January 7, 2006

Marketing Today

Jump-start your days

Anthony Hernandez

If you’re looking for an easy way to greatly reduce stress while boosting your productivity, then today is your lucky day. I’m going to share a technique called the Hour of Power, which was developed by my friend Azim Jamal (www.azimjamal.com), an internationally recognized motivational speaker and author.

Begin by going to sleep one hour earlier than you normally do. If your days are anything like mine, then the last waking hour is pretty much a waste because you’re already shutting down for the night. Quit fighting your tiredness and get to sleep. Make up this lost hour by waking up one hour earlier than you normally do. Chances are that you’ll wake up more refreshed, meaning that your day is already off to a better start.

Begin your day by sitting in quiet contemplation or meditation for 20 minutes. Use this half-waking time to let your mind free associate as you ponder the day ahead. What do you need to do today? What challenges or obstacles lie before you? How can you be even more effective than you already are in marketing, management, communications, etc? Are there any personal issues that could hamper your ability to complete your business and other obligations for the day? How can you balance your work and personal lives more effectively? How can you derive joy from the day to come?

Follow your quiet time with 20 minutes of physical exercise. Aerobics, tai chi, calisthenics — what you do is unimportant so long as you get your blood moving. This simple step will cause your body to burn up to twice as many calories per day as you would without exercising. Increasing your body’s metabolism will fill you with energy and eliminate any sluggishness. Your health and fitness levels will improve. This feeling of well-being will help motivate you to achieve whatever you need to achieve that day and work towards longer-term goals. Never overexert yourself and always seek professional medical advice if you have or develop any health problems, especially if you haven’t exercised in a while.

Spend the last 20 minutes of your hour reading something uplifting. What you read isn’t important. What is important is that you enjoy reading it and leave feeling better than when you started.

I encourage you to set aside your own Hour of Power at least four times per week and hopefully every morning. The clients I’ve shared this with have reported lower stress levels, increased energy, improved moods, greater clarity, and higher productivity. They also report that seemingly intractable problems suddenly seem more manageable.

This method is particularly effective for anyone who is working towards a major business or personal goal or who is leaving their comfort zone for any reason. Remember that your mind and body are trying to maintain the status quo and will do everything they can to revert you to your old habits. Taking the time to center and energize yourself each morning will go a long way to keeping you on track.

The Hour of Power has an additional benefit: It gently forces you to examine your day and your life in general. Dr. Wayne Dyer asks if we are living ten thousand days or if we are living the same day ten thousand times. This question takes on new significance — and urgency — when one considers just how fragile life is and how none of us knows when our time will come. I got a reminder this week when my wife and I found our dog Shidoni lying dead on our laundry room floor. Shidoni had been alive and well that morning, and all signs point to a sudden passing with no warning whatsoever.

The end can come at any moment for any one of us. How will you use your remaining time on this planet to grow your business and personal abundance and build a lasting legacy? The short answer is that you can do all of this and more by living your life consciously — and the Hour of Power can be a powerful tool to do just that.

L’chaim. To all of our lives.

Next week, I’ll begin a short series on hiring.

I always welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions. Please e-mail me at anthony@coachanthony.com with your ideas and suggestions. My invitation for you to schedule a free session with me is always open and there is never any obligation. You may also visit me on the Web at www.coachanthony.com.

Anthony Hernandez is a local business consultant with more than 19 years of business and marketing experience. He lives in Ashland with his wife Robyn, son Logan, and their two dogs.