I’ve already selected the next course I’m going to go through from start to finish, and I can’t wait to get started. And FINISHED. Again and again. 🙂 Thankyouthankyouthankyou, STEP! <3
Chantilly
If you haven’t yet taken our free class, the training is here:
How to Stop Drowning in Piles
I hope these ideas have been helpful to you. Thinking about the “A” and “R” components of our ARISE series, can you imagine if all of us were anchored and replenished? What would feel possible?
QUESTION: Where do you need to focus when it comes to replenishment?
CHALLENGE: Choose one thing you’re going to change in your regular habits that will help you to feel excited and replenished each day.
***This page includes affiliate links (to books, in this case). Please read our disclosure for more info.
I am going to replenish each day by writing in my journal. Taking a brief moment to slow down and write provides a mental/emotional outlet to see what’s going on in my life with a little more “big-picture perspective.” Thanks LearnDoBecome!
Love this so much, Brooke!!!
Speaking of spiritual replenishment… You HAVE to listen to the Brooke Snow podcast. It is true self care done right and I’m pretty sure you would devour it.
Wonderful!! I am always looking for new podcasts. Thanks for the recommendation!
Love this episode so much!! Really good info. Can I make a small suggestion? A quick recap at the end would be so great if you guys have time for that! Akin to 3 in 30’s ending. There’s so much good info in your podcasts and I alway end them thinking I wish I would have taken notes! 🙂
Great idea, Kristyn!! This episode, in particular, had a lot of details. The notes are all on the Show Notes page, but are you thinking something like, “Main takeaways if you remember nothing else”? Thanks!!
Oh my gosh I totally forgot there’s show notes! ?♀️ But to answer your question, yes, if you can! Kind of a few words synopsis of the main points, 15 seconds total or something just super short or something like that. But I’m not trying to add extra things to do though! It was just a little thought! Thanks again for sharing your wisdom and knowledge, I loooove it!
Yes–love that! Not hard to do at all. 🙂 Thanks Kristyn!!
I second this request! Repetition to seal the ideas in our minds.
When I first began STEP, I did a “mind sweep”- which included all the things I eventually needed to do but couldn’t do now. Since it has taken me several months to do a “once-over” through the STEP program information, I know there are some items in that mind sweep that it is time to address. Since I didn’t fully process them at the time they are still all jumbled together. I see now that that’s the whole point: to defer items BUT put them in a trusted system that you KNOW will “remind you” at the appropriate time. I commit to going back over that mind sweep and process into my newly built command central, thereby clearing my brain of that stress of constantly wondering “what was that thing I was supposed to do this month?”
This brought SUCH a huge smile to my face!!! Go Laura!! And if you want to send us a photo afterwards (or during the processing), please do. 🙂 This is bringing the STEP program to life for all of us. xoxoxo
Glad you have bounced back, April! We missed you 🙂 Isn’t The Power of Now just awesome? It really changed my perspective when I read it. I revisit often to remind myself that all we have is this moment. We are promised nothing and we can’t undo the past. It’s very freeing. Much love, Fiona
I just love you, Fiona! Yes–I love not thinking about carrying the past around like a huge burden. Seems so obvious as I type it, but I somehow forget these kinds of things. Sending lots of love your way!
Really loved the recap of 4 levels of love–what a profound way to conceptualize the relationship between ourselves and others and the motives that are driving our interactions.
I’m so glad that was helpful to you! Serious gamechanger for me…. I don’t know why I struggle to take care of myself. But thinking in these terms has really helped me. Thanks Katie!!
April, even though, I would say, most of us know most of what you mentioned, your work is SO IMPORTANT because we all need regular reminders and motivation – especially from people we feel we can trust!
Thank you!
I am going to focus on SLEEP to replenish! Although I picked up at least one thought from each area, this is the one that really impacts everything else the most for me. And though my husband and I have known this for SO LONG it is just HARD to stop at 9pm and unwind so that it’s really lights off at ten. My sister-in-law even goes to bed between 8 and 9 PM (!!!) but gets up at 5AM – not only because her kids leave the house super early during the week. Wow!
Excited for you to get more rest, Tara! It’s hard for all of us. 🙂 But honestly, being well-rested will change your life! I’m not perfect at my 10 pm bedtime, but at least 90% of the time I can hit it. Thanks for your kind words and encouragement!!
Thank you for this podcast; planning to incorporate the 4 levels of love at our next mom’s group meeting when we are planning to discuss self care. Thanks for being my Cliff’s notes and sharing (as always) fantastic resources!
Wonderful, Danielle! Yes–those 4 levels of love were a huge eye-opener for me. So glad you’re helping to spread the word!!
Hey April!
This podcast episode was a TREASURE TROVE and just what I needed! I listened to it to and from my visit to my mom at the nursing home. (Thus my need for replenishment, big-time) There are so many great take-aways from this podcast…It’s funny, I’d thought you’d said the book was called “SCREEN-free” parenting (haha), but in any case, the 4 Levels of Love was RADICAL!
Now that I’m finally dropping you a note, I need to thank you profusely for introducing me to the work of Dr. David Burns — another game-changer in my life! (And by the way, I love your laugh; you are so endearing!)
So glad these ideas helped you like they helped me! And it’s awesome you get to visit your mom. Enjoy those visits!!! You definitely need replenishment as you’re caring for an aging parent. So happy you are doing that. And that’s wonderful that you’re loving Dr. Burns’ work. I still listen to his podcast and his books over and over. They are changing my life…. So happy you’re here with us, Nicki! Keep up the great work!
Dear April, Thank you for this podcast. It was actually my focus for replenishment time today, as many of your podcasts have been for me. The point that struck me the most was at the beginning when you said that if you don’t take time for replenishment, you will have more unintentional escapes and deplete yourself. I am very ashamed to say this, but I have put on a lot of weight over the past 4 years. So, I’ve started focusing on replenishment myself by adding 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day along with diet changes. I have a friend who is in the same boat, so we have started meeting once a week for 15 or 20 minutes to pray about it & talk about goals and challenges for the coming week. This meeting time has made a big difference for me. We aren’t exactly approaching the overall weight loss goal the same way, but we can encourage each other and pray together nonetheless. I thought of this meeting as being similar to your meetings with mentors. Thanks for your podcasts. Most of them have been incredibly helpful to me.
Janet, it sounds like you are making some great progress! And how wonderful to bring a friend along with you. Keep up the excellent work!!
April!!
I’m binging your episodes (I like to wait for a few to post and then binge listen so that I can relish in my excitement!!) and want to thank you for sharing your gift with us. I also truly appreciate that you acknowledge that this isn’t going to eliminate all the problems or frustration or overwhelm that life throws at you, but it allows you to change your flow as life puts more in your path. The fact that you were so overwhelmed, but could GO to your system, MAKE a few changes, without feeling like everything would get derailed, and KEEP TRACK of what you did, is IN.CREDIBLE!
Please keep sharing! I can’t imagine any of us doesn’t want to hear every single word you have to say. Everything resonates with us. Thank you so so much!!!!
XOXO,
Laura
Laura, your comment made my day! Thank you for your kind words! And I love the way you phrased that–“change your flow as life puts more in your path.” YES!!! If you have suggestions for what kinds of things you’d like to hear on the podcast, please let us know. We’re here to serve you and take good care of you! xoxoxo
I loved this podcast! I love your honesty and that you are ok putting some things off so you can put your energies into one thing at a time. Something I need to remember to do more often!
My goal of one thing to do to replenish myself is to put down my cell phone by 9:00 pm. Honestly, I had to work backwards to figure it out. I started with wanting to get up earlier to exercise but then I thought about how tired I would be. Ok, so why am I tired? Because I mess around on my cell phone scrolling through Facebook, playing games, whatever I can to “entertain” myself. So I decided I will only answer calls or texts because they would only be family at that time of night. I can get to sleep at a good time and when I am feeling replenished, I can add the goal of getting up early to exercise. One thing at a time, right?!
Amanda, your goal is AWESOME. What an example for the world! 🙂 It is so easy to just hang out on our phones, but you’re so right–getting to bed and getting that good sleep is critical. So proud of you–and YES–one thing at a time!!!
Is it possible to get a transcript for this podcast? (Or any of them, really.) I listen while driving. Now I want to take some notes – referring to a written transcript would make this so much easier. Some good stuff here! Thank you, April!
Great idea, Julie! We may be able to get transcripts in the future! The Show Notes give a basic outline and links, but if it helps, this is the Evernote I used when I recorded: https://www.evernote.com/l/AA5tczduuDtGZYs-uIpG-VPUdM93WUlXvdo
Not super organized, but I put ideas together like this, make the recording, and then ask Kristen (our awesome team member) to organize the show notes. Thanks for listening and being part of the LearnDoBecome community!!
I love hearing your ups and downs of life as I relate to so many of these! Loved this podcast. I have been in the Step Program for a few years and have only done a few parts here and there. I’m feeling motivated once again to get the whole program working in my life! I’m tired of feeling overwhelmed because I can’t seem to accomplish everything I want to do. I go go go trying to get it all done but that doesn’t work. So I am more determined than ever to get the Step program working as it is designed. I am happy to say that I have learned much from this program and look forward to implementing all parts of it so enjoy each day and not be overwhelmed by my ongoing list of projects.
Wendolyn! I was so happy to read that you are working on the whole program!! That is awesome. I have no doubt this will change the way you feel and that the overwhelm will go away for good. ? Thank you for being here and sharing!!
Thanks so much for this, April. I listened to this as I was taking a walk yesterday and I’ll definitely be listening to it again. My family and I just spent 3 weeks on an unexpected international trip to visit family and now that we’re back, I feel like I need to press the re-set button. Just clear all the clutter so I can feel replenished and move forward again. I’m going to just start by following your process (and reviewing STEP again) … so simple yet so helpful! Perfect timing for this podcast to come out! Thanks for all you do!! (P.S. Good on you guys for putting ARISE on hold … it must have been a really tough decision but in the end, everyone will benefit even more! It’s great to see you practicing what you preach. Good luck with all you are doing. <3 )
SJ, I love that you are doing a “reset” right now. Travel and activities are wonderful, but it definitely feels great to get things organized and moving at a doable pace. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words and encouragement! That means so much! Excited for you and your Command Central!!
April, I’m benefitting so much from your program and your podcasts! Whenever a new podcast comes out, I plan out what little job in the house I can do while I listen, or on which drive to pick up kiddos!
I’m slowly making strides toward my command central, and getting the house in order. The steps are tiny, but it is good. It is oh, so good.
Thank you thank you thank youuuuuuuu.
Jan Marie
So happy to read this, Jan Marie! Thank you for being my virtual friend! We all need each other. xoxoxo
I love this episode! I’m so happy for you that you are finding a balance between Learn Do Become and Power of Moms. I’m working on my command central and I want to be one of the 25,000. I’m going to replenish by making time to sew. It fills me up.
Thank you, Sara! We’re so excited for the 25,000 Command Centrals and we look forward to seeing yours! #25kSTEPCommandCentrals Enjoy your sewing. 🙂
That means so much, Sarah!! Yes!! Can’t wait to have you as one of the 25,000. ?
I’ve been so busy, so haven’t really been working the STEP program that I started last year but for some reason today I began ‘binge-listening’ to your podcast today. Sooo wonderful! The content is great and your voice is so inspiring and comforting! Thank you! I will keep at it! ?
So glad to have you with us, Alexandra! We look forward to supporting you in STEP!
Thank you for this podcast!! Love your authenticity. Listening to this as I cleaned my kitchen today was literally an answer to prayer! All the love.
So glad this was helpful! And hooray for you for having a clean kitchen! 🙂 Great things are ahead for all of us. xoxoxo