How to Take Action to Stay Motivated in 2021, with Adrienne Herbert

Articles

7 Jan

The Wallet by Emilie Bellet Vestpod Adrienne Herbert

Date: Jan 7, 2021

How many times have you uttered the words, “I can’t right now, I’m too busy” or “I would love to, but I don’t have the time” or “maybe later”?

The rush of everyday life can leave us feeling flustered as too many people make demands on our precious little time all with conflicting agendas. We become overwhelmed as it seems that there is too much to do and too little time to do it all in.

If this sounds familiar, now is the time to reclaim the time that has been stolen away from you by the pressures of everyday life. Starting with just the first hour of your day each day, you can begin to create your dream life. This is the time to rediscover your purpose, to adapt your mindset and to thrive.

You might think that carving out an additional productive hour from your day is impossible - didn’t we just establish that in today’s super-charged, faced paced world there isn’t enough time to meet current demands let alone finding an additional hour to search for something as vague as our purpose? If this is what you are thinking, then the Power Hour is very much suited to you. Although somewhat paradoxical, by taking an extra hour each day to home in on something that you want to achieve, you will free up time during the rest of your day as you develop intention, greater clarity and improved wellbeing.

In this episode of The Wallet, Adrienne Herbert, a leading wellness professional, international motivational speaker, TEDx presenter, podcast host of Power Hour and author joins us to discuss the importance of reclaiming our time to shape the life we want before the rest of the world wakes up…

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You can listen (39 min) and subscribe here:

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1. What is “The power hour”?

The takeaway from Adrienne’s Power Hour is plain and simple: all of us have an hour to spare each day to focus on the life and outlook we want to build. You might not think that this is true for you, after all, with so many conflicting pressures on your time an hour out could wreak havoc on your productivity and result in an even greater backlog of tasks. However, this is not the case. When we feel like we are rushing, we are not present, and this lack of presence can lead to burnout. A 2017 study presented in The Washington Post supports this productivity hypothesis: the test group of nurses in Gothenburg, Sweden, who took two hours off their workday took fewer sick days and were shown to complete more tasks each day than the control group in the study over the course of the year. Evidently, our time has never been more valuable. By taking only one hour at the start of each day to do something that you choose, you are making the conscious decision to reclaim your time and your energy.

Why is the first hour of the day preferable, you ask? The Power Hour will help you to rediscover the importance of concentrating on what you want during the first hour of your day, before the rest of the world wakes up and places competing demands on your time. In this sense, the Power Hour is about shaping your mindset: it is about empowering yourself to make a choice to prioritise yourself and your wellbeing during the first hour you are awake – this will set the tone for the rest of your day. The Power Hour is also a great way to overcome procrastination and feel that you are in control. In her book, Adrienne explains that winding the clock back by an hour has been a complete game changer, transforming what she believed to be possible for her life. She tells us that she has used the extra hour to read more, listen to podcasts, complete online courses, train for marathons and even write ‘The Power Hour’ with a mission to inspire others to do the same.

Not an early bird and terrified of waking up an hour early? Adrienne says that this is not a problem and that you can reap the benefits of the Power Hour at any point during the day so long as you switch yourself off from the rest of the world and are intentional about what you want to achieve in the hour.

2. The power of mindset

Have you ever been curious as to why some people sink while others swim in the face of adversity? You need look no further than the power of mindset. Mindset refers to the general attitudes of an individual and the way they approach the different circumstances around them. The mindset an individual has can profoundly affect the way they learn, how they develop and the quality of their relationships.

Dr Carol Dweck (2006) distinguishes between two different types of mindset: “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset”. A fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence, and ability are predetermined and are unable to be changed in any meaningful way. People with fixed mindsets view success as the affirmation of their inherent intelligence, an assessment of how their static capabilities measure up against a fixed standard; striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs becomes a way of being smart. A growth mindset seeks challenge and views failure not as proof of unintelligence but as a signal for opportunity to learn and develop. A person with a growth mindset is not discouraged when they receive feedback, nor do they take it personally.

From these two mindsets, which are manifested from an incredibly young age, derives much of our behaviour, our ability for success in our personal and professional endeavours, and ultimately our capacity for happiness. In this sense, it is not our abilities and talent that wins us success, but our outlook with which we view the world. Adrienne advises those of us with a fixed mindset that we can transform our outlook through intentional action such that we can adopt a growth mindset.

“To an extent, you can allow your mind to get in the way, but we also have the ability to override negative thoughts. Our thoughts aren’t all facts. They are giving you a signal of what’s going on or how you’re feeling, but you have the choice whether you listen to it or not”. (pg. 26)

By employing mindfulness techniques, you can learn to observe the way you respond to ‘failure’ and decide how to proceed, thereby ridding you of any unhelpful or debilitating thoughts. Eventually, such questioning will become less intentional and you will move towards a growth mindset that will equip you for success.

3. The power of purpose

Many self-development gurus insist that we must ‘find our purpose’ but this can feel hugely pressurising, especially given that many of us don’t subscribe to a clearly defined role and have a number of different aspirations.

So then how do we align ourselves and our actions to a single, static notion of ‘purpose’?

Adrienne believes that if you identify what you are truly passionate about that you will arrive at your purpose and everything will fall into place thereafter. If you are passionate about something, it will stir strong emotion and evoke a reaction. If someone asks you about the topic you will instantly connect and engage. Finding your passion will require you to stop comparing yourself to others and instead narrow in on what it is you genuinely care about.

Your purpose will be your passion but just because you are passionate about something does not make it your purpose. You can be passionate about a number of things; however, your purpose is the ‘why’ that drives you. Finding your purpose requires a deeper level of introspection and honesty once you have identified your passions. A good way of narrowing in on your purpose from your list of passions is to test whether your daily actions support and align themselves to each purpose. Adrienne gives the example: if you think that travelling is your purpose, but then you buy luxuries everyday such that you eat into your travel fund, do your actions match your purported purpose? If you truly want something, and it is your one purpose, you will do everything in your power to make it happen.

Adrienne has built her life and career around her purpose: to prove that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. She is a personal and “professional encourager”.

4. Why Adrienne’s lessons apply to our personal finances

As a Black woman living in the UK, Adrienne says that she can expect to earn 15% less than her white peer. She could choose to feel that her success is capped because she does not have a degree and because she was raised by a single mother with a low income. However, Adrienne has demonstrated that these things have not and will not hold her back from achieving.

When it comes to managing her personal finances, Adrienne draws on the principles of mindset and purpose. She explains that, for her, money is a goal to be intentional about and that women in the same position should not feel ashamed or guilty for this. For Adrienne, money is something that facilitates freedom: the ability to choose to do what she loves – spend time with people she cares about. To a degree, money also represents Adrienne recognising her own self-worth; she tells us that, as a freelancer, it is important not to undercharge for your time and talents – this means factoring in the time it takes to produce your highest quality work. By adopting a growth mindset, it is possible to think about money in less emotional terms and to forgive yourself for making expensive purchases. For example, a flight to a friend’s wedding is an expensive purchase but it is a purchase that aligns with Adrienne’s people orientated purpose so it is something that is worth the cost and not worth feeling guilty about.

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You can listen (39 min) and subscribe here:

Apple Podcasts

Acast

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